Granit Xhaka
Defensive Midfielder · Arsenal · Switzerland
About Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka is one of European football's most polarising and ultimately redeemed midfielders — a Swiss captain who had a turbulent relationship with Arsenal fans before leaving as a genuinely appreciated figure. At Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso he won the Bundesliga unbeaten, playing the best football of his career.
Granit Xhaka's story
Arsenal's Divisive Dynamo
Xhaka joined Arsenal from Borussia Mönchengladbach for £34 million in 2016. His long passing range and defensive positioning were consistently impressive, but his disciplinary record and one infamous incident where he appeared to invite fans' booing as he was substituted created controversy. Under Mikel Arteta, however, Xhaka was transformed — becoming the heartbeat of Arsenal's revival before his move to Leverkusen (GER).
Leverkusen's Legend
At Bayer Leverkusen, Xhaka found the perfect environment for his qualities — Xabi Alonso's possession-based system with freedom to drive forward and control games. His performances in their unbeaten Bundesliga title season were outstanding — he was named to the Bundesliga Team of the Season and Swiss Footballer of the Year — a remarkable late-career flowering that silenced every critic.
A Family Forged by Struggle
His father Ragip, a former Kosovo winger, was jailed as a political prisoner in the former Yugoslavia for defending Kosovo Albanian rights before the family fled to Basel. His parents pushed him and brother Taulant into football partly for discipline; Xhaka has said that without it, he would likely be "in an office, trying to build a business."
Sunderland's Second Coach
Xhaka joined newly promoted Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen for £17.3m in July 2025 and was made captain within weeks. He anchored a squad many expected to struggle, helping Sunderland to seventh place and a first European qualification since 1973 in his debut season. Manager Régis Le Bris called him "a second coach on the pitch."
Switzerland's Record Man
Xhaka overtook Heinz Hermann as Switzerland's most-capped player in November 2023 and reached 152 caps by the 2026 World Cup. He captained the side to their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954, beating Colombia on penalties before losing to Argentina. He was Switzerland's only Ballon d'Or nominee in 2024, finishing 16th.
Did you know?
- 🔄 Once publicly told Arsenal fans to 'f*** off' after being booed when substituted in 2019 — yet went on to become club captain and one of the fans' favourite players.
- 🎖️ Holds the title Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo, granted to public figures judged to have raised the country's international profile.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married Leonita Lekaj in July 2017; they have three daughters, including Neyana, born in March 2025.
- 😢 Broke down in tears after Switzerland's penalty shootout win over Colombia at the 2026 World Cup, calling it 'pure relief' — 'people who know me know I always put a lot of pressure on myself.'
- 🇽🇰 Born in Basel to Kosovo Albanian parents who fled before the war; brother Taulant plays for Albania — the two faced each other at Euro 2016.
- 💼 Captains both Switzerland and Sunderland at once — one of a small number of Premier League players to lead both club and country simultaneously.
- 🗣️ Speaks Albanian, Swiss German, French and English fluently — a range that has made him a natural bridge in every dressing room he's joined.
- 🏆 His individual form stayed elite even after Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten title defence ended — pundits still picked him for the division's Team of the Season a second time in 2024-25.
- 🌟 Cites Xabi Alonso as a major mentor at Leverkusen — 'he gave me a lot of advice' — alongside childhood idols Patrick Vieira and Arsène Wenger at Arsenal.
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