The biggest success in the history of the Atalanta club from Bergamo! The leader for the northern Italians in the 3:0 victory in the Europa League final against Leverkusen is the one born in Zurich: Berat Gjimshiti with the captain's armband. His career has been steadily rising to the top.
In the final of the Europa League in Dublin, two players who have made a career in Switzerland are facing each other. From Leverkusen, the captain of the Swiss national team, Granit Xhaka, born in Basel, and on the other side to Atalanta, somewhat less known, Berat Gjimshiti, born in Zuerich, who leads Atalanta on the field with the captain's armband - and then - and then triumphed 3:0, writes "Blick" on Thursday.
Gjimshiti and his teammates are the only ones who have broken Leverkusen this season. With extremely excellent appearance. After 51 games of the edition without defeat, the new German champions leave the field as losers for the first time - in the penultimate game before the cup final against the second division Kaiserslautern. Bitter taste for Xhaka and his teammates, in a nice season.
Departures, loans, exemptions
Berat Gjimshiti, who was born in Zurich, won the first title for the club in 1963, triumphing in the Italian Cup. It was the first trophy in the history of this club.
Gjimshiti was promoted to the Zuerich first team in 2012 and was considered a talented center back with many prospects. But years later, in January 2016, he left the team, when Sami Hyypia was the coach, and his contract was terminated. He was transferred to Atalanta, but after only six months Gjimshiti was loaned to Avellino in Serie B.
The door to the Swiss representative was closed to Gjimshit when he was a player for Zurich, the big Swiss newspaper continues. Gjimshiti then decided to join Albania. But six months after leaving Zuerichu, in the summer of 2016, he was left out of Albania's squad in the last moments before the European Championship in France. "This encouraged me to achieve success", Gjimshiti had said in February for "Blick". And that was clear.
He is not surprised by Atalanta's huge rise
Four years after Gjimshiti was not invited to the European Championship, "Blick" met him in Bergamo before he advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with Atalanta. "Miracle?", people asked themselves at the time. "Maybe for all the fans outside", Gjimshiti had said at that time and laughed. "But for us players, I have never trained harder than I did here."
Even at that time the coach was Gian Piero Gasperini, now 66 years old. He had taken charge of the team since 2016 and led the team to the second and biggest title in the history of the club.
The quick and sure growth of the boy from Zuerichu was certain. He was the captain in the last game of the Europa League, and the trophy was handed to him. And this time, Gjimshiti will not be left out of the European Championship. The experienced central defender is also the captain of Albania.
