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Date of birth: September 27 1992
Instagram: @granitxhaka
Club(s): Basel, Borussia Monchengladbach, Arsenal
Country: Switzerland
Signing fee: £35 million
Made his senior international debut against England at Wembley in June 2011. The following summer, he left hometown club Basel for Borussia Monchengladbach. In May 2016, the tough-tackling midfielder signed for Arsenal in a big-money move. Taking on the captain's armband, though, did not pan out. Having reacted angrily to being booed as he was substituted, he was stripped of the role but eventually returned to the team after a spell away.
Latest about Granit Xhaka
‘The captain’s armband looks nice, but you don’t need it. A real leader has the power without the armband’ Granit Xhaka on being named Sunderland skipper
EXCLUSIVE The former Arsenal man was immediately handed the captain’s armband at the Stadium of Light
‘I had the same feeling with Sunderland as I had when I went to Leverkusen – that there could be something very special about this team’ Granit Xhaka on the Black Cats' similarities to Leverkusen’s title winners
EXCLUSIVE The Swiss veteran claimed a remarkable Bundesliga win when his Leverkusen side went unbeaten in 2023/24
‘I follow Arsenal every day. When Sunderland don’t have a game, I watch Arsenal. I’m proud of playing so many games for such an amazing club’ Granit Xhaka on why Arsenal maintain a special place in his heart
EXCLUSIVE The Swiss midfielder left the Gunners in the summer of 2023 after seven seasons in north London
‘Jermain Defoe and Lorik Cana convinced me to join Sunderland. It’s the greatest challenge of my career’ Granit Xhaka on why he returned to the Premier League
EXCLUSIVE The former Arsenal midfielder was signed by the newly-promoted Black Cats in the summer
‘Everyone knows about what happened in 2019 with the fans, which I still call a big misunderstanding to this day’ Granit Xhaka opens up on his Arsenal substitution incident
EXCLUSIVE The former Gunners midfielder ripped his shirt off after he was withdrawn in a 2019 clash against Crystal Palace
NEW ISSUE: Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest for 1,000 goals, the football rich list, Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal rollercoaster, Michael Laudrup and Sol Campbell, plus trendsetter Tony Pulis
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Why Sunderland fans are calling for their OWN PLAYERS to be booked against Liverpool
Sunderland are bound for Anfield and some supporters will have a keen eye on potential yellow cards against the Premier League champions
Switzerland World Cup 2026 squad: Murat Yakin's latest squad ahead of the World Cup draw
The Switzerland World Cup 2026 squad will be the sixth consecutive selection, now that Murat Yakin's men have qualified
