Alexander Merkel

Футболист

▸ Источник: Wikidata

ИИ

Alexander Merkel is a Kazakh-German professional footballer born in 1992.

Merkel joined AC Milan's youth system in 2008 and helped the under-20 team win the Coppa Italia Primavera in 2010.

Merkel represented Germany at various youth levels before switching to the Kazakhstan national team in 2015.

На основе: Wikidata, Wikipedia

Биография

Early Life

Alexander Merkel was born in 1992 in Kazakhstan to parents of German ancestry. At the age of six, he moved to Germany, where he began his football journey with the amateur team JSG Westerwald. His talent was evident early on, leading him to join VfB Stuttgart's youth academy at just 11 years old.

Career Development

Merkel's professional career took off when he transferred to AC Milan in 2008 at the age of 16. He quickly made a name for himself in the youth system, contributing to the under-20 team's victory in the Coppa Italia Primavera in 2010. His first-team debut came on December 8, 2010, in a UEFA Champions League match against Ajax. Over the next few seasons, he played for several clubs, including Genoa CFC, Udinese Calcio, and Grasshopper Club Zürich, showcasing his skills as a midfielder. Merkel also had a brief stint with Watford F.C. in 2014.

In addition to his club career, Merkel represented Germany at various youth levels, from under-15 to under-20. However, in March 2015, he made the significant decision to switch his international allegiance to Kazakhstan, making his debut against Iceland in a Euro 2016 qualifying match.

Legacy

Throughout his career, Merkel has achieved notable success, including winning the Serie A title with AC Milan in the 2010-11 season. His journey from Kazakhstan to becoming a professional footballer in Europe is a testament to his dedication and talent in the sport. As of now, he continues to play for the Kazakhstan national team, contributing to the growth of football in his adopted country.

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Галерея

Карьера и клубы

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 27 May 2018

International

As of match played 24 March 2019

▸ Источник: Wikipedia

Club career

Early career

Born in Kazakhstan to parents of German ancestry, Merkel moved to Germany in 1998, aged 6. There he started playing football with amateur team JSG Westerwald, before joining VfB Stuttgart at the age of 11.

AC Milan

In 2008, at age 16, Merkel transferred to Italian side AC Milan. During his time in the club's youth system, he was a member of the under-20 side who won the Coppa Italia Primavera in 2010, 25 years after the team's last success in the competition. Merkel received his first call-ups for the senior team during the 2009–10 campaign, but he was never fielded nor named on the bench. At the beginning of the following season, he took part in some pre-season games, putting up good performances. Merkel eventually made his first-team official debut on 8 December 2010, coming off the bench in a UEFA Champions League group stage game against Ajax. He also came off the bench against Tottenham on the 75th minute for Kevin-Prince Boateng on 6 January 2011. He also made his league debut, figuring in the starting line-up for a match against Cagliari. Merkel went on to score his first professional goal on 20 January, as Milan pulled off a 3–0 win over Bari in the Coppa Italia round of 16. In total, he made ten appearances, six of which were in the league, throughout the season.

Genoa

At the beginning of the 2011–12 season, Merkel joined Genoa in co-ownership with Milan, for €5 million, which, in turn, signed Stephan El Shaarawy in a same…

▸ Источник: Wikipedia

International career

Merkel made his international debut for Germany U-15 in a 4–1 win against Switzerland and has since represented Germany at all levels of youth international football up to under-19. In a December 2010 interview, he stated that he "dreams" of going on to play for the senior team one day. In another December 2010 interview he said that he is interested in representing Russia. Russian Football Union president Sergey Fursenko and Russia's coach Dick Advocaat both commented saying that he can't be called up as he does not actually possess Russian citizenship. Merkel noted that naturalization should not be a problem, considering that an American-born Jon Robert Holden played for the Russia national basketball team. In February 2011, Merkel's adviser Arthur Beck, father of German international Andreas Beck, confirmed the player's renewed wishes to be capped for Germany. In March 2015, Merkel decided to play for the Kazakhstan national team. He made his debut against Iceland in a qualifying match for Euro 2016.

▸ Источник: Wikipedia