Arlind Ajeti

Basel

On 2 January 2011, Ajeti signed his first professional contract with Basel on a 2+1⁄2-year deal and joined the first team for the 2011–12 season in the Swiss Super League. He also played for the Basel under-19 team in the 2011–12 NextGen series, debuting against Tottenham Hotspur on 17 August 2011. He made his first-team debut in the Swiss Super League on 28 August 2011 as a substitute in a 2–1 home win against Thun. At the end of the 2011–12 season, he won the Double, claiming the 2011–12 Swiss Super League and the Swiss Cup. He made one league appearance and two Swiss Cup appearances, while playing regularly with the U21 squad. In the 2012–13 Swiss Super League, Ajeti made 4 appearances while mainly playing for the under-21 side, which finished second in the third tier but did not gain promotion to the Swiss Challenge League. At the end of the season, he won the Swiss Championship title and was Swiss Cup runner-up. He made his European debut on 22 November 2012 in the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League Group G match against Sporting Lisboa, coming on as a substitute in the final minute of a 3–0 win. In the 2013–14 season, Ajeti became a regular in the 2013–14 Swiss Super League, making 19 appearances (14 starts and 5 as a substitute). He scored his first league goal on 5 October 2013 in a 2–1 away win against Lausanne-Sport. At the end of the season, he won his third league championship with Basel. He made one appearance in the quarter-final of the 2013–14 Swiss Cup,…

Switzerland youth

Ajeti represented the Switzerland U17, including at the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, and later featured for the Switzerland U18, Switzerland U19, Switzerland U20 and Switzerland U21 sides in friendly and qualifying matches between 2010 and 2014.

Albania: Debut, citizenship and historic UEFA Euro 2016 qualification

Following the abandoned Serbia v Albania match on 14 October 2014, during which Albania players defended their national symbols amid on-field incidents, several footballers of Albanian descent expressed their willingness to represent Albania, with Ajeti reported as the first to publicly state his intention to choose Albania at senior level. He made his debut for Albania on 14 November 2014 in the "UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group I centralised" friendly match against the hosts of Euro 2016 finals, France, coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute in place of Amir Abrashi. On 5 March 2015, Ajeti was granted Albanian citizenship, along with fellow Basel defender Naser Aliji, making him eligible to represent Albania in official competitive matches. In the absence of regular centre-back Mërgim Mavraj, Ajeti played the full matches in the qualifying Group I campaign, helping Albania achieve a goalless draw away against Denmark and a 0–1 home defeat against Portugal. Albania subsequently secured historic qualification for Euro 2016 finals in France, marking the nation's first appearance at a major international…

Ajeti was born in Basel, Switzerland, to Albanian parents originally from Podujevë, Kosovo. He is the eldest son of Afrim and Sylbije Ajeti, who fled Kosovo due to the war; his father, a former amateur goalkeeper, worked as a construction laborer, and his mother as a cleaner. The family lived near Claraplatz in the Kleinbasel district. His younger brothers are twins and professional footballers: Albian, who plays for Basel and the Switzerland national team, and Adonis, who plays for Rapperswil-Jona. Ajeti's father inspired him to start playing football; at eight, he began training regularly with him before joining Concordia Basel at age ten. In 2004, he joined the Basel youth system, representing the under-16, under-18, and under-21 teams, playing for the latter from 2010–11 until the 2014–15 season in the 1. Liga Promotion, making 67 appearances and scoring 4 goals.

Ajeti has stated that his favourite player is Gerard Piqué, whom he considered the best in the world in his position. In June 2015, Ajeti married Pranvera Krasniqi. Despite being born and raised in Switzerland, Ajeti and his brothers have knowledge of the Albanian language and have stated that they mostly communicated in Albanian in their private life. In July 2015, Ajeti and his family were granted Albanian citizenship. Following Albania's historic participation at UEFA Euro 2016, Abrashi was among the members of the national team who were issued diplomatic passports by the Albanian government in recognition of their achievement.