Vedat Muriqi

For the Brazilian footballer, see Muriqui (footballer).

Vedat Muriqi

Muriqi with Çaykur Rizespor in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth	(1994-04-24) 24 April 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Prizren, FR Yugoslavia
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Mallorca
Number	7
Youth career
2005–2010	Liria Prizren
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2013	Liria Prizren	10	(3)
2013–2014	Teuta Durrës	18	(1)
2014	→ Besa Kavajë (loan)	13	(3)
2014–2016	Giresunspor	57	(21)
2016–2018	Gençlerbirliği	46	(5)
2018–2019	Çaykur Rizespor	50	(25)
2019–2020	Fenerbahçe	32	(17)
2020–2022	Lazio	38	(1)
2022	→ Mallorca (loan)	16	(5)
2022–	Mallorca	62	(21)
International career‡
2013	Kosovo U21	1	(1)
2013–2014	Albania U21	4	(1)
2016–	Kosovo	53	(26)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:05, 11 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:36, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

Vedat Muriqi (born 24 April 1994) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Mallorca and the Kosovo national team.

Club career

Teuta Durrës

On 14 January 2013, Muriqi had a trial at Kategoria Superiore club Teuta Durrës and after impressing in a friendly match signed a one-and-a-half year contract with the club. ^[1] On 4 February 2013, he made his debut with Teuta Durrës in the 2012–13 Albanian Cup quarter-finals against Bylis after being named in the starting line-up. ^[2] On 23 February 2013, he made his league debut in a 1–1 away draw against Tirana after coming on as a substitute in the 46th minute in place of Daniel Xhafaj. ^[3]

Loan at Besa Kavajë

On 5 January 2014, Muriqi was loaned out to Kategoria Superiore club Besa Kavajë until the end of the 2013–14 season. ^[4] On 1 February 2014, he made his debut against Laçi after coming on as a substitute at 46th minute in place of Shaqir Stafa and scored his side's second goal during a 2–2 home draw. ^[5]

Giresunspor

On 18 August 2014, Muriqi signed a two-year contract with TFF First League club Giresunspor. ^[6] On 14 September 2014, he made his debut in a 0–1 home defeat against Adana Demirspor after coming on as a substitute at 78th minute in place of David Solomon Abwo. ^[7]

Gençlerbirliği

On 31 May 2016, Muriqi signed a three-year contract with Süper Lig club Gençlerbirliği. ^[8] On 21 August 2016, he made his debut against Gaziantepspor after coming on as a substitute at 64th minute in place of Cosmin Matei and scored his side's second goal during a 2–0 home win. ^[9]

Çaykur Rizespor

On 11 January 2018, Muriqi signed to TFF First League side Çaykur Rizespor. ^{[10] [11]} Ten days later, he made his debut in a match against Manisaspor after being named in the starting line-up and scoring two goals during a 0–3 away win. ^[12]

Fenerbahçe

On 7 July 2019, Muriqi completed a transfer to Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe by signing for the next four seasons. ^[13] One day later, the club confirmed that Muriqi had joined on a permanent transfer. ^[14] On 19 August 2019, he made his debut against Gaziantep after being named in the starting line-up and scored his side's second goal during a 5–0 home win. ^[15]

Lazio

On 15 September 2020, Muriqi signed a five-year deal with Serie A club Lazio. ^[16] On 17 October 2020, he made his debut in a 3–0 away defeat against Sampdoria after coming on as a substitute at 59th minute in place of Felipe Caicedo. ^[17] Three days after debut, Muriqi played against Borussia Dortmund in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League to become the first player of the Kosovo national team to feature in the competition. ^[18]

Mallorca

On 31 January 2022, Muriqi was loaned out to La Liga club Mallorca until the end of the 2021–22 season. ^[19] Mallorca reportedly paid a €1 million loan fee. ^[20] His debut with Mallorca came two days later in the 2021–22 Copa del Rey quarter-finals against Rayo Vallecano after being named in the starting line-up. ^[21] Three days after debut, he made his league debut against Cádiz after being named in the starting line-up and scored his side's second goal during a 2–1 home win. ^[22]

On 22 July 2022, the clubs agreed on a permanent transfer and Muriqi signed a five-year contract with Mallorca. ^[23]

International career

Under-21

Kosovo

In June 2013, Muriqi was named as part of the Kosovo U21 squad for 2013 Valais Youth Cup. ^[24] On 12 June 2013, he made his debut with Kosovo U21 in 2013 Valais Youth Cup semi-final against Ghana U20 after being named in the starting line-up and scored the draw goal in the 41st minute. ^[25]

Albania

On 15 October 2013, Muriqi made his debut with Albania U21 in a 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 after coming on as a substitute at 46th minute in place of Herolind Shala. ^[26]

Senior

On 30 August 2016, Muriqi received a call-up from Kosovo for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Finland. ^[27] On 9 October 2016, he made his debut with Kosovo in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Ukraine after being named in the starting line-up. ^[28]

Style of play

Muriqi is a classic target man, known for his aerial ability, hold up play, and strength inside of the penalty area. Former Turkish international and World Cup semi-finalist Rüştü Reçber described Muriqi as an "ideal centre forward", praising his speed in confined spaces in field, aerial dominance, and his team play capabilities, in 2019. ^[29]

Former Turkish international and World Cup semi-finalist Hakan Ünsal underlined his strength, ball containing and shooting abilities, in 2019. ^[29] Okan Buruk, former Turkish international, World Cup semi-finalist and former Çaykur Rizespor manager who coached Muriqi stated that Muriqi dramatically improved during his latter season at club, due to his extra trainings, describing him reliable and labelling him "best forward in Turkey in that period". ^[30]

Former Turkish international and pundit Rıdvan Dilmen praised Muriqi, stating: "There are some forwards. They might be short and quick. Some are powerful. Some are tall, like Peter Crouch, who can get the ball on ground. Muriqi possesses all [of these]. If he could play alongside Alex, he could have scored 25 goals [in a season]", on 21 September 2019. ^[31]

Personal life

Muriqi was born in Prizren, FR Yugoslavia (now Kosovo) to Kosovo Albanian parents. In addition to his Kosovan and Albanian citizenship, he acquired Turkish citizenship in July 2015 under the naturalized name Vedat Muriç. He is nicknamed El Pirata ('The Pirate') for his habitual goal celebration covering one eye. ^[32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 11 May 2024 ^[33]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Liria Prizren	2011–12	Kosovo Superleague	2	0	—		—		2	0
Teuta Durrës	2012–13	Kategoria Superiore	6	0	0	0	—		6	0
	2013–14		12	1	3	2	—		15	3
	Total		18	1	3	2	—		21	3
Besa Kavajë (loan)	2013–14	Kategoria Superiore	13	3	0	0	—		13	3
Giresunspor	2014–15	TFF First League	24	4	8	2	—		32	6
	2015–16		33	17	4	0	—		37	17
	Total		57	21	12	2	—		69	23
Gençlerbirliği	2016–17	Süper Lig	33	3	7	3	—		40	6
	2017–18		13	2	2	2	—		15	4
	Total		46	5	9	5	—		55	10
Çaykur Rizespor	2017–18	TFF First League	16	8	0	0	—		16	8
	2018–19	Süper Lig	34	17	2	0	—		36	17
	Total		50	25	2	0	—		52	25
Fenerbahçe	2019–20	Süper Lig	32	15	4	2	—		36	17
Lazio	2020–21	Serie A	27	1	2	1	5 [lower-alpha 2]	0	34	2
	2021–22		11	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 3]	0	15	0
	Total		38	1	3	1	8	0	49	2
Mallorca (loan)	2021–22	La Liga	16	5	1	0	—		17	5
Mallorca	2022–23		35	15	2	1	—		37	16
	2023–24		27	6	4	0	—		31	6
	Total		78	26	7	1	—		85	27
Career total			333	96	39	13	8	0	380	109

1. Includes Albanian Cup, Turkish Cup, Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey
2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 26 March 2024 ^{[34] [35]}

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Kosovo	2016	2	0
	2017	5	1
	2018	9	3
	2019	7	4
	2020	3	2
	2021	11	8
	2022	7	5
	2023	7	3
	2024	2	0
Total		53	26

International goals

Scores and results list Kosovo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Muriqi goal.

List of international goals scored by Vedat Muriqi

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	13 November 2017	Adem Jashari Olympic Stadium, Mitrovica, Kosovo	Latvia	2–2	4–3	Friendly
2	27 March 2018	Stade Municipal Jean Rolland, Franconville, France	Burkina Faso	1–0	2–0	Friendly
3	11 October 2018	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Malta	2–1	3–1	2018–19 UEFA Nations League D
4	17 November 2018	National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Malta	1–0	5–0	2018–19 UEFA Nations League D
5	10 June 2019	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	2–2	3–2	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
6	7 September 2019	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Czech Republic	1–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
7	10 September 2019	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, England	England	3–5	3–5	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
8	14 October 2019	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Montenegro	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
9	11 November 2020	Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania	Albania	1–2	1–2	Friendly
10	15 November 2020	Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia	Slovenia	1–0	1–2	2020–21 UEFA Nations League C
11	24 March 2021	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Lithuania	2–0	4–0	Friendly
12	1 June 2021	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	San Marino	1–0	4–1	Friendly
13				2–0
14				3–0
15				4–0
16	2 September 2021	Batumi Stadium, Batumi, Georgia	Georgia	1–0	1–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
17	5 September 2021	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Greece	1–1	1–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
18	12 October 2021	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Georgia	1–1	1–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
19	9 June 2022	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Northern Ireland	1–0	3–2	2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
20				3–1
21	24 September 2022	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–2	2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
22	27 September 2022	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Cyprus	4–0	5–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
23				5–1
24	19 June 2023	Szusza Ferenc Stadion, Budapest, Hungary	Belarus	1–2	1–2	UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
25	9 September 2023	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	Switzerland	1–1	2–2
26				2–2

Honours

Çaykur Rizespor

• TFF First League: 2017-18

Individual

• La Liga Player of the Month: May 2022 ^[36]
• "Okan University" Player of the Year: 2019

References

1. "Muriqi premton: Do ju bind të gjithëve te Teuta" [Muriqi promis: I'll convince everyone at Teuta] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 15 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
2. "Teuta Durrës vs. Bylis 2–3". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
3. "Tirana e Dedes e nis me "X" kundër Teutës. Bardheblutë zbresin të pestët në renditje..." [Dede's Tirana start with "X" versus Teuta. White&blues down to fifth place in ranking...] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 24 February 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
4. "Batha te Teuta, Besa merr Mancakun, Deliallisin e Muriqin" [Batha to Teuta, Besa takes Mancaku, Deliallisi and Muriqi] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 5 January 2014. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
5. "Besa Kavajë vs. Laçi 2–2". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
6. "Giresunspor, Vedat Muriqi ile anlaştı" [Giresunspor signed with Vedat Muriqi] (in Turkish). Milliyet. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
7. "Giresunspor vs. Adana Demirspor 0–1". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
8. "Vedat Muriqi resmen Gençlerbirliği'nde" [Vedat Muriqi is officially in Gençlerbirliği]. GOAL (in Turkish). 31 May 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
9. "Gençlerbirliği vs. Gaziantepspor 2–0". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
10. "Vedat Muriç Çaykur Rizespor'da" [Vedat Muriç at Çaykur Rizespor] (in Turkish). Çaykur Rizespor. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
11. "Vedat Muriqi Çaykur Rizespor'da" [Vedat Muriqi at Çaykur Rizespor] (in Turkish). Milliyet. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
12. "Debutim ëndrrash për Muriqin, shënon dy gola të bukur për katër minuta te Rizespori (Video)" [Dream debut for Muriqi, scores two beautiful goals in four minutes at Rizespor (Video)] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
13. "Vedat Muriqi Türkiye'nin En Büyük Ailesine Katıldı" [Vedat Muriqi joins with Turkey's largest family] (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe S.K. 7 July 2019. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
14. "Welcome Vedat Muriqi". Fenerbahçe S.K. 8 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
15. "Fenerbahçe 5-0 Gazişehir Gaziantep". Fenerbahçe S.K. 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
16. "Comunicato 15.09.2020" [Press release 15.09.2020]. S.S. Lazio (in Italian). 15 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
17. "Sampdoria vs. Lazio 3–0". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
18. "Vedat Muriqi debuton në Ligën e Kampionëve me Lazion" [Vedat Muriqi debuts in the Champions League with Lazio] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
19. "Vedat Muriqi joins the club on loan". RCD Mallorca. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
20. "Vedat Muriqi ka fluturuar drejt Spanjës për të kompletuar transferimin te Mallorca" [Vedat Muriqi flew to Spain to complete the transfer to Mallorca] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 29 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
21. RCD Mallorca [@RCD_Mallorca] (2 February 2022). "Els nostres! #RayoRCDMallorca" [Ours! #RayoRCDMallorca] (Tweet) (in Catalan) – via Twitter.
22. "Vedat Muriqi ia nis me gol në La Liga, shënon ndaj Cadiz" [Vedat Muriqi starts with a goal in La Liga, scores against Cadiz] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 5 February 2022. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
23. "Vedat Muriqi vuelve al RCD Mallorca" (in Spanish). Mallorca. 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
24. "U21 e Kosovës, në Zvicër për sensacion" [Kosovo's U21, in Switzerland for sensation]. albinfo.ch (in Albanian). 11 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
25. "Le Ghana au bout du suspense" [Ghana at the end of the suspense] (in French). 2013 Valais Youth Cup. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014.
26. "Under-21 2015 – History – Albania-Bosnia and Herzegovina". Uefa.com. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
27. "Bunjaki publikoi listën e lojtarëve për ndeshjen me Finlandën" [Bunjaki published the list of players for the match with Finland] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 30 August 2016. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
28. "Formacionet zyrtare, Ukrainë – Kosovë" [Official line-ups, Ukraine – Kosovo] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
29. "Vedat Muriqi için ne dediler?" (in Turkish). Hürriyet. 8 July 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
30. ""Vedat Muric, Türkiye'deki en iyi forvet oyuncusuydu"" (in Turkish). NTV Spor. 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
31. "Son dakika: Rıdvan Dilmen'den Vedat Muriç'e büyük övgü" (in Turkish). Fanatik. 21 September 2019. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
32. "Vedat Muriqi artık Türk vatandaşı!" [Vedat Muriqi is now a Turkish citizen!] (in Turkish). NTV Spor. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
33. Vedat Muriqi at Soccerway
34. "Vedat Muriqi". EU-Football.info. 14 November 2021. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
35. Vedat Muriqi at National-Football-Teams.com
36. "Vedat Muriqi named LaLiga Santander Player of the Month for May". La Liga. 2 June 2022. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2022.

External links

• Profile at the RCD Mallorca website
• Vedat Muriqi at Soccerway