Agim Ibraimi

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Agim Ibraimi
Ibraimi playing for Macedonia in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth (1988-08-29) 29 August 1988 (age 35)
Place of birth Tetovo, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
0000–2005 Shkëndija
2006–2008 Red Bull Salzburg
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Shkëndija 49 (3)
2006–2008 Red Bull Salzburg 3 (0)
2008–2010 Olimpija Ljubljana 47 (19)
2010–2011 Eskişehirspor 1 (0)
2011 Nafta Lendava 17 (0)
2011–2016 Maribor 107 (29)
2013–2014 → Cagliari (loan) 25 (2)
2016–2017 Astana 6 (0)
2017–2018 Domžale 36 (6)
2019–2020 Shkëndija 36 (7)
2020–2021 Kukësi 35 (15)
2021–2022 Dinamo Tirana 36 (8)
International career
0000 Macedonia U17 3 (2)
0000 Macedonia U19 8 (1)
2007–2010 Macedonia U21 11 (2)
2009–2021 North Macedonia 40 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 June 2022

Agim Ibraimi (Macedonian: Агим Ибраими; born 29 August 1988) is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.

Club career[edit]

Childhood and early career[edit]

Ibraimi was born in Tetovo, SR Macedonia, to Albanian parents. While growing up in Tetovo, Agim joined the Shkendija youth team and eventually broke through into the senior squad at the age of 17.

Shkendija and Red Bull Salzburg[edit]

Ibraimi debuted for Shkendija in 2005 and was a crucial member of the team. He made forty nine appearances and scored three goals, helping Shkendija reach fifth place in the Prva Liga. Making a significant impact on the club at such a young age, Agim was picked up by Red Bull Salzburg and moved abroad.

At Red Bull Salzburg, Ibraimi developed further under their tutelage. In two years at Salzburg, Ibraimi made three appearances for the senior team.

Olimpija[edit]

Ibraimi joined Olimpija who were at that time playing in the Slovenian Second League. His first season in the Slovenian capital was very successful, as Olimpija finished as league winners with Ibraimi scoring eleven goals.

The start of his second season in Ljubljana was not as smooth. After Miran Pavlin, the director of football who brought him to the club, departed for Koper, Ibraimi wanted to join him. But Olimpija's board had none of it, as the player still had a valid contract with the club. The start of his first season in Slovenian PrvaLiga was difficult, his form was not up to standard, but it did pick up eventually and Ibraimi regained his place in Olimpija's first eleven. He scored his first goal in the Slovenian PrvaLiga on 28 August against Koper.

Eskisehirspor[edit]

Ibraimi terminated his contract with Olimpija in the summer of 2010 and signed a three-year deal with Turkish team Eskişehirspor on 3 September 2010. He made his debut for Eskisehirspor on 25 September 2010 when he came off the bench in the 77th minute, but his team lost 1–0. Ibraimi failed to adjust to the Turkish league so he and the club agreed to mutually terminate the contract and Ibraimi joined Nafta Lendava during the 2011 January transfer window.

Maribor[edit]

On 10 June 2011, it was announced that Ibraimi has signed a three-year contract with the Slovenian club Maribor. He made his debut for Maribor against Dudelange in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League where he also scored his first goal for the club.[1] Despite not qualifying past the third round of qualifications, Maribor had a chance in the play-offs for the UEFA Europa League against Rangers. Ibraimi helped Maribor reach the group stages of the Europa League after scoring a goal from just inside the box in the first leg. Despite Maribor finished in last place in their group, Ibraimi scored against Braga in the only match of the group stage where Maribor secured a point. In May 2012, Ibraimi signed a new contract with the club until May 2015.[2] In the same month, he scored directly from a corner kick in an 8–0 win against Triglav Kranj and won the league title with Maribor. In December 2012, he won the Macedonian Footballer of the Year award.[3][4] He was voted as one of the best midfield players in the 2012–13 Slovenian PrvaLiga alongside his teammate Goran Cvijanović and Nik Omladič.[5] He was also selected as the overall best player in the 2012–13 PrvaLiga season.[6]

Cagliari[edit]

On 31 August 2013, Agim Ibraimi moved to Cagliari on loan in exchange for Pablo Ceppelini and money.[7][8] In his second game for Cagliari, he provided an assist against Inter Milan. On 2 March 2014, Ibraimi scored his first goal for Cagliari against Udinese and providing an assist eight minutes earlier. Only maintaining five starting appearances for Cagliari, he did not receive much playing time in Italy.

Agim Ibraimi has reached an agreement with Maribor to extend his contract until May 2017.[9]

Maribor[edit]

Returning to Maribor, Ibraimi helped the club reach the UEFA Champions League group stage by scoring three goals in the qualifying rounds against Zrinjski Mostar and Maccabi Tel Aviv.[10] On 5 November 2014, Maribor drew against Chelsea in the Champions League. Ibraimi scored in the 50th minute with a left-footed curling shot from the edge of the box.[11]

Astana[edit]

On 15 June 2016, Ibraimi signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Kazakhstan Premier League side FC Astana.[12] After an injury he ended his contract in the end of April 2017 and became a free agent.

Dinamo Tirana[edit]

In July 2021, Ibraimi joined the newly promoted side Dinamo Tirana, signing a contract for the 2021–22 Kategoria Superiore season.[13] After a difficult season, in which he scored 8 goals in 36 league appearances, which weren't enough to keep the team in the top flight, Ibrahimi announced his departure and became a free agent.[14]

International career[edit]

Ibraimi was capped for the Macedonian under-21 team during the qualifying campaign for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

He received his first call-up to the Macedonian senior team for a friendly match against Spain, which took place on 12 August 2009. In the match, he came on as a substitute for Goran Pandev in the 81st minute of the game.[15] On 12 October 2012, Ibraimi scored his first goal for Macedonia in a 2–1 home defeat against Croatia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifications.[16] He scored another goal just three days later against Serbia in a 1–0 win.[17] In total, he made 40 appearances for the team, and also scored 7 goals.[18]

Personal life[edit]

Ibraimi is multilingual, speaking six languages fluently: Albanian, English, German, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian and Slovenian.[19] He is a cousin of professional football player Arijan Ademi.[20] In February 2016, after having spent years of playing in the country, Ibraimi acquired Slovenian citizenship.[21]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[22][23]
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Shkëndija 2004–05 1. MFL 3 1 — — 3 1
2005–06 26 2 — — 26 2
2006–07 20 0 — — 20 0
Total 49 3 — — 49 3
Red Bull Salzburg 2007–08 Austrian Bundesliga 3 0 — — 3 0
Olimpija Ljubljana 2008–09 2. SNL 19 11 1 1 — — 20 12
2009–10 1. SNL 28 8 2 2 — — 30 10
Total 47 19 3 3 — — 50 22
Eskişehirspor 2010–11 Süper Lig 1 0 1 0 — — 2 0
Nafta Lendava 2010–11 1. SNL 17 0 0 0 — — 17 0
Maribor 2011–12 1. SNL 27 9 4 1 11[a] 3 1[b] 1 43 14
2012–13 25 6 6 1 12[c] 2 1[b] 1 44 10
2013–14 4 2 0 0 6[d] 0 1[b] 0 11 2
2014–15 24 2 3 0 12[d] 4 0 0 39 6
2015–16 27 10 1 0 2[d] 0 1[b] 0 31 10
Total 107 29 14 2 43 9 4 2 168 42
Cagliari (loan) 2013–14 Serie A 25 2 0 0 — — 25 2
Astana 2016 Kazakhstan Premier League 6 0 0 0 5[e] 1 — 11 1
Domžale 2017–18 1. SNL 20 4 0 0 — — 20 4
2018–19 16 2 3 0 4[f] 0 — 23 2
Total 36 6 3 0 4 0 — 43 6
Shkëndija 2018–19 1. MFL 15 3 0 0 — — 15 3
2019–20 21 4 1 0 4[g] 4 — 26 8
Total 36 7 1 0 4 4 — 41 11
Kukësi 2020–21 Kategoria Superiore 35 15 3 2 — — 38 17
Career total 362 81 25 7 56 14 4 2 447 104
  1. ^ Three appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ a b c d Appearance in Slovenian Supercup
  3. ^ Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Two appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, two appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League

International[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[22]
National team Year Apps Goals
North Macedonia 2009 1 0
2010 3 0
2011 3 0
2012 9 3
2013 8 2
2014 5 2
2015 8 0
2016 2 0
2021 1 0
Total 40 7
Scores and results list North Macedonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ibraimi goal.
List of international goals scored by Agim Ibraimi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 October 2012 Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia  Croatia 1–0 1–2 2014 World Cup qualifier
2 16 October 2012 Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia  Serbia 1–0 1–0 2014 World Cup qualifier
3 14 November 2012 Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia  Slovenia 3–1 3–2 Friendly
4 6 February 2013 Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia  Denmark 2–0 3–0 Friendly
5 14 August 2013 Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia  Bulgaria 1–0 2–0 Friendly
6 5 March 2014 Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia  Latvia 2–1 2–1 Friendly
7 8 September 2014 Estadi Ciutat de València, Valencia, Spain  Spain 2–1 5–1 2016 Euro qualifier

Honours[edit]

Club[edit]

Olimpija

Maribor

Astana

Shkëndija

Individual[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Maribor take two-goal lead to Luxembourg
  2. ^ T. O. (3 May 2012). "Ibraimijev sestanek z Zahovićem krajši kot pot do stadiona" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Ibraimi nogometaš leta" (in Slovenian). NK Maribor. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Ibraimi najboljši v Makedoniji" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Olimpija po 26 letih slavila v Kopru, Aluminij že izpadel" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Agim Ibraimi najboljši igralec v Prvi ligi" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Agim Ibraimi to move to Cagliari". MacedonianFootball. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Calciomercato Cagliari: il colpo dell'ultim'ora, Agim Ibraimi" (in Italian). Corriere Dello Sport. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Agim Ibraimi agrees to extension with Maribor". MacedonianFootball. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Agim Ibraimi » Champions League Qual. 2014/2015". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  11. ^ "NK Maribor – Chelsea FC 1:1 (Champions League 2014/2015, Group G)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  12. ^ Агим Ибраими подписал контракт с Астаной. fca.kz (in Russian). FC Astana. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  13. ^ "Agim Ibraimi te Dinamo" [Agim Ibraimi to Dinamo]. botasot.info (in Albanian). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Agim Ibraimi ndahet me Dinamon, a do mbetet mbetet sërish në Superligë?" [Agim Ibraimi leaves Dinamo, will he remain in Superliga?] (in Albanian). Klan Maqedonia. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Macedonia vs Spain, 12 August 2009". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Premiera Cvijanovića, gol Ibraimija" (in Slovenian). NK Maribor. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  17. ^ "Ibraimi spet strelec, Mertlju vseh 90" (in Slovenian). NK Maribor. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  18. ^ "(North) Macedonia – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  19. ^ Ikič, Žiga; Miklavič, Marko (26 October 2012). "VIDEO: "Proti Tottenhamu je točka ogromna stvar"" (in Slovenian). Šport TV. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2012.[failed verification]
  20. ^ Tratnik, Damjan (25 July 2012). "Heerenveen ali Dinamo?" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  21. ^ Dominko, Peter (26 February 2016). "Ibraimi v nadaljevanje sezone s slovenskim potnim listom". Slovenski nogometni portal (in Slovenian). Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  22. ^ a b "Agim Ibraimi". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  23. ^ "A. Ibraimi". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 July 2016.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Agim_Ibraimi&oldid=1217184390"