During his time at Hamburger SV’s academy Shkodran Mustafi was seen as one of the best German defensive prospects. However, his career stalled after he decided to move to Everton . During his three-year stint at the club, he failed to make a single appearance in the league. His only appearance at the club was a Europa League match against minnows BATE Borisov and even in that match he only played the last 15 minutes. He then revitalized his career with a free transfer to Sampdoria , further underscoring his credentials as a good defender during his two-year stint at the La Liga club.FC Valencia .

Born name

Shkodran Mustafi

nickname

Black, Black

Sun sign

Aries

Place of birth

Bad Hersfeld, Hesse, Germany

Residence

London, England, United Kingdom

nationality

training

In 2006, Shkodran Mustafi joined the German club’s youth academy. Hamburger SV .

occupation

Professional soccer player

family

• Father – Kujtim Mustafi
• Mother – Fatime Mustafi
• Siblings – Adrian Mustafi (Brother)

Manager

Shkodran Mustafi is represented by his father Kujtim Mustafi.

Position

centre-back

Shirt Number

43, 30 – FC Everton

8 – UC Sampdoria

5-Valencia CF.

20 – FC Arsenal

21, 2 – German national team

To build

Athletic

Height

6 ft 0½ in oder 184 cm

weight

73 kg

girlfriend/spouse

Shkodran Mustafi dated –

1. Vjosa Kaba (2016-Present) – In July 2016, Mustafi got married to Vjosa Kaba in a romantic wedding ceremony in Gostivar, Macedonia. The couple had been dating for quite a while before deciding to take their relationship to the next level. In July 2017, it was announced that Kaba had given birth to a baby girl.

race/ethnicity

White

He has Albanian ancestry.

hair colour

Dark Brown (Natural)

eye color

Blau

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

Well groomed beard

brand promotion

Shkodran Mustafi has signed a personal endorsement deal with the sportswear giant. Nike . He must wear Nike shoes for all his professional and international matches.

Religion

Islam

Known for

• To be an integral part of the German national team
• After playing three seasons for the Spanish club in which he made 81 competitive appearances

First football game

In May 2012 he made his debut for Italian club Sampdoria in Italian Serie B against Varese . His team lost the match 1-3.

In September 2013, Mustafi made his first appearance for Valencia FC in a match against Cordoba . Valencia went on to win the match 3-0.

In September 2016, he made his Arsenal debut in a Premier League game against Southampton at the Emirates Stadium.

In May 2014, he made his international debut for the German national team in a friendly against Poland that ended in a goalless draw.

Strengthen

• tackle
• dogfights
• concentration
• pass
• Interceptions
• reading the game

weaknesses

• defensive positioning
• speed

First web show

In 2018, Shkodran Mustafi made his first web show appearance in the sports documentary series, All or Nothing: Manchester City .

Shkodran Mustafi favorite things

• The toughest player he’s faced – Lionel Messi

Shkodran Mustafi Facts

1. When he started his soccer career, he played as a forward.
2. In addition to English and his mother tongue German, Shkodran can also speak Albanian, Spanish and Italian.
3. Before he decided to move to Everton , he was heavily pursued by Manchester City and Newcastle United . However, he decided to join the Merseyside club’s youth setup.
4. After he had showdown talks with Everton manager David Moyes to demand more playing time, the club decided to release him from his contract.
5. In January 2012 he decided to join Sampdoria as a free agent. He played for Sampdoria for two and a half years and managed to build a solid platform to launch his professional career.
6. In November 2013, he scored his first professional goal when he helped Sampdoria win 1–0 against Atlanta .
7. In August 2014, Spanish club Valencia FC paid Sampdoria a rumored transfer fee of 8 million euros to take over Mustafi.
8. In October 2014, he scored his first goal for Valencia when he opened the scoring in his side’s 3–1 win over Elche.
9. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger decided to pay Valencia £ 35million for Mustafi in August 2016. Wenger believed Mustafi’s arrival would push him to shore up the leaky defence.
10. Before he wholeheartedly pledged his allegiance to Germany, he was heavily courted by the Albanian Football Association. Germany coach Joachim Löw’s decision to call him in the early months of 2014 helped secure his international ties with Germany.
11. His participation in the 2014 World Cup was unfortunately canceled in the round of 16 against Algeria because he had to be substituted in the 70th minute due to a hamstring injury. It was later revealed that he had torn his fibrous muscle.
12. At UEFA Euro 2016, Shkodran scored his side’s first goal when he found a cross from Toni Kroos to make it 2–0 against Ukraine.
13. In September 2018, he became the subject of controversy after deciding to make an Albanian Eagle sign after scoring the opening goal in Arsenal’s 3–2 win over Cardiff City . It was a clear breach of FIFA and FA guidelines, which prohibit making political statements during a match.
14. Visit his official website @ shkodran-mustafi.com.
15. Follow Shkodran Mustafi on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.