3) Granit plays for Switzerland but his brother plays for Albania
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Xhaka’s parents are originally from Kosovo, but they moved to Basel, Switzerland where Granit was born. Football runs in the family and his elder brother Taulant Xhaka, one-and-a-half years older than him, is a defender.
Both players started their youth career at FC Concordia Basel before moving to FC Basel in 2002. They have played for various youth teams and broke into the senior team two years apart. While Taulant still plays at Basel, Granit moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012 for a reported fee of €8.5m.
Although both players played for Switzerland at the youth level, Taulant chose to represent Albania on the international stage and made his debut in 2014. However, Granit chose to play for Switzerland and the two brothers now play for different teams.
What’s more, they will come face-to-face in France at Euro 2016. The summer tournament sees Albania and Switzerland in Group A alongside hosts france and Romania and the two brothers will be in different kits when they face off in Lens.
