Miralem Sulejmani

Miralem Sulejmani
Миралем Сулејмани

Personal information
Full name	Miralem Sulejmani
Date of birth	5 December 1988 (1988-12-05)
Place of birth	Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Ajax
Number	7
Youth career
	BSK Batajnica
2000–2005	Partizan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2006	Partizan	1	(0)
2006–2008	Heerenveen	34	(15)
2008–	Ajax	98	(29)
National team‡
2007–2010	Serbia U21	19	(6)
2008–	Serbia	9	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:31, 4 March 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:01, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

Miralem Sulejmani (Serbian Cyrillic: Миралем Сулејмани, born 5 December 1988 in Belgrade, Serbia) is a Serbian football player who plays for Ajax.

Partizan

His father played at OFK Beograd. Sulejmani's first club was local club FK BSK Batajnica before he moved to the youth squads of FK Partizan. He made his first appearance for the Serbian club in the 2005–06 season. Quickly, Sulejmani was branded as the next great talent from Serbia, and interest quickly followed from Dutch clubs like AZ Alkmaar, FC Groningen and SC Heerenveen. In 2006 Sulejmani spent time at farmclub FK Teleoptik. On 6 December 2006 it was announced that Heerenveen had signed the Serbian striker, who would move to the Eredivisie side in January.

Controversial decisions

His decision to move to Heerenveen was controversial, several arguments occurred between Heerenveen and his agent. Eventually, Partizan after a meeting with the Football Association of Serbia suspended Sulejmani until 11 May 2007 keeping him out for the rest of the season. Heerenveen appealed to the FIFA and although the original verdict claimed that Sulejmani should not be suspended, a second look at the case was made and Sulejmani was suspended again. He made his debut for the youth squad at 13 May 2007 in a 3–0 win against Heracles Almelo, in which he gave 1 assist.

Heerenveen

Finally, in the 2007–08 season, Sulejmani was able to make his debut on 17 August 2007 against Willem II. The match ended in a goalless draw.

His second appearance came against Ajax. Sulejmani went on to score his first goal for Heerenveen as the Serbian put Heerenveen 1–0 ahead at the Amsterdam ArenA. However, they went on to lose the game 4–1, ending a streak of three away wins against Ajax. Heerenveen's poor start to the season continued, but one of the few limelights of the team was Sulejmani, showing some outstanding displays on the wing. In the first half of the season, Sulejmani proved himself to be a worthy replacement during Afonso Alves' absence and scored 4 goals and produced 5 assists, including the assist for the winning goal against reigning champions PSV Eindhoven.

After Alves' departure to Middlesbrough, it was up to Sulejmani to lead Heerenveen's attack, in which he succeeded. His fine play even led to the (temporary) departure of 13-time Polish international, Radosław Matusiak. At the end of the season, Sulejmani became the club's equal topscorer with 15 goals in 34 appearances, playing in all Eredivisie matches and provided 10 assists for his team-mates. He also won the prize of the Talent of the Year-award, as a prize, he decided to donate an artificial turf-football field in his hometown.

Heerenveen finished fifth in the Eredivisie, earning them a spot in the playoffs for the qualifying round for the Champions League against second ranked club Ajax. Usually, the number 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Eredivisie are ensured of at least UEFA Cup-football, but thanks to the fact that Feyenoord, who finished 6th in the league, won the KNVB-Beker, the loser of the playoffs will wind up playing the Intertoto Cup. Sulejmani will not participate in the playoffs, because of an injury to the meniscus, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. Heerenveen lost the first round to Ajax 5–2 on aggregate and went on to face NAC Breda, who finished 3rd in the league, in the losers-round for the final ticket for the UEFA Cup.

AFC Ajax

Controversial moment

Sulejmani, the Serbian national team, I am sure that coach Martin Jol wants to destroy his career. Young striker wants to go to West Ham on loan, but Jol does not allow it. Serbian national team and the most expensive player in the history of Ajax Talaohu, wants to continue his career at another club, because, he said, Ajax coach wants to destroy his career. Young striker last season was at the mercy of Jola, most of the game was watched from the bench, and sometimes not at all be combined for the team. Sulejmani believes that in this most important period of his career to play the game to progress.

Miralem said, Jol wants to destroy my career. I really do not understand, West Ham is the ideal club and going there would be a new beginning for me. Avram Grant in me sees great potential

2008-09 season

Sulejmani taking a free kick for Ajax

After weeks of speculation, the transfer-soap of Sulejmani finally ended on 4 July 2008 when AFC Ajax announced on the official website that Heerenveen and Ajax had reached an agreement of the transfer of Sulejmani. Ajax paid €16.25 million to Heerenveen, breaking the Dutch transfer-record, with the previous record also having been between the two Eredivisie clubs for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in 2005. In Amsterdam, Sulejmani signed a five-year contract with Ajax, keeping him there until 30 June 2013. Sulejmani claimed in an interview that he himself didn't even know that Ajax paid over €16 million for his services. Miralem said, I am a footballer and I only want to think about football. He made his debut for Ajax in the test match against Sunderland on 3 August 2008.

2009-10 season

From his first start for Ajax in the Eredivisie Sulejmani an immediate impact player, scoring in his debut against Willem II which Ajax eventually lost 2–1. In February 2010, he scored a solo goal against Juventus in the first leg of the Europa League round of 32 tie. He ran nearly the entire length of the pitch, outrunning the Juventus defenders to score the opening goal of the match but Ajax were eliminated from the competition, losing 2–1 on aggregate.

2010-11 season

On 11 August 2010, West Ham United confirmed that they had agreed terms with Ajax and with Sulejmani to take him on a year long loan subject to the granting of a work permit, however the work permit application was denied the next day. With the arrival of new coach, Sulejmani was getting somewhat more time in Ajax. Good performances in the Champions League and Eredivise Sulejmani soon earned the epithet of the starting players on his team. The KNVB Beker against AZ scored fantastic goal, it is about 30 meters with a lob shot beat goalkeeper Sergio Romero, It is also one of the best goals of his career.

2011-12 season

Then after a winter coach change, he got more chances in the first-team and became a regular.^{[citation needed]} He says he has gained more self-confidence, certainly due to new coach Frank de Boer.^{[citation needed]} Already at the start of the season, showed why Sulejmani valid for the player who is improving and the players who could be future stars in Europe. In the first game of the season against the De Graafschap scored two goals, but the next match on Amsterdam Arena scored a great goal and his former club Heerenveen, he moved three or four players from the Defense pillars and eventually tricked the keeper and scored his third goal at the start of the season. The 2011-12 Eredivisie , scored 11 goals in 17 games in Eredivisie. Sulejmani with AFC Ajax played in the Champions League, Sulejmani was the starter in all 6 matches. In 6 games scored one goal against NK Dinamo Zagreb on 2 November 2011. Even in the winter time passing caused great interest big clubs: Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC and Valencia FC, Malaga CF and others, but leaders of the club wanted to keep their attacker. In January month on the list of top 100 players for this year's U.S. portal Bleacher Report ranked the 28th Miralem Sulejmani place, ahead of aces like Edinson Cavani, Gareth Bale, Hulk, Fernando Torres and others. This is just one of the awards that the former football player coming FK Partizan and Heerenveen, who in the year behind us finally began to show its full potential, the same one who was once ranked among the most talented young players of the old continent.^{[citation needed]}

International career

Under-21

Sulejmani was named in Zvonko Živković's 18-man squad for the 2007 UEFA European U-19 Championship and was given the number 10 shirt. On 7 September 2008 Sulejmani converted 2 penalties for Serbia in their 8–0 demolition of Hungary's under-21 side in a qualifying match for the European Under-21 Championship. Sulejmani made his international debut for the senior national team on 6 February 2008 in a friendly match in Skopje against Macedonia.

In two previous coach Radomir Antic and Vladimir Petrovic Sulejmani had a great playing time.

However, the current Acting Serbia coach Radovan Curcic is marked as a player, which is based on the future of Serbian football, as the former Partizan player is a great honor.

Career statistics

Miralem Sulejmani, Serbian footballer in Ajax

As of 4 March 2012

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Serbia			League		Serbian Cup		Europe		Total
2005–06	Partizan	SuperLiga	1	0	-	-	-	-	1	0
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		Europe		Total
2006–07	Heerenveen	Eredivisie	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2007–08			34	15	2	1	2	0	38	16
2008–09	AFC Ajax		27	8	-	-	7	2	34	10
2009–10			17	2	4	0	10	1	31	3
2010–11			32	8	6	3	14	2	52	13
2011–12			22	11	1	0	8	1	31	12
			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Total	Serbia		1	0	-	-	-	-	1	0
	Netherlands		132	44	13	4	41	6	186	54
Career total			133	44	13	4	41	6	187	54

Honours

Club

Ajax

• Eredivisie (1): 2010–11
• KNVB Cup (1): 2009–10

Individual

• Young Player in The Netherlands: 2008

References

http://www.nusport.nl/eredivisie/2500388/sulejmani-blijft-ajax-trouw.html

External links

• National Football Teams
• Miralem Sulejmani at reprezentacija.rs