Pëllumb Jusufi Explained

Pëllumb Jusufi
Birth Date:1988 2, df=yes
Birth Place:Tetovo, SR Macedonia,
SFR Yugoslavia
Height:1.75 m
Position:Offensive midfielder, Forward
Currentclub:NK Cres
Clubnumber:8
Youthyears1:–2000
Youthyears2:2000–2006
Youthclubs1:NK Cres[1]
Youthclubs2:Dinamo Zagreb
Years1:2007
Years2:2007–2008
Years3:2008–2009
Years4:2009–2010
Years5:2010–2011
Years6:2011
Years7:2011
Years8:2012
Years9:2012
Years10:2013
Years11:2013–2014
Years12:2014–2015
Years13:2015–2016
Years14:2016
Years15:2017–
Clubs1:Bonifika
Clubs2:Domžale
Clubs3:Dinamo Tirana
Clubs4:Kastrioti
Clubs5:Hrvatski Dragovoljac
Clubs6:Gorica
Clubs7:Vysočina
Clubs8:Shkëndija
Clubs9:Tomori
Clubs10:Cres
Clubs11:FC Jazz
Clubs12:Renova
Clubs13:MuSa
Clubs14:Poprad
Clubs15:Cres
Caps1:11
Caps2:2
Caps3:20
Caps4:29
Caps5:14
Caps6:11
Caps7:1
Caps8:3
Caps9:5
Caps10:11
Caps11:31
Caps12:4
Caps13:33
Caps14:9
Caps15:39
Goals1:1[2]
Goals2:0
Goals3:2
Goals4:0
Goals5:0
Goals6:2
Goals7:0
Goals8:0
Goals9:0
Goals10:13[3]
Goals11:11
Goals12:0
Goals13:13
Goals14:1
Goals15:11
Nationalyears1:2004–2006
Nationalyears2:2006
Nationalyears3:2006–2007
Nationalyears4:2007–2009
Nationalteam1:Croatia U17
Nationalteam2:Croatia U18
Nationalteam3:Croatia U19
Nationalteam4:Croatia U21
Nationalcaps1:19
Nationalcaps2:2
Nationalcaps3:14
Nationalcaps4:1
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalgoals2:2
Nationalgoals3:3
Nationalgoals4:0
Pcupdate:17 December 2018
Ntupdate:15 June 2009

Pëllumb Jusufi (Macedonian: Пелумб Јусуфи; born 10 February 1988) is a Croatian-Macedonian football player. The midfielder currently plays for the fourth-tier NK Cres. He is of Albanian descent.

Club career

Childhood and early career

Jusufi was born in Tetovo, SFR Yugoslavia to Macedonian Albanian parents from Pirok. Jusufi started playing football at the age of 7 and was mentored by his father, Isak Jusufi, a former professional footballer. Jusufi and his family moved from Tetovo to Zagreb, Croatia when he was 12 years old. In Croatia, he continued playing football and was eventually scouted by Croatian club NK Dinamo Zagreb in 2000. He started playing in the Dinamo youth team and made his way up the ranks of the club. His success in the youth division got him noticed by the Croatian Football Federation and decided to represent Croatia at youth level ahead of the country of his birth Macedonia and Albania. Whilst representing Croatia at a European football tournament in 2006, interests from Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart were noted. Jusufi was expected to sign for them, however talks broke down between both parties.[4] Jusufi moved to the second-tier Slovenian side SC Bonifika, where he stayed for the rest of the season playing for the senior team while still being eligible for the youth squad. His impact on the team got him noticed by NK Domzale and he moved there in the summer of 2007.

Domžale

Jusufi played for the then Slovenian champions, NK Domzale. During his time in Slovenia he mainly made his appearance as a substitute off the bench. As he did not get regular first team football, Jusufi left Domzale for Dinamo Tirana, then Albanian Superliga champions. Jusufi made 2 appearances in the Champions League for NK Domzale, one of them against Dinamo Tirana's local rivals KF Tirana.[5]

Dinamo Tirana

Jusufi played his first match for Dinamo in the Albanian Supercup against Vllaznia Shkodër. He helped Dinamo win by scoring in the 78th minute[6] Jusufi scored twice in twenty appearances for Dinamo and at the end of the season, moved to newly promoted team, KS Kastrioti Kruje.

Kastrioti Kruje

Jusufi stayed in Kruje for one season, keeping Kastrioti Kruje in the top half of the superliga for the first time in the club's history.

Shkëndija

During the winter break of the 2011/2011 season, Jusufi moved to Macedonian Prva liga champions, KF Shkëndija.[7]

FC Jazz

On 14 August 2013 Jusufi was signed by Finnish third-tier side FC Jazz. The connection between Jusufi and Pori based team was made by the father of Nooralotta Neziri who is a Finnish hurdler of Macedonian Albanian descent.[8] Jusufi made 7 appearances scoring 7 goals for Jazz in 2013 Kakkonen.[9] His team was promoted to Ykkönen after the promotion playoffs against Ekenäs IF.[10]

International career

Jusufi has represented Croatia in every youth level. Jusufi has not represented Croatia at the senior level and is therefore eligible to represent either Albania, Croatia or North Macedonia.

Honours

Club

Dinamo Zagreb

Domžale

Dinamo Tirana

Notes and References

  1. http://www.otoci.net/index.php/sportski/nogomet/200-jusufi-donio-bodove Jusufi donio bodove
  2. http://www.nzs.si/index.php?t=ligeKlubIgralci&sifra_kluba=823&sifra_lige=2SNL0607&pageNodeid=1203 Statistika ekipe za klub: Bonifika
  3. http://www.otoci.net/index.php/sportski/nogomet/593-ilijic-svih-24-percic-golgeter Ilijić svih 24, Perčić golgeter
  4. Web site: Foreign interest in Jusufi . 15 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110707103811/http://www.albania-sport.com/mat.php?idm=2173&l=a . 7 July 2011 . dead .
  5. Web site: footballdatabase. Pëllumb Jusufi's Champions League Games 2007-2008.
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJj0YEiqzrM Dinamo fituese e Superkupës së Shqipërisë 2008
  7. Web site: Shkendija got Demiri, Tamboura and Jusufi. 1 February 2011.
  8. Web site: Jazzille vahvistus Kroatiasta . Satakunnan Kansa. 14 August 2013 . Finnish . 14 August 2013.
  9. https://archive.today/20131028001710/http://palloverkko.palloliitto.fi/live/stats/PlayerDetails.aspx?playerID=2737216 Pëllumb Jusufi statistics
  10. Web site: Europa League football for Vaasa in 2014 . Yle News . 20 October 2013 . 27 October 2013.
  11. Web site: Youth Stats . 1 February 2012 . https://archive.today/20120720170239/http://www.albania-sport.com/article/9935/0/Pllumb-Jusufi--kemi-force-ta-eliminojme-Tiranen.html . 20 July 2012 . dead .
  12. Web site: Youth Stats . 1 February 2012 . https://archive.today/20120720170239/http://www.albania-sport.com/article/9935/0/Pllumb-Jusufi--kemi-force-ta-eliminojme-Tiranen.html . 20 July 2012 . dead .