Vesel Demaku (born 5 February 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Austrian club SCR Altach. Born in Austria, he represented that nation at youth international levels but in 2024 switched to play for Kosovo national team.
.jpg) Demaku with Austria U21 in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 February 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Altenmarkt an der Triesting, Austria | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | SCR Altach | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2006 | SKV Altenmarkt | ||
| 2006–2009 | Rapid Wien | ||
| 2009–2012 | Admira Wacker | ||
| 2012–2014 | Rapid Wien | ||
| 2014–2017 | Red Bull Salzburg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2022 | Austria Wien | 70 | (1) |
| 2018–2022 | → Austria Wien II | 18 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | Sturm Graz | 3 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Sturm Graz II | 11 | (2) |
| 2023 | → Austria Klagenfurt (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2024 | → SCR Altach (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2024– | SCR Altach | 10 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Austria U15 | 7 | (0) |
| 2015 | Austria U16 | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Austria U17 | 12 | (0) |
| 2018 | Austria U18 | 3 | (2) |
| 2018 | Austria U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019 | Austria U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019–2022 | Austria U21 | 15 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 October 2024 | |||
Club career
editOn 27 March 2017, Demaku joined FK Austria Wien from FC Red Bull Salzburg's youth academy, and signed his first professional contract.[1] Demaku made his professional debut for Austria Wien in a 4–0 Austrian Bundesliga win over SKN St. Pölten on 10 March 2018.[2]
On 1 December 2022, Demaku moved on loan to Austria Klagenfurt for the second part of the 2022–23 season.[3]
On 15 January 2024, Demaku joined SCR Altach on loan with an option to buy.[4]
International career
editFrom 2014, until 2022, Demaku has been part of Austria at youth international level, respectively has been part of the U15, U16, U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 teams and he with these teams played 45 matches and scored two goals.
On 28 October 2024, the Football Federation of Kosovo announced that Demaku had decided to play for the Kosovo national team, and the delay in his decision was due to the lack of permission from Austria to have dual citizenship.[5] He was planned to be called up from Kosovo in November 2024 for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Romania and Lithuania, but due to problems with his documentation, could not be part of the national team.[6]
Personal life
editDemaku was born in Altenmarkt an der Triesting, Austria to Kosovo Albanian parents from Drenas.[7] He bears the name of his martyred grandfather killed during the Kosovo War.[8]
References
edit- ^ "FK Austria Wien - FK Austria Wien verpflichtet ÖFB-U17-Nationalspieler". www.fk-austria.at.
- ^ "Austria Wien vs. St. Pölten - 10 March 2018 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com.
- ^ "Violett leiht Demaku von Sturm aus" (in German). Austria Klagenfurt. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Vesel Demaku kommt leihweise von Sturm Graz" [Vesel Demaku comes on loan from Sturm Graz] (in German). Rheindorf Altach. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Vesel Demaku i thotë 'Po' Kosovës" [Vesel Demaku says 'Yes' to Kosovo] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Foda: Në Rumani shkojmë me energji pozitive e shumë pasion për fitore" [Foda: We go to Romania with positive energy and a lot of passion for victory] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 11 November 2024.
- ^ "Vesel Demaku, the Kosovo Albanian David Luiz". KosovoDiaspora.org. 17 January 2014.
- ^ "Me Vesel Demakun, futbollistin e lindur e të rritur në Austri që bart me krenari emrin e Gjyshit dëshmor" [With Vesel Demaku, the footballer born and raised in Austria who proudly bears the name of the martyred grandfather]. Facebook (in Albanian). Ramiz Lladrovci. 28 October 2024.