Brajan Gruda (born 31 May 2004) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brajan Gruda[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 31 May 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Speyer, Germany[2] | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2015 | FV Speyer | ||
| 2015–2018 | Karlsruher SC | ||
| 2018–2023 | Mainz 05 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Mainz 05 | 30 | (4) |
| 2024– | Brighton & Hove Albion | 10 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Germany U15 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019 | Germany U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022 | Germany U18 | 2 | (2) |
| 2022 | Germany U19 | 7 | (4) |
| 2023– | Germany U21 | 10 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:07, 4 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:18, 22 November 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editMainz 05
editBorn in Speyer, Gruda began his career with local side FV Speyer, before joining Karlsruher SC in 2015.[2] He joined Mainz 05 at the age of 14, and signed his first professional contract with the club in November 2022.[3]
In January 2023, he was promoted to take part in first team training, and made his senior debut on 25 January 2023 in a 2–1 home Bundesliga defeat against Borussia Dortmund.[4] Later that year, on 6 October, he scored his first goal in a 2–2 away draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach.[5]
On 18 May 2024, he scored and assisted in a 3–1 victory against VfL Wolfsburg, confirming Mainz 05's survival in the Bundesliga on the last day of the season.[6]
Brighton & Hove Albion
editOn 14 August 2024, Gruda signed for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on a contract until 2028.[7]
International career
editGruda is of Albanian descent.[8] He has represented Germany at youth international level.[8][9]
In September 2023, he was first called up by Germany U21, and he made his U21 debut in a 3–0 victory against Kosovo, he provided three assists in the match.[10][11]
In May 2024, he trained with the senior national team prior to the UEFA Euro 2024.[12] He departed the training camp on 5 June after a calf injury.[11]
Personal life
editGruda is the son of Albanian former Vllaznia Shkodër player Bujar Gruda.[13] He is also related to fellow footballer Ildi Gruda.[13] His ancestry traces to the Albanian Gruda tribe of Northern Albania.
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 11 January 2025[14]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mainz 05 | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 4 | ||
| Total | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 4 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2024–25 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Career total | 40 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 4 | ||
Honours
editIndividual
- Fritz Walter Medal U19 Silver: 2023[15]
References
edit- ^ "2024/25 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Brajan Gruda". Bundesliga. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "05-TALENT GRUDA ERHÄLT PROFIVERTRAG". Mainz 05 (in German). 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Gruda debuts in professional football with Mainz in the Bundesliga". KOHA.net. 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Borussia Mönchengladbach 2–2 1. FSV Mainz 05". Bundesliga. 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Geile Mannschaft, geile Jungs". 1. FSV Mainz 05 (in German). 18 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Brighton sign midfielder Gruda from Mainz for £25m". BBC Sport. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ a b Brajan Gruda at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Brajan Gruda" (in German). German Football Association.
- ^ "Gruda überzeugt, Mwene & Onisiwo auf EM-Kurs". 1. FSV Mainz 05 (in German). 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Kosovo U21 0:3 (0:0) Deutschland U21". DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "DFB-Überraschung zum Geburtstag! Youngster-Duo bleibt länger". Sky Sport. 29 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Brajan Gruda, "pinjolli" i familjes Gruda grumbullohet me Kombëtaren U15 të Gjermanisë" [Brajan Gruda, the "kid" of the Gruda family, joins the U15 National Team of Germany]. shkoder.info (in Albanian). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ Brajan Gruda at Soccerway
- ^ "Die Preisträger 2023". dfb.de (in German). 8 September 2023.
External links
edit- Brajan Gruda at Soccerway.com
- Brajan Gruda at WorldFootball.net
- Brajan Gruda at BDFutbol
- Brajan Gruda at kicker (in German)
- Brajan Gruda at the German Football Association
- Profile at the 1. FSV Mainz 05 website (in German)
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