Xhaka Biography, Career, Stats, Stats, Wife, Net Worth

Granit Xhaka (born on September 27, 1992) is a well-renowned professional footballer. He has represented Switzerland in various international events and has played an important role for his club, FC Basel, Bayer Leverkusen, and currently Sunderland.

Xhaka‘s leadership and midfield ability have won him captaincy for both his club and the national team, making him a vital asset on and off the pitch.

Xhaka Biography

Granit Xhaka, a professional football player, was born on September 27, 1992, in Basel, Switzerland. He is the son of Elmaze and Ragip Xhaka and has two siblings, Taulant and Agnesa Xhaka. His family is Albanian, and they practise Christianity. Xhaka’s background and upbringing had a huge impact on his life and profession.

Career

Granit Xhaka’s career began at FC Basel, where he swiftly developed into a talented player and won the Swiss league title twice. He continued to shine at the U-17 level, helping Switzerland win the 2009 World Cup. He made his senior national team debut in 2011 and has since set the record for most appearances (as of July 15, 2024).

Xhaka has been an important player for Switzerland in big competitions such as the World Cup (2014, 2018, 2022) and the Euros (2016, 2020, 2024), demonstrating his talent and leadership on the international scene.

Granit Xhaka’s career has been filled with ups and downs. Following a big-money move to Arsenal, he had mixed results, with flashes of brilliance, inconsistency, and disciplinary difficulties. However, in 2023, he unexpectedly returned to the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.

Under new management, he prospered, taking on a more disciplined role and helping the team win its first Bundesliga title in his inaugural season. This unexpected turn of events demonstrated Xhaka’s resilience and adaptability to new situations.

On April 14, Xhaka scored in Leverkusen’s 5-0 triumph over Werder Bremen, securing the club’s first German title. On May 25, he scored the only goal against Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final, giving his club their second DFB-Pokal victory and ensuring their undefeated double season.

On August 23, 2024, Xhaka scored the opening goal of the 2024-25 Bundesliga season from a long distance against Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Leverkusen won 3-2; Xhaka did not celebrate out of respect for Gladbach.

On July 30, 2025, Xhaka returned to England, signing a three-year contract with newly promoted Premier League club Sunderland for a reported initial fee of £13 million, with £4 million in add-ons. Régis Le Bris, Sunderland‘s head coach, then selected him as captain for the 2025-26 season. Later that year, on November 3, he scored his first goal against Everton, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

Xhaka has represented the Swiss young side at the U-17 level. He competed at the 2009 Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria. The Swiss team won the World Cup.

He made his debut for the Switzerland national under-19 team as a substitute on May 25, 2010, as the team defeated Austria’s national under-19 football team 3-2 in Schwaz, Austria. On September 7, 2010, he scored his first goal for the U-19 team, which won 3-0 against the Czech Republic.

Xhaka made his under-21 debut on September 3, 2010, as a substitute in a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland at the Cornaredo Stadium in Lugano. This was the final game in Group 2 of the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification round.

Xhaka was a member of the Swiss U-21 squad that competed in the final tournament, which was held by Denmark between June 11 and 25, 2011. The Swiss squad advanced to the final without surrendering a goal but lost to Spain 2-0.

Before making his international debut for Switzerland, Xhaka was undecided between playing for his birth country and Albania, and he complained to Albanian sports media that the Albanian Football Federation was ignoring him while the Swiss Football Association was much more interested.

On October 15, 2023, in a 3-3 tie with Belarus during UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, Xhaka equalled Heinz Hermann’s Swiss national team appearance record of 118. A month later, he led the Nati to a 1-1 draw in Israel, breaking the record with his 119th appearance.

In June 2024, Xhaka was named to Switzerland’s UEFA Euro 2024 team. He captained his squad to a 3-1 victory over Hungary in their first Group A encounter and was voted Man of the encounter.

Personal Life

Granit Xhaka is both a good footballer and a family man. He married Leonita Lekaj in 2017, and they have been blissfully married ever since.

They have two gorgeous daughters. Interestingly, football runs in the Xhaka family; his older brother, Taulant, is also a professional footballer.

Xhaka Net Worth

Granit Xhaka’s outstanding net worth of £43.6 million stems mostly from his successful professional football career.

He receives €4.2 million a year for his contributions to the sport while playing for Bayer Leverkusen. Xhaka’s riches reflect his hard work and talent on the pitch.