Shkëlzen Taib Gashi (born 15 July 1988) is a professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
and
forward for Swiss club
Aarau. Born in Switzerland, he has represented the
Albania national team.
Club career
Early career and Zürich
Gashi was born in
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
,
Switzerland to parents originally from Qabiq of
Klina
Klina ( sq-definite, Klinë; Serbian Cyrillic: ) is a town and municipality located in the District of Peja of north-western Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Klina has 5,542 inhabitants, while the municipality has 38,496 inhabitan ...
,
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. A product of
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
academy, Gashi made his professional debut at the age of 18 on 12 August 2006 in the
2006–07 Swiss Super League
The 2006–07 Swiss Super League was the 110th season of top-tier football in Switzerland. The competition is officially named ''AXPO Super League'' due to sponsoring purposes. It began on 19 July 2006 and has ended on 24 May 2007.
Teams
Leag ...
match against
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
, playing in the last 13 minutes of the 3–1 loss. He also made his European debut later on 6 December of the following year, appearing as a substitute in an
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
group stage match against
Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia:
* FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club
* HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team
* Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club
* WB ...
which finished in a 1–0 away loss.
Loan at Schaffhausen
On 29 January 2008, in the winter transfer window, Gashi was sent on loan to
Swiss Challenge League side
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
until the end of 2007–08 season. Gashi made 16 league appearances until the end of the season, scoring three times in the process. After the end of the season, Gashi returned to Zürich in July 2008 only to be sent again on loan to
Bellinzona
Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebell ...
for one-and-a-half season.
Loan at Bellinzona
Gashi made his Bellinzona debut on 23 July 2008 in the Swiss Super League match against
Neuchâtel Xamax
, neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier
, twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (F ...
, playing for 65 minutes in a 1–2 home defeat. He scored his first European goal on 28 August in the second leg of
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
second qualifying round against
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, leading the team to a 2–1 home win and progression to the next round thanks to away goal rule. The first match finished in a 3–2 away defeat.
He scored his first league goal of the season on 5 October during the 3–3 away draw against the same opponent, which was followed by another strike in team's 2–3 home defeat to
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
. He finished his first season with ''Granata'' having made 24 appearances in all competitions, including 17 in league and 5 in UEFA Cup, scoring three goals in the process.
Gashi started his second Bellinzona season on 12 July 2009 by playing in the opening league match against Neuchâtel Xamax, finished in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first goal of the season against his parent club Zürich on 4 October, giving his team a 3–2 home win. That was his final league goal for the club, as he left in January 2010.
Neuchâtel Xamax
In January 2010, Gashi joined fellow
Swiss Super League side
Neuchâtel Xamax
, neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier
, twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (F ...
, signing a two-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 6 February by appearing as a substitute in the goalless draw against Zürich. Later on 21 February, Gashi made his first league start by playing for 85 minutes in team's 1–1 draw at
Sion. He scored his first and goal of the season with Neuchâtel Xamax again against Zürich, in a match that ended in a 3–3 home draw.
In the first part of the 2010–11, Gashi remained on the bench for 12 matches, making only one appearance as a substitute on 28 August in the 4–1 away defeat to
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
.
Aarau
In January 2011, Gashi was loaned out to
Aarau for a year. During the second part of 2010–11 Gashi made 15 league appearances for the new team, scoring 5 goals in the process. He made his league debut for them on 20 February 2011, a debut which brought his first goal as well, in a 5–3 home win against
Biel-Bienne. When Neuchâtel Xamax lost its license, in January 2012 he signed a contract with Aarau for the remainder of the season.
With Aarau in the full
2011–12 season of Swiss Challenge League he made it 26 appearances, 25 as a starter and just once as a substitute, in where he scored 17 goals to help his team ranking as runners-up behind
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
and finishing himself in the second place of the
Top Scorers rank among two other players with the same amount of 17 goals,
Moreno Merenda (
Vaduz
Vaduz ( or , High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' Hrsg. ...
) and
Igor Tadić (
Kriens
Kriens is a city and a municipality in the district of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.
The municipality lies at the foot of the mountain Pilatus, and is a western suburb of Lucerne.
History
In the oldest documents of the Benedic ...
), also and behind of his compatriot, the fellow
Albania national team's striker,
Armando Sadiku
Armando Durim Sadiku (born 27 May 1991) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Cartagena and the Albania national team.
Born in Cërrik, Elbasan, Sadiku started his career with a local club Fushë Mbr ...
who won the Golden boot with 19 goals playing for
Locarno
, neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra
, twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia
* Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
...
.
Grasshopper
When his contract at Aarau expired in June 2012, he signed a three-year deal with
Grasshopper Club Zürich on 24 May. He was allocated squad number 10, and made his competitive debut on 15 July in the opening league match of 2012–13 season against
Sion, finished in a 0–2 home defeat. Gashi netted his first goal of the season against the same opponent on 24 November, giving his team a 1–1 draw. During his first season with Grasshopper, Gashi played 28 league matches, including 17 as a starter, and scored 5 goals, helping the team to finish the season as runner-up.
Gashi debuted with a goal in the 2013–14 season, as he scored the opening goal in the 67th minute against
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
on 14 July 2013, with the match finishing in a 0–2 victory. He netted his second of the season on 27 July against his former team
Aarau, contributing in a 4–2 home win. Gashi played full-90 minutes in both legs of
UEFA Champions League third qualifying round against
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
, who eliminated Grasshopper by winning both matches 1–0.
Following Grasshopper's exclusion from Champions League, they were dropped to
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
where the team played the first match against
Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...
at home, with Gashi who played for 57 minutes in an eventual 1–2 loss. Gashi continued his goalscoring form at the start of the season by scoring a penalty goal against
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
on 20 October, which was followed by another goal against
Köniz
Köniz (, ) is a statistical town, however considers itself still as a village, and a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district right on the southern border to Bern in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The municipality of K ...
in
Swiss Cup.
On 16 March 2014, Gashi scored his first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in the match against Sion finished in the victory 4–2. He continued with his solid performances by netting another goal in the 2–0 win at
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
which ranked him first in the top goalscorers list among with his teammate
Caio. On 4 May 2014 Gashi scored four goals in the 5–0 win against
Young Boys. He opened the score in the 4th minute and then between 13 minutes starting from the 41st minute he scored 3 other goals. Three days after, Gashi scored a penalty goal against St. Gallen; the match finished in a clean result 2–0.
Gashi finished the 2013–14 season with a total of 32 appearances and 19 league goals scored, leading the
goalscoring table with a difference 6 goals from the closest followers,
Caio his teammate,
Mario Gavranović and
Valentin Stocker, each with 13 goals. His performances throughout the season attracted the interest of several clubs, including
Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
,
Torino
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
and
Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Basel
On 28 June 2014, the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
hopefuls
FC Basel 1893
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel, FCB, or just Basel, is a Swiss football club based in Basel, in the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Formed in 1893, the club has been Swiss national champions 20 times, Swiss Cup winners 13 times, and ...
reached an agreement with domestic rivals Grasshopper to sign Gashi on a four-year contract in the next coming days subject to passing a medical.
He was presented on 1 July and Basel discovered to have paid an estimated €3 million for Gashi and he would earn until of €1 million per season including benefits. He joined the team for their
2014–15 season under head coach
Paulo Sousa
Paulo Manuel Carvalho de Sousa, CavIH (; born 30 August 1970) is a Portuguese football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder.
Starting his career at Benfica, he also represented Sporting CP in his countr ...
.
2014–15 season
Gashi made his competitive debut for the team on 19 July 2014 in the match against
Aarau, starting and providing the goal of
Naser Aliji in an eventual 2–1 away win. He scored his first goal of the season eight days later against
Luzern
, neighboring_municipalities= Adligenswil, Ebikon, Emmen, Horw, Kriens, Malters, Meggen, Neuenkirch
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a ...
, scoring his team's second goal in a 3–0 home win. After this, Gashi continued with his superb form, scoring in the 3–2 away win against
Thun
, neighboring_municipalities= Amsoldingen, Heiligenschwendi, Heimberg, Hilterfingen, Homberg, Schwendibach, Spiez, Steffisburg, Thierachern, Uetendorf, Zwieselberg
, twintown =
, website = www.thun.ch
Thun (french: Thoune) ...
and the 4–1 home win against
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
, taking his tally up to three goals.
He continued with his solid performances in league, supplying two assists in the 3–1 home win against
Young Boys, which was followed by the lone goal scored against the same opponent on 18 October. After not playing the first three
Champions League group stage matches, Gashi debuted and scored his first Champions League during the 4–0 home win over
Ludogorets Razgrad, becoming the fourth Albanian player after
Kliton Bozgo,
Besart Berisha
Besart Berisha (born 29 July 1985) is a Kosovan retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career Youth and Hamburger SV
Berisha began his youth career at German side Berliner VB 49 academies at age of 9. He then moved to var ...
and
Lorik Cana
Lorik Agim Cana (; born 27 July 1983) is an Albanian former professional footballer. He is currently the Grassroots ambassador for children's football in Albania, named by the Albanian Football Association on 26 October 2017.
Cana played in the ...
to score a goal in this competitions.
Gashi scored his first brace of the season on 23 November in the matchday 16 against
Aarau, which finished in a 3–0 win. This was followed by another brace one week later in the 1–2 away win to
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
; the second goal was a last-minute winner. In the final Champions League group stage match against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, Gashi played as a left winger in an eventual 1–1 draw; he was praised for his performance during the match, which led the official website of
UEFA.com
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
to introduce Gashi in the "Team of the Week". In the description for the Albanian player, the UEFA website said that Gashi ran about 12 km, making it the biggest threat to "Reds" doing 2 solo-actions (one blocked and one outside the gate) were the best argument for the 26-year-old qualities.
In December 2014, Gashi was voted as the best player of the year in the
Swiss Super League. At the end of the first half of the season, Gashi was included in the best eleven of the Swiss Super League. In February 2015, Gashi was proclaimed as the "Best Player of the Year 2014" in the Swiss Award, which was held by the
Swiss Football Association
The Swiss Football Association (german: Schweizerischer Fussballverband, french: Association Suisse de Football, it, Associazione Svizzera di Football/Calcio, rm, Associaziun Svizra da Ballape) is the governing body of football in Switzerland ...
at their gala for the past year. This because Gashi was 2013–14 top scorer with 19 goals, for the Grasshoppers and after his transfer to Basel during the summer, the striker closed the year again as top scorer for his new club. All assessments were made through votes from coaches, captains and journalists, as the Swiss Football Association finally brought the winners.
Gashi scored the second part of the season by scoring in Basel's 4–2 defeat of Grasshopper on 8 February. This was followed by another goal in the 1–1 draw against Sion, taking his tally up to 13 league goals. He became 1 of the 3
Albania international footballers
The Albania national football team has represented Albania in international association football since 1946. The Albanian Football Association (Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) was founded in 1930 and became a member of the Fédération Inte ...
which participated in a knockout stage of the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
for the first time in history, among his teammates at Basel
Taulant Xhaka
Taulant Ragip Xhaka (born 28 March 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss Super League club Basel. Born in Switzerland, he represented the Albania national team.
Early life
Xhaka was born in Basel, Swi ...
and
Arlind Ajeti. Gashi continued with his excellent form, scoring a brace against
Thun
, neighboring_municipalities= Amsoldingen, Heiligenschwendi, Heimberg, Hilterfingen, Homberg, Schwendibach, Spiez, Steffisburg, Thierachern, Uetendorf, Zwieselberg
, twintown =
, website = www.thun.ch
Thun (french: Thoune) ...
on 7 March, which was followed by two other braces in the wins against Lurzen and Aarau on 21 March and 4 April.
Gashi finished his first season at Basel by making 38 appearances in all competitions, scoring 25 goals in the process. By scoring 22 league goals, Gashi won top-scorer golden boot for the second time in a row and this with two different clubs.
Basel won the league for the sixth time in a row,
and went to the cup final for the third consecutive season, losing 0–3 to
Sion.
2015–16 season
In their
2015–16 season Gashi was again a regular starter. On 25 July, in the teams second
domestic league match Gashi scored his first goal of the season. It was the first goal of the away match in the
Letzigrund
is a stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, and the home of the athletics club LC Zürich, and the football clubs FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich. LC Zürich is a spin-off of FC Zürich whose members constructed the stadium in 1925. Grasshopper ...
as Basel won 3–2 against
Grasshopper Club.
In the third round of the
2015–16 Swiss Cup
The 2015–16 Swiss Cup is the 91st season of Switzerland's annual football cup competition. The competition started on 15 August 2015 with the first games of Round 1 and ended on 29 May 2016 with the Final, won by FC Zürich. As winners of the co ...
away against local amateur club
SV Muttenz on 28 October Gashi scored a hat-trick as Basel won 5–1 to proceed to the next round.
During the season's winter break, on 1 February 2016, Basel announced that Gashi was leaving the club and had signed a four-year contract with
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...
.
In the 18 months with team, Gashi played a total of 71 games for Basel scoring a total of 35 goals. 41 of these games were in the
Swiss Super League, six in the
Swiss Cup
The Swiss Cup (; ; ; ) is a football cup tournament that has been organised annually since 1925–26 by the Swiss Football Association. Since 1999 the winner earns the chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Europa Conference L ...
, ten in the UEFA competitions (Champions League and Europa League) and 14 were friendly games. He scored 25 goals in the domestic league, six in the cup, one in the European games and the other three were scored during the test games.
Colorado Rapids
On 1 February 2016 Gashi signed with
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
club
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...
as a
Designated Player
The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee ...
. He experienced what was considered a good first season with the Rapids, scoring 10 league goals as he led the team to a 2nd place finish in the Western Conference, and a long playoff run. On 24 September 2016, he scored a stunning free-kick in the 75th minute into the top-left corner of the net in a 3-3 draw away to Vancouver Whitecaps. The strike was later voted the 2016 MLS Goal of the Year. In the playoffs, he scored another stunning long-range goal, this time against the LA Galaxy, taking a shot from well outside the penalty box, and beating the keeper in a 1-0 win, which levelled the score on aggregate, and allowed the Rapids to subsequently win on penalties. It was considered a masterful performance by Gashi as they advanced to the Western Conference Championship game. Gashi scored his first goals of the 2017 season on 14 May 2017 against
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
in a 3–0 victory. He scored the first and last goals in the 29th and 56th minutes. On 28 May 2017 Gashi provided an assist for the
Kortne Ford
Kortne Thompson-Ford (born January 26, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer.
Early life
Kortne Ford spent his early life in Olathe, Kansas where he made th ...
goal which gave Colorado Rapids the 1–0 victory over
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...
. Gashi was waived by Colorado on 1 March 2019.
Return to Aarau
On 2 January 2020, Gashi joined
Swiss Challenge League side
Aarau, on a three-year contract.
On 25 May 2023, he announced his retirement from football.
International career
Switzerland youth level teams
Gashi was part and capped for the
Switzerland U-17,
U-19 and
U-21 teams in competitive youth UEFA European Championships respective age categories.
Albania
In 2013 Gashi declared that he will represent
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
in the international level.
In August 2013 he joined the Albania national team after receiving his first call up by coach
Gianni De Biasi
Giovanni "Gianni" De Biasi (, sq, Xhovani "Xhani" De Biazi), born 16 June 1956 is an Italian football coach and former player. He holds dual Italian and Albanian citizenship. De Biasi was the first coach of the Albania national team to lead t ...
for the
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
on 14 August 2013. On 14 August 2013 Gashi received Albanian citizenship and to be able to play for Albania in international level he had to receive the go ahead from
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
since he had previously played for Swiss national youth teams. In the same day he made his debut against Armenia, coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute for
Edmond Kapllani in a 2–0 win. Permission from FIFA was granted on 9 October 2013.
Debut & FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers
His first competitive international match was against the country of his birth
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
on 11 October 2013, in a match which he was included in the starting line up and got substituted off in the 55th minute for
Odise Roshi
Odise Roshi (born 22 May 1991) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Turkish club Sakaryaspor and the Albania national team.
Roshi started his professional career with his hometown club Apolonia Fier whom he pl ...
, as the match finished in a 1–2 home loss.
He was called up and played a full 90-minutes in a friendly match against
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
on 15 November 2013, finished in the goalless draw.
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
After 3 first matches of the
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...
as an unused substitute, Gashi managed to play for the first time in the tournament on 29 March 2015 against
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
by coming on as a substitute at half-time in place of
Amir Abrashi
Amir Malush Abrashi (born 27 March 1990) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss club Grasshoppers and the Albania national team.
Club career
Early career
Abrashi was born in Bischofszell, Switzerl ...
. On the 81st minute, few minutes after entering the pitch, Gashi scored for the first time in the national team the second goal of Albania in the match, which gave Albania a comeback 2–1 victory: Albania was losing until the 77th minute 0–1 until Mavraj had scored the equalizer.
He also contributed in the last match of the qualifiers against
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
(match ended 0-3 for
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
), where in the first goal he pushed the ball into the net. Despite this, the goal was awarded as an own goal by
Kamo Hovhannisyan
Kamo Hovhannisyan ( hy, Կամո Հովհաննիսյան, born on 5 October 1992) is an Armenian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Kazakhstan Premier League club Astana and the Armenia national team.
Club career
Kamo Hovha ...
.
Euro 2016
On 21 May 2016, Gashi was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
, and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro 2016 squad on 31 May.
Gashi played as a 62nd-minute substitute for
Armando Sadiku
Armando Durim Sadiku (born 27 May 1991) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Cartagena and the Albania national team.
Born in Cërrik, Elbasan, Sadiku started his career with a local club Fushë Mbr ...
against
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and he had a 1-on-1 challenge versus keeper but his shot was stopped. Then he was an unused substitute in 2 next matches against hosts
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
where they lost 2–0 and against
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
in an Albania's historical 1–0 win with a goal scored by Armando Sadiku. Albania finished the group in the third position with three points and with a goal difference −2, and was ranked last in the third-placed teams, which eventually eliminated them.
Personal life
Gashi lives in Switzerland
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Albania goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gashi goal.''
Honours
Zürich
*
Swiss Super League:
2006–07
Grasshopper
*
Swiss Cup
The Swiss Cup (; ; ; ) is a football cup tournament that has been organised annually since 1925–26 by the Swiss Football Association. Since 1999 the winner earns the chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Europa Conference L ...
:
2012–13
Basel
*
Swiss Super League:
2014–15
*
Swiss Cup
The Swiss Cup (; ; ; ) is a football cup tournament that has been organised annually since 1925–26 by the Swiss Football Association. Since 1999 the winner earns the chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Europa Conference L ...
: runner up
2014–15
Individual
*
Axpo Super League Footballer of the Year: 2014
*Footballer of the year : Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer 2016
*
MLS Goal of the Year Award
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
: 2016
*
Swiss Super League Golden Boot:
2013–14 (19 goals),
2014–15 (22 goals)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Shkëlzen Gashi profileat
FSHF
The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the Fir ...
.org
Shkëlzen Gashi – Euro 2016 profileat
FSHF
The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the Fir ...
.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gashi, Shkelzen
1988 births
Living people
Footballers from Zürich
Swiss people of Albanian descent
Kosovan emigrants to Switzerland
Kosovo Albanians
Men's association football midfielders
Men's association football forwards
Swiss men's footballers
Kosovan footballers
Albanian footballers
Switzerland men's youth international footballers
Switzerland men's under-21 international footballers
Albania men's international footballers
UEFA Euro 2016 players
FC Zürich players
FC Schaffhausen players
AC Bellinzona players
Neuchâtel Xamax FCS players
FC Aarau players
Grasshopper Club Zürich players
FC Basel players
Colorado Rapids players
Swiss Super League players
Swiss Challenge League players
Major League Soccer players
Designated Players (MLS)
Swiss expatriate footballers
Albanian expatriate footballers
Albanian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate soccer players in the United States