Astrit Selmani (born 13 May 1997) 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 lea ...

who plays as a striker. Born in Sweden, he plays for the Kosovo national team.

Club career

Early career and Superettan debut

Selmani started to play football with local club

Malmö FF Malmö Fotbollförening (), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda S ...

as a youngster. In 2009, at age 12, he injured his

cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint, wrist joint and the atlanto-axial joint. In a fashion similar to the cords in ...

and left the club for Kulladals IF. At the age of 17, Selmani joined

BK Olympic BK Olympic is a Swedish football club located in Lindängen which is a residential area of Malmö. Background The club was founded in 1920 as IF Olympia. The following year the club was expanded and it was decided to make an application for p ...

in Division 3, the Swedish fifth tier, where he made his senior debut. In total, he played 37 matches and scored 14 goals for the side. Before the start of the 2016 season, Selmani joined

Ängelholms FF Ängelholms FF is a football (soccer), football club based in Ängelholm, Sweden. The club is affiliated to Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Ängelholms IP. The club was formed in 1976 as a merger between Ängelholms IF and Sk ...

Superettan Superettan (; ) is an association football league and the second highest league in the Swedish football league system, league system of Swedish football, Swedish men's football. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and rel ...

, Sweden's second highest league. On 3 April 2016, he made his debut in a 1–0 home win against

Syrianska FC Syrianska Football Club, also known as Syrianska FC or simply Syrianska, is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Södertälje in Stockholm County. The club was founded by Aramean people, Syriac-Aramean immigrants ...

, after coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute in place of Oliver Stojanović-Fredin.

Years in the third tier

Kristianstad FC

On 17 July 2016, Selmani joined Division 1 side Kristianstad FC in the third tier. On 21 August 2016, he made his debut in a 1–0 away defeat against

Landskrona BoIS Landskrona Boll och Idrottsällskap (, locally referred to as BoIS) is a Swedish professional football club located in Landskrona, Scania, which currently plays in Superettan, the second league tier of football in Sweden. The club was formed ...

after coming on as a substitute in the 84th minute in place of Anton Bloom.

FC Rosengård

On 24 November 2016, Selmani joined fellow Division 1 club

FC Rosengård FC Rosengård (), known as Malmö FF Dam () until 2007 and later LdB FC Malmö until 2013, is a professional football club based in Malmö, Scania, Sweden. The team was established as Malmö FF Dam in 1970. It started out with playing 7 seasons ...

, a transfer that came to effect in January 2017. On 15 April the same year, he made his debut in a 0–1 home defeat against

Skövde AIK Skövde AIK is a Swedish football club from Skövde. It was founded on 21 June 1919. The club plays in the third-tier Ettan Fotboll, Ettan after relegation from Superettan in 2024. Background Skövde AIK was founded on 20 June 1919. The club ...

, after coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute in place of Mohamed Ramadan.

Torns IF

On 8 February 2018, Selmani joined

Torns IF Torns IF is a Swedish football club located in Stångby, an urban area in Lund Municipality in Skåne County. Background Torns Idrottsförening was formed in 1965 and is based in Stångby, a town just north of the city of Lund. Torns IF is an ...

in Division 1. Two months later, he made his competitive debut for the club in a 1–2 away win against

Lunds BK Lunds BK is a football club from Lund, Sweden founded in 1919. The club currently plays in Division 1 Södra. Despite their relative success Lunds BK has never competed in the Allsvenskan or Superettan, but has played nine seasons in the secon ...

after being named in the starting line-up.

Varbergs BoIS

2019 season

On 21 January 2019, Selmani returned to Superettan, joining Varbergs BoIS. On 30 March 2019, he made his debut against

Mjällby AIF Mjällby Allmänna Idrottsförening, also known simply as Mjällby AIF, Mjällby or (especially locally) MAIF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Hällevik in Sölvesborg Municipality. The club is affiliated to Blekinge Fo ...

after being named in the starting line-up and scored his side's only goal in a 0–1 away win. Scoring 15 goals in 27 league games, he led the team to their first promotion to Allsvenskan, finishing 2nd in the table.

2020 season

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, Selmani captained the side in

Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...

, as Varberg finished 11th in their first ever season in the Swedish top tier. He scored 15 goals in 24 fixtures placing himself as the second best scorer in Allsvenskan, only behind Christoffer Nyman.

Hammarby IF

On 18 December 2020, Selmani transferred to fellow Allsvenskan club

Hammarby IF Hammarby Idrottsförening ("Hammarby Sports Club"), commonly known as Hammarby IF or simply Hammarby ( or, especially locally, ), is a Swedish sports club located in Stockholm, with a number of member organizations active in a variety of differ ...

, signing a four-year contract. The transfer fee was reportedly set at around 7-8 million

Swedish kronor The krona (; plural: ''kronor''; currency sign, sign: kr; ISO 4217, code: SEK) is the currency of Sweden. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use for the krona; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usual ...

, making Selmani the most expensive acquisition in Hammarby's history. On 20 February 2021, he made his competitive debut for the club in a

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

match in

Svenska Cupen Svenska cupen (, ), also known as the Swedish Cup in English, is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. ''Svenska cupen'' usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also ...

, the main domestic cup, against

AFC Eskilstuna Athletic Football Club Eskilstuna, also known as AFC Eskilstuna or simply AFC, is a Swedish professional football club based in Eskilstuna. The club has previously been known under the names FC Café Opera and Väsby United before switching owne ...

after being named in the starting line-up and provided one assist and scored his side's second goal in a 4–1 home win. On 16 May 2021, Selmani scored his first goal in Allsvenskan for Hammarby in his twelfth appearance for the club in a 2–2 home draw against

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Djurgårdens IF is an s ...

. Fourteen days later, he won the 2020–21 Svenska Cupen with Hammarby through a 5–4 win on penalties after a full time without goals against

BK Häcken Bollklubben Häcken, more commonly known as BK Häcken or simply Häcken (), is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Gothenburg (Hisingen). It currently plays in Allsvenskan, the top tier of Swedish football. Forme ...

in the final, where he scored the deciding penalty. On 22 July 2021, Selmani made his continental debut in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round against Slovenian side

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

after being named in the starting line-up and scored his side's three goals, which were also his first hat-trick for the club during a 3–1 home win. He followed it up by scoring a brace against Čukarički in a 5–1 home win in the second leg (6–4 on aggregate) of the

third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

, before the side was knocked out by

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

(4–4 on aggregate) after a penalty shoot-out in the play-off round. Selmani featured in the final of the 2021–22 Svenska Cupen, in which Hammarby lost by 4–5 on penalties to Malmö FF after the game ended in a 0–0 draw. Selmani was the one who missed the deciding penalty.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva

On 18 July 2022, Selmani transferred to

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club (, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli professional association football, football club from the city of Beersheba, Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The club was estab ...

in the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

, signing a three-year contract. The transfer fee was reportedly set at around 10 million

. His debut with Hapoel Be'er Sheva came three days later in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round against Dinamo Minsk after coming on as a substitute at 58th minute in place of Sagiv Yehezkel.

Loan to Midtjylland

On 31 January 2023, Selmani was sent on loan to

FC Midtjylland Football Club Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Superliga, which they ...

through the remainder of the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...

campaign, with an option to buy.

Dinamo București

On 10 February 2024,

Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...

announced the signing of Selmani. He made his debut for the team on 23 February, coming in as a substitute for Gonçalo Gregório in the 0-4 loss against

CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ) or simply CFR, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I. Founded as ''Kolozsvári Vasut ...

. He scored his first goal for the club on 23 April 2024, in the 1-2 away loss against FC Botoșani, having what was generally considered an underwhelming season. Selmani remained at the club for the 2024–25 season. On 21 July, he scored once and produced two assists in the 4–1 home win over Petrolul Ploiești. He was selected as Man of the Match, and as part of the Liga 1 Team of the Week for this performance. On 2 August, he scored in the 4–1 home win over Gloria Buzău.

International career

Born and raised in Sweden, Selmani is of Kosovo Albanian origin from Mitrovica. He was eligible to represent three countries on international level, either

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. On 17 March 2021, the

Football Federation of Kosovo The Football Federation of Kosovo (; FFK) is the governing body of football in Kosovo, with headquarters in Pristina. The Football Federation of Kosovo was established in 1946 as a branch of the Football Association of Yugoslavia, it has since be ...

announced that Selmani had decided to represent their national team, and was planned to get called up to the

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was the FIFA World Cup qualification, qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar national football team, Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Par ...

matches against Sweden and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, but was ultimately left out of the squad due to testing positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Selmani was also called-up by Kosovo to the matches in June and September 2021, but due to the lack of a passport he was forced to stay as a unused substitute. On 15 September 2021, seven days after the end of the gathering in the September matches he received his passport. His debut with Kosovo came on 9 October 2021 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Sweden after coming on as a substitute in the 70th minute in place of Zymer Bytyqi. On 24 March 2022, Selmani scored his first goal for Kosovo in his fifth appearance for the country in a 5–0 home win over

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

BK Olympic * Division 3 – Södra Götaland: 2015 Hammarby IF *

: 2020–21 Hapoel Be'er Sheva *

Toto Cup The Israel Toto Cup (, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League Ligat ha'Al, Ligat Ha'Al; and the Israeli 2nd division Liga Leumit. Both of the ...

runner-up: 2022–23

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selmani, Astrit 1997 births Living people Kosovo Albanians Footballers from Malmö Footballers from Mitrovica, Kosovo Kosovan men's footballers Swedish men's footballers BK Olympic players Ängelholms FF players Kristianstad FC players FC Rosengård 1917 players Torns IF players Varbergs BoIS players Hammarby Fotboll players Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C. players FC Midtjylland players IFK Göteborg players FC Dinamo București players Division 3 (Swedish football) players Ettan Fotboll players Superettan players Allsvenskan players Israeli Premier League players Danish Superliga players Liga I players Kosovan expatriate men's footballers Swedish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Israel Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Israel Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Denmark Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Romania Kosovan expatriate sportspeople in Israel Kosovan expatriate sportspeople in Denmark Kosovan expatriate sportspeople in Romania Kosovo men's international footballers Swedish people of Kosovan descent Swedish people of Albanian descent Men's association football forwards 21st-century Swedish sportsmen