1. Bersant Celina was born on 9 September 1996 and is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Swedish club AIK and the Kosovo national team.
35 Facts About Bersant Celina
1. 2.
Bersant Celina made his senior debut for Manchester City in 2016, going on to have loan spells at Twente and Ipswich Town during his time at the club.
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Bersant Celina spent two seasons at Swansea before joining French side Dijon in 2020.
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On 1 July 2014, Bersant Celina signed a three-year professional contract with Manchester City.
5.
At the time, Bersant Celina was injured and had a surgery; after returning from injury, he remained with the youth team whilst rehabilitating.
6.
In late December 2014, Bersant Celina was called up to the first team by head coach Manuel Pellegrini due to the busy Christmas schedule that saw Manchester City play four games in just over a week.
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Bersant Celina was not selected in the 18-man squad for the three matches in the Premier League, but in the fourth match valid for the third round of FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday on 4 January 2015, he made the matchday squad.
8.
On 19 January 2015, Bersant Celina was selected to take part in the first-team squad's mid-season Abu Dhabi training camp along with three other Manchester City academy players.
9.
Bersant Celina was included along with Brandon Barker, George Evans and Thierry Ambrose from Patrick Vieira's Elite Development Squad for the trip to the Middle East.
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Bersant Celina made his first senior appearance for City as a substitute for Edin Dzeko in a friendly against German side Hamburger SV.
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Bersant Celina made 4 appearances for Manchester City during his first season in senior football.
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On 25 August 2016, Bersant Celina joined Eredivisie side FC Twente, on a season-long loan.
13.
Bersant Celina went on to score in his next two appearances against ADO Den Haag and Vitesse.
14.
On 29 January 2017, Bersant Celina was sent off with a red card at 49 minutes, in a match against PEC Zwolle.
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Bersant Celina scored 5 goals in 28 appearances for Twente over the course of the season.
16.
On 3 July 2017, Bersant Celina joined Championship side Ipswich Town, on a season-long loan.
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Bersant Celina scored in the following two matches against Cardiff City and Preston North End.
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One day later, the club confirmed that Bersant Celina had joined on a permanent transfer after agreeing to a four-year deal.
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Bersant Celina made 42 appearances for Swansea during his first season at the club, scoring 8 goals.
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Bersant Celina scored twice in 37 appearances during the season, helping Swansea reach the EFL Championship play-offs following a 6th-placed finish.
21.
On 9 September 2020, Bersant Celina joined Ligue 1 club Dijon.
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Bersant Celina penned a four-year contract with the club and was given the number 9 shirt.
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Bersant Celina went on to make 33 appearances in all competitions that season, providing 5 assists without scoring, with Dijon being relegated to Ligue 2 after finishing 20th.
24.
On 31 August 2021, Bersant Celina returned to Ipswich Town on a season-long loan.
25.
Ipswich had attempted to do a deal earlier in the summer, however the move was put on hold due to a heart condition Bersant Celina suffered from after contracting COVID-19.
26.
Bersant Celina struggled for game time at Stoke making eight appearances of which four were starts.
27.
Bersant Celina was called up to the Norway under-17 team by coach Bard Flovik to participate in the 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.
28.
On 25 August 2015, Bersant Celina was called up to play for the Norway under-21 side in an U21 European Championship qualifier against England.
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In June 2013, Bersant Celina was named as part of the Kosovo U21 squad for the 2013 Valais Youth Cup.
30.
Bersant Celina was an unused substitute for the match, which finished in a goalless draw.
31.
Bersant Celina missed the two upcoming friendlies against Turkey and Senegal in May due to injury, but returned in September 2014 for a match against Oman.
32.
In January 2015, Bersant Celina declared that he would turn down a call-up to represent Norway, as he wanted to play for Kosovo.
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Bersant Celina scored his first goal for Kosovo on 13 November 2015 in a friendly match against Albania at the Pristina City Stadium, becoming at 19 years and 2 months Kosovo's youngest goalscorer.
34.
Bersant Celina made his competitive debut for Kosovo against Finland on 5 September 2016 in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier, coming on as a sub in the 66th minute, with the cap tying him to Kosovo, confirming which national team he would represent.
35.
In February 2022, Bersant Celina offered his flat in Drammen, Norway, free of charge, to Ukrainian refugees who had fled their homeland due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.