Miralem Sulejmani
Encyclopedia
Miralem Sulejmani is a Serbia
n football player of Gorani origin who plays for Ajax.
and GSP Polet. Sulejmani's first club was local club FK BSK Batajnica before he moved to the youth squads of FK Partizan
. He made his first appearance for the Serbian club in the 2005–06 season. Quickly, Sulejmani was branded as the next great talent from Serbia, and interest quickly followed from Dutch clubs like AZ Alkmaar, FC Groningen and SC Heerenveen. In 2006 Sulejmani spent time at farmclub FK Teleoptik
. On 6 December 2006 it was announced that Heerenveen had signed the Serbian striker, who would move to the Eredivisie
side in January.
suspended Sulejmani until 11 May 2007 keeping him out for the rest of the season. Heerenveen appealed to the FIFA
and although the original verdict claimed that Sulejmani should not be suspended, a second look at the case was made and Sulejmani was suspended again. He made his debut for the youth squad at 13 May 2007 in a 3–0 win against Heracles Almelo
, in which he gave 1 assist.
His second appearance came against Ajax. Sulejmani went on to score his first goal for Heerenveen as the Serbian put Heerenveen 1–0 ahead at the Amsterdam ArenA
. However, they went on to lose the game 4–1, ending a streak of three away wins against Ajax. Heerenveen's poor start to the season continued, but one of the few limelights of the team was Sulejmani, showing some outstanding displays on the wing. In the first half of the season, Sulejmani proved himself to be a worthy replacement during Afonso Alves
' absence and scored 4 goals and produced 5 assists, including the assist for the winning goal against reigning champions PSV Eindhoven.
After Alves' departure to Middlesbrough
, it was up to Sulejmani to lead Heerenveen's attack, in which he succeeded. His fine play even led to the (temporary) departure of 13-time Polish international, Radosław Matusiak. At the end of the season, Sulejmani became the club's equal topscorer with 15 goals in 34 appearances, playing in all Eredivisie matches and provided 10 assists for his team-mates. He also won the prize of the Talent of the Year-award, as a prize, he decided to donate an artificial turf-football field in his hometown.
Heerenveen finished fifth in the Eredivisie, earning them a spot in the playoffs for the qualifying round for the Champions League
against second ranked club Ajax. Usually, the number 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Eredivisie are ensured of at least UEFA Cup
-football, but thanks to the fact that Feyenoord, who finished 6th in the league, won the KNVB-Beker
, the loser of the playoffs will wind up playing the Intertoto Cup. Sulejmani will not participate in the playoffs, because of an injury to the meniscus, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. Heerenveen lost the first round to Ajax 5–2 on aggregate
and went on to face NAC Breda
, who finished 3rd in the league, in the losers-round for the final ticket for the UEFA Cup
.
In Amsterdam, Sulejmani signed a five-year contract with Ajax, keeping him there until 30 June 2013. Sulejmani claimed in an interview that he himself didn't even know that Ajax paid over €16 million for his services. Miralem said, I am a footballer and I only want to think about football. He made his debut for Ajax in the test match against Sunderland
on 3 August 2008.
From his first start for Ajax in the Eredivisie
Sulejmani an immediate impact player, scoring in his debut against Willem II which Ajax eventually lost 2–1. In February 2010, he scored a solo goal against Juventus
in the first leg of the Europa League round of 32 tie. He ran nearly the entire length of the pitch, outrunning the Juventus defenders to score the opening goal of the match but Ajax were eliminated from the competition, losing 2–1 on aggregate.
On 11 August 2010, West Ham United
confirmed that they had agreed terms with Ajax and with Sulejmani to take him on a year long loan subject to the granting of a work permit, however the work permit application was denied the next day.
Then after a winter coach change, he got more chances in the first-team and became a regular. He says he has gained more self-confidence, certainly due to new coach Frank de Boer.
's 18-man squad for the 2007 UEFA European U-19 Championship
and was given the number 10 shirt.
On 7 September 2008 Sulejmani converted 2 penalties for Serbia in their 8–0 demolition of Hungary's under-21 side in a qualifying match for the European Under-21 Championship.
Sulejmani made his international debut for the senior national team
on 6 February 2008 in a friendly match in Skopje
against Macedonia
.
|-
|2005–06
||rowspan="1"|Partizan
||rowspan="1"|SuperLiga
||1||0||-||-||-||-||1||0
|-
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Heerenveen||rowspan="6"|Eredivisie
||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|2007–08||34||15||2||1||2||0||38||16
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="4"|AFC Ajax||27||8||-||-||7||2||34||10
|-
|2009–10||17||2||4||0||10||1||31||3
|-
|2010–11||32||8||6||3||14||2||52||13
|-
|2011–12
||12||9||0||0||5||1||17||10
|-
1||0||-||-||-||-||1||0
122||42||12||4||38||6||172||52
123||42||12||4||38||6||173||52
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n football player of Gorani origin who plays for Ajax.
Early career
His father played at OFK BeogradOFK Beograd
Omladinski fudbalski klub Beograd, commonly referred to as OFK Beograd , is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia, more precisely from the Karaburma urban neighborhood. It currently is the oldest team playing in the Serbian SuperLiga. The name means "Youth Football Club Belgrade" in Serbian...
and GSP Polet. Sulejmani's first club was local club FK BSK Batajnica before he moved to the youth squads of FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
. He made his first appearance for the Serbian club in the 2005–06 season. Quickly, Sulejmani was branded as the next great talent from Serbia, and interest quickly followed from Dutch clubs like AZ Alkmaar, FC Groningen and SC Heerenveen. In 2006 Sulejmani spent time at farmclub FK Teleoptik
FK Teleoptik
Fudbalski klub Teleoptik is a professional football club based in Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia. The club currently playing in the Serbian First League....
. On 6 December 2006 it was announced that Heerenveen had signed the Serbian striker, who would move to the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
side in January.
Controversial move
His decision to move to Heerenveen was controversial, several arguments occurred between Heerenveen and his agent. Eventually, Partizan after a meeting with the Football Association of SerbiaFootball Association of Serbia
The Football Association of Serbia is the governing body of football in Serbia, based in Belgrade. It organizes Serbian football leagues, namely the Serbian Superliga, the Serbia national football team, as well as the Second Leagues....
suspended Sulejmani until 11 May 2007 keeping him out for the rest of the season. Heerenveen appealed to the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
and although the original verdict claimed that Sulejmani should not be suspended, a second look at the case was made and Sulejmani was suspended again. He made his debut for the youth squad at 13 May 2007 in a 3–0 win against Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo is a football club from Almelo, Netherlands.Heracles Almelo were founded on May 3, 1903 as Heracles, after the demigod son of Zeus. They changed their name on July 1, 1974 to SC Heracles '74 and finally settled on the current name in 1998. The club has won the Dutch national title...
, in which he gave 1 assist.
Heerenveen
Finally, in the 2007–08 season, Sulejmani was able to make his debut on 17 August 2007 against Willem II. The match ended in a goalless draw.His second appearance came against Ajax. Sulejmani went on to score his first goal for Heerenveen as the Serbian put Heerenveen 1–0 ahead at the Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
. However, they went on to lose the game 4–1, ending a streak of three away wins against Ajax. Heerenveen's poor start to the season continued, but one of the few limelights of the team was Sulejmani, showing some outstanding displays on the wing. In the first half of the season, Sulejmani proved himself to be a worthy replacement during Afonso Alves
Afonso Alves
Afonso Alves Martins Júnior is a Brazilian footballer who plays for the Qatari club Al Rayyan Sports Club as a striker. He enjoyed the most successful period of his career during his time in Heerenveen in the Dutch league, where his goal-to-game ratio was higher than a goal a game...
' absence and scored 4 goals and produced 5 assists, including the assist for the winning goal against reigning champions PSV Eindhoven.
After Alves' departure to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, it was up to Sulejmani to lead Heerenveen's attack, in which he succeeded. His fine play even led to the (temporary) departure of 13-time Polish international, Radosław Matusiak. At the end of the season, Sulejmani became the club's equal topscorer with 15 goals in 34 appearances, playing in all Eredivisie matches and provided 10 assists for his team-mates. He also won the prize of the Talent of the Year-award, as a prize, he decided to donate an artificial turf-football field in his hometown.
Heerenveen finished fifth in the Eredivisie, earning them a spot in the playoffs for the qualifying round for the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
against second ranked club Ajax. Usually, the number 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Eredivisie are ensured of at least UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
-football, but thanks to the fact that Feyenoord, who finished 6th in the league, won the KNVB-Beker
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
, the loser of the playoffs will wind up playing the Intertoto Cup. Sulejmani will not participate in the playoffs, because of an injury to the meniscus, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. Heerenveen lost the first round to Ajax 5–2 on aggregate
Two-legged match
In sport , a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or legs, with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs...
and went on to face NAC Breda
NAC Breda
NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
, who finished 3rd in the league, in the losers-round for the final ticket for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
Ajax
After weeks of speculation, the transfer-soap of Sulejmani finally ended on 4 July 2008 when AFC Ajax announced on the official website that Heerenveen and Ajax had reached an agreement of the transfer of Sulejmani. Ajax paid €16.25 million to Heerenveen, breaking the Dutch transfer-record, with the previous record also having been between the two Eredivisie clubs for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in 2005.In Amsterdam, Sulejmani signed a five-year contract with Ajax, keeping him there until 30 June 2013. Sulejmani claimed in an interview that he himself didn't even know that Ajax paid over €16 million for his services. Miralem said, I am a footballer and I only want to think about football. He made his debut for Ajax in the test match against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
on 3 August 2008.
From his first start for Ajax in the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
Sulejmani an immediate impact player, scoring in his debut against Willem II which Ajax eventually lost 2–1. In February 2010, he scored a solo goal against Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in the first leg of the Europa League round of 32 tie. He ran nearly the entire length of the pitch, outrunning the Juventus defenders to score the opening goal of the match but Ajax were eliminated from the competition, losing 2–1 on aggregate.
On 11 August 2010, West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
confirmed that they had agreed terms with Ajax and with Sulejmani to take him on a year long loan subject to the granting of a work permit, however the work permit application was denied the next day.
Then after a winter coach change, he got more chances in the first-team and became a regular. He says he has gained more self-confidence, certainly due to new coach Frank de Boer.
International career
Sulejmani was named in Zvonko ŽivkovićZvonko Živkovic
Zvonko Živković was a top Serbian footballer of the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, and now one of the most primising and respected Serbian football coaches....
's 18-man squad for the 2007 UEFA European U-19 Championship
2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
-Group B:-------------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:---------Final:-----Teams:-Top goalscorers:-External links:* at uefa.com...
and was given the number 10 shirt.
On 7 September 2008 Sulejmani converted 2 penalties for Serbia in their 8–0 demolition of Hungary's under-21 side in a qualifying match for the European Under-21 Championship.
Sulejmani made his international debut for the senior national team
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
on 6 February 2008 in a friendly match in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
against Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia national football team
The Macedonia national football team is the national football team of the Republic of Macedonia and is controlled by the Football Federation of Macedonia. Due to an ongoing name dispute, it enters international competitions under its country's provisional appellation as "FYR Macedonia"...
.
Career statistics
|2005–06
2005–06 Serbia and Montenegro SuperLiga
2005-06 Serbia and Montenegro Superliga is the last edition before the dissolution of the state union between Serbia and Montenegro.-League table:||||rowspan=5 style="background:white;"|...
||rowspan="1"|Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
||rowspan="1"|SuperLiga
Serbian Superliga
Serbian SuperLiga is a Serbian professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Serbian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Serbian First League...
||1||0||-||-||-||-||1||0
|-
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Heerenveen||rowspan="6"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|2007–08||34||15||2||1||2||0||38||16
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="4"|AFC Ajax||27||8||-||-||7||2||34||10
|-
|2009–10||17||2||4||0||10||1||31||3
|-
|2010–11||32||8||6||3||14||2||52||13
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Eredivisie
The 2011–12 Eredivisie is the fifty-sixth season of Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. It began in August 2011 with the first matches of the season and will end in June with the last matches of the European competition and relegation playoffs.-Teams:...
||12||9||0||0||5||1||17||10
|-
1||0||-||-||-||-||1||0
122||42||12||4||38||6||172||52
123||42||12||4||38||6||173||52
Club
Ajax- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
(1): 2010–112010–11 Eredivisie-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:... - KNVB CupKNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
(1): 2009–102009–10 KNVB CupThe 2009–10 KNVB Cup was the 92nd season of the Dutch national football knockout tournament. The competition began on 29 August 2009 with the matches of Round 1 and culminated with a double-leg Final on 25 April and 6 May 2010 respectively...
External links
- National Football Teams
- Miralem Sulejmani at reprezentacija.rs