Mërgim Mavraj

Early career and Darmstadt 98

Mavraj was born in Hanau, West Germany to ethnic Albanian parents from Istok, Kosovo. He started playing football at the age of 10 at Sportfreunde Seligenstadt in 1996. Then he joined Kickers Offenbach in 1997, where he stayed for six years until 2003, before spending the 2003–04 season at SG Rosenhöhe Offenbach. At the age of 16, he spent a short period as an intern and observer with the police in Mühlheim, near Hanau. In 2004, shortly before his final school exams, he signed for the youth team of Darmstadt 98. During the 2004–05 campaign, he played for the under-19 side, making 23 league appearances and scoring three goals, although the team finished bottom of the table with only four wins in 26 matches that season. Mavraj was promoted to the senior Darmstadt 98 team during the 2005–06 season, making 13 appearances and scoring two goals, helping Darmstadt 98 finish fifth in the league. He made his professional debut on 18 March 2006 against SC Pfullendorf in a Regionalliga Süd match, starting in defence before being sent off in the 51st minute after a second yellow card in a 3–1 away loss. He scored his first goal later that season in a league match against 1. FC Kaiserslautern II, contributing to a 2–1 win. Five days later, he scored again in a 3–0 win against SV 07 Elversberg. In the 2006–07 season, Mavraj made 25 league appearances. His performances that season earned him a call-up to the Germany U21 squad. Darmstadt 98 finished…

Germany youth career and early involvement with Albania

Mavraj initially represented Germany at youth level, featuring for the under-20 side in 2007. He was also eligible to represent Albania due to his Albanian origin from Kosovo. In September 2006, he began procedures to obtain Albanian citizenship together with Besart Berisha, at a time when Hans-Peter Briegel was the head coach of the Albania national team. Around that time, he was included in gatherings of young Albanian talents organised by the Albanian Football Association, and was positively evaluated by Briegel's successor Otto Barić. He was granted Albanian citizenship on 27 September 2006. In October Mavraj received a call-up from the Albania national under-21 football team, which he declined, reportedly aiming for a place in the senior national team. After declining Albania, later that month he joined the Germany U21 and made his debut on 21 February 2007 in a friendly against Italy as a substitute in a 0–0 draw. He found limited opportunities with the U21 side, making only one further appearance, which came on 31 March 2009 against Belarus in a 1–1 draw, where he played the full match.

Albania national team

The Albanian Football Association gave Mavraj his first senior opportunity when manager Josip Kuže called him up for a friendly against Northern Ireland in Tirana on 3 March 2010. It was his first senior call-up, which he initially accepted, but he withdrew before joining the squad, drawing…

Club

International

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

Mavraj's father, Mustafë Mavraj, was an Albanian emigrant in Germany who had previously left Yugoslavia in the 1970s and was politically active within the Albanian diaspora; he died on 3 April 2015 after an illness. His first name, Mërgim, means 'migration' in Albanian, a name given by his family in reference to their emigration from Istog, Kosovo to Germany. Following Albania's historic participation at UEFA Euro 2016, Mavraj was among the members of the national team who were issued diplomatic passports by the Albanian government in recognition of their achievement. On 12 October 2018, Mavraj announced that he had obtained a Greek passport.