Arsenal's divisive warrior — the captain who was stripped of the armband and then redeemed as a Bundesliga champion.
Granit Xhaka was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1992 — his brother Taulant also plays international football for Albania. Arsenal paid £35 million for him in 2016. His seven Arsenal seasons were among the most turbulent of any modern player — stripped of the captaincy in 2019 after cupping his ears at fans booing him off the pitch during a loss, then subsequently restored. He became one of Arsenal's most consistent performers under Mikel Arteta. He left Arsenal to join Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 — part of the team that went unbeaten through the entire Bundesliga season and DFB-Pokal under Xabi Alonso, becoming Bundesliga champions for the first time in the club's history. He represented Switzerland 129 times — the most capped Swiss footballer. His career arc — from controversial Arsenal figure to Bundesliga champion — is one of football's most unlikely individual rehabilitation stories.
Bundesliga (2024 unbeaten)
Career Honours
- Bundesliga (2024 unbeaten)
- DFB-Pokal (2024)
- FA Cup (2020)
- Swiss Cup