Bersant celina biography of alberta
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We didn’t want to get killed.”[14] His father, Eduar, joined them two months later after securing safe passage, highlighting the fragmented nature of their migration driven by immediate safety concerns.[11]The Celina family settled in Drammen, a city west of Oslo, where a sizable Kosovan immigrant community provided a supportive network for newly arrived refugees.[11] This ethnic enclave helped mitigate some isolation, allowing the family to maintain cultural ties while adapting to Norwegian society.[11] As refugees, they faced the practical hardships of starting anew, having lost everything.[14]Celina's early years in Drammen were marked by the typical adjustments of an immigrant child.[15] The supportive immigrant community in Drammen facilitated initial integration, easing the transition from the trauma of displacement.[11]
Club career
Early career and Manchester City
Bersant Celina began his youth football career with Strømsgodset IF in Drammen, Norway, joining the club in 2007 at the age of 11.[2] He quickly progressed through the youth ranks at Strømsgodset, where his performances as an attacking midfielder caught the attention of international scouts.[16]In 2009, at age 13, Manchester City scouts began monitoring Celina during his time at Strømsgodset, impressed by his technical ability and vision on the ball.[16] He joined Manchester City's academy in 2012 at the age of 15, initially on trial before securing a two-year scholarship in the summer of 2013.[17][18] Celina made his debut for the club's under-18 team in January 2013 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, marking the start of his development in England's youth system.[18]Celina advanced to Manchester City's Elite Development Squad (EDS, under-21 level) during the 2014–15 season, where he showcased his creativity with consistent starts in the Premier League 2.[19] On July 1, 2014, he signed his first professional contract with the club, a three-year deal that reflected his rapid progress despite an early-season injury requiring surgery.[20] In the 2015–16 campaign, Celina excelled at EDS level, contributing key goals and assists, including a standout assist for Sergio Agüero in a Premier League match against Leicester City.[19][21] His form earned him the LG EDS Player of the Season award in 2016, voted by fans for his decisive contributions in the under-21 Premier League.[19]Celina's academy success led to his integration with the first team under manager Manuel Pellegrini.Follow the matches online, see the live results of the performances in which takes part Celina Bersant, read our forecasts from experts and privateers, and watch video broadcasts with the participation of a football player Celina Bersant. Shortly thereafter, on 3 July 2017, he was loaned to EFL Championship side Ipswich Town for the 2017–18 season, providing another step up in physicality and intensity compared to the Dutch league.
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Bersant Celina
SOCCER PLAYER
1996 - Today
Bersant Celina
Bersant Celina (born 9 September 1996) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Swedish club AIK and the Kosovo national team.
The experiences aided his tactical versatility and resilience, yet the lack of sustained starts prompted a return to Dijon in summer 2023 to rebuild form and secure a more stable role at the parent club.
AIK
In August 2023, Bersant Celina joined AIK on loan from Dijon until the end of the year. After limited first-team exposure at Manchester City, his loan to FC Twente in the Dutch Eredivisie for the 2016–17 season introduced him to senior football's physicality and pace, where he scored five goals in 27 appearances and refined his dribbling under pressure.[29] At Swansea (2018–2020), he adapted to the English Championship's intensity, contributing 10 goals in 79 games while developing consistency in wide and central roles.Factors contributing to his minimal role included an illness that sidelined him for seven days in February 2023, missing three matches, as well as intense competition in the attacking midfield and wide areas under manager Alex Neil.[39] He also made 2 FA Cup appearances, totaling 8 outings and 264 minutes across all competitions.These loan spells from Dijon offered Celina exposure to diverse leagues—England's third tier, Turkey's top flight, and the Championship—but highlighted periods of inconsistency in playing time, with only 56 total appearances across the three moves.
Bersant has reflected on this period through stories from his parents, highlighting their determination to protect their children amid the chaos that displaced nearly a million people and claimed thousands of lives.[14]
Move to Norway
In 1998, at the age of two, Bersant Celina and his mother fled their home in Prizren, Kosovo, amid the escalating violence of the Kosovo War, part of the broader Yugoslav conflicts.[14] The family sought refuge in Norway to escape the ethnic tensions and atrocities that claimed numerous lives, with Celina later recalling, “People died, people were getting killed.He began his professional career with Manchester City, having previously been with the youth system at Strømsgodset. Before her are Philipp Lienhart, Sorn, Ivo Oliveira, Moussa Niakhaté, Jessica Klimkait, and Ajdin Hrustic. In August 2023, Celina joined AIK on loan from Dijon, a move made permanent in January 2024 with a contract extending until August 2026; as of November 2025, he has been a regular starter, scoring five goals in 26 Allsvenskan appearances that season.[7][1][8]Internationally, Celina initially represented Norway at youth levels before switching allegiance to Kosovo, making his senior debut in a 2016 friendly against the Faroe Islands and earning 36 caps with one goal as of March 2024.[9] He has been a key figure in Kosovo's UEFA Nations League and World Cup qualifying campaigns, often deployed in midfield or on the wing for his creativity and set-piece ability.[9]
Early life
Background and family
Bersant Celina was born on 9 September 1996 in Prizren, Kosovo, then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[10] His parents, Eduar and Mimoza Celina, are of Kosovar Albanian origin and resided in the historic city near the Albanian border.[11] He has an older brother, Behajdin, with whom he shares a close sibling bond shaped by their shared family heritage.[12]The Celina family lived in Prizren during Bersant's early infancy, a period marked by rising ethnic tensions in the region.Specific details about their routine are limited due to Bersant's young age at the time, but the family's deep roots in Kosovar culture influenced his upbringing from the outset.[13]A pivotal event in the family's early life was the escalation of violence leading to the Kosovo War in 1998, when Bersant was just two years old.
The following table details his senior-level performances by season, club, and competition type, including matches played, goals, assists (where recorded), and disciplinary records. These moves were strategically aimed at providing regular playing time in competitive environments, aligning with his tactical profile as an attacking midfielder or winger who could contribute creativity and goal threat from wide positions.[22]Celina's first major loan came on 25 August 2016, when he joined Eredivisie club FC Twente on a season-long deal until 30 June 2017.
It will also be important to know how many yellow cards you have received Celina Bersant or how many reds, because his possible disqualification in subsequent games depends on it.
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During the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C, he played 6 games, helping Kosovo secure promotion to League B after topping their group with wins over Moldova and Azerbaijan.[9] In the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Celina appeared in 7 matches, including draws against Sweden and Georgia, underscoring Kosovo's growing competitiveness.
His performances highlighted his technical ability and directness, earning praise for injecting pace and flair into the attack.[23][24]Upon returning to Manchester City in the summer of 2017, Celina had no further first-team involvement with the club that year, as opportunities remained limited in the senior squad.
He pleaded guilty to the charge, having 57mg of alcohol in his breath—above the legal limit of 35mg—and was subsequently fined £2,625, banned from driving for 12 months, and ordered to pay £255 in costs.[58]Celina has engaged in charitable efforts, drawing from his family's experience fleeing the Kosovo War.
In 2022, while playing for Ipswich Town, he offered an investment apartment he owned in Drammen, Norway, rent-free to Ukrainian refugees displaced by the Russian invasion, stating they could stay "as long as they want" and that his family would assist with relocation through Norwegian authorities.[59]Celina maintains a relatively low public profile on social media, with official fan pages on platforms like Facebook and Instagram sharing updates, though he has personally posted about personal milestones, such as celebrating four years with his girlfriend in 2019.
By November 2025, Celina had earned 36 caps for Kosovo, scoring 1 goal, establishing himself as a regular in the squad.[9]In the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, Celina featured in 8 matches, contributing to Kosovo's surprising third-place finish in Group A behind England and the Czech Republic, with notable performances in a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic and a 4-0 win against Lithuania.
Data excludes youth and reserve team matches.
| Season | Club | Competition | Apps | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Manchester City | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13' |
| 2015–16 | Manchester City | FA Cup | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70' |
| 2016–17 | Twente | Eredivisie | 27 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2,159' |
| 2016–17 | Twente | Eredivisie Play-Offs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90' |
| 2016–17 | Twente | KNVB Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90' |
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Guardiola's influence was immediate and profound; in just a few training sessions, he instructed Celina to simplify his approach to the game, emphasizing fundamental decision-making over complex maneuvers, which surprised the young player with its intensity and focus on basics.[63][64] Celina later described this period as transformative, crediting it with building his tactical awareness and professionalism.A key mentor in Celina's senior career was Graham Potter, who signed him permanently for Swansea City in 2018 for a reported £3 million fee.His contributions were particularly notable in the second half of the season, where his dribbling and crossing helped bolster Ipswich's attacking options during a push for play-off contention, though the team ultimately finished 12th; fans voted him their Player of the Season for his impact.[22][25][26]
Swansea City
Celina joined Swansea City on a permanent transfer from Manchester City in July 2018, signing a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee reported to be around £3 million.[27][28]During the 2018–19 Championship season, his debut campaign with the club, Celina featured in 38 league matches, scoring 6 goals and recording 1 assist, while also contributing 3 goals in 4 FA Cup appearances.[29] A highlight was his stunning long-range strike in the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City on 16 March 2019, which briefly put Swansea 2–0 up in a 2–3 defeat and was later voted the club's Goal of the Season.[30][31]In the 2019–20 Championship season, Celina made 35 appearances, adding 2 goals and 3 assists to his tally as Swansea finished sixth and reached the play-off semi-finals.[29] Overall, across his two full seasons, he accumulated 77 appearances, 10 goals, and 11 assists for the Swans.[29]Celina departed Swansea in September 2020, transferring to Dijon for a fee of €3 million with two years remaining on his contract.[32]Dijon
In September 2020, Bersant Celina transferred from Swansea City to Dijon FCO for a fee reported to be around £3 million, signing a four-year contract until June 2024.[32][33]Celina made an immediate impact in his first season with Dijon during the 2020–21 Ligue 1 campaign, featuring in 32 of the club's 38 league matches primarily as an attacking midfielder.[34] He contributed 5 goals and 2 assists, helping to drive the team's creative play from midfield.[34]Despite Celina's regular involvement and adaptation to the technical and fast-paced nature of French top-flight football, Dijon struggled defensively and offensively throughout the season.[35] The club finished 20th in the Ligue 1 table with just 21 points from 38 games, conceding a league-high 77 goals and earning automatic relegation to Ligue 2.[35]Loans from Dijon
On 31 August 2021, Celina rejoined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan from Dijon, marking his return to the club where he had previously impressed during the 2017–18 campaign.[36] During the 2021–22 League One season, he featured in 32 matches, starting 25, and contributed 6 goals and 2 assists, helping Ipswich secure a playoff spot while showcasing his creativity from the left wing and attacking midfield positions.In his debut full season of 2024, he made 29 league appearances, scoring 5 goals and providing 6 assists, which played a role in AIK finishing third and earning European qualification.[40] By November 2025, across three seasons, he has accumulated 66 Allsvenskan appearances, 10 goals, and 15 assists, establishing himself as a creative force in midfield.[40] In the ongoing 2025 campaign, Celina has featured in 28 matches, contributing 5 goals and 7 assists, highlighting his growing influence on the team's attack.[40]Celina has also been instrumental in AIK's European efforts and domestic cup runs.