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Miralem SulejmaniSerbian footballer, striker and attacking midfielder for Ajax Amsterdam
Date of Birth: 05.12.1988
Country:  Serbia |
Content:
- Biography of Miralem Sulejmani
- Transfer Controversy
- Heerenveen and Ajax
- Success at Heerenveen
- Career at Ajax
- Achievements
Biography of Miralem Sulejmani
Early CareerMiralem Sulejmani, a Serbian football player of Gorani descent, began his career in the youth team of the club "Batajnica", based in the suburbs of Belgrade. He then moved on to the youth team of Belgrade's "Partizan". His debut in the Serbian and Montenegrin championship took place in the 2005/2006 season, where he played only 2 matches. However, this was enough to attract the attention of European clubs, particularly Dutch clubs such as AZ, Groningen, and Heerenveen.
Transfer Controversy
On December 6, 2006, one day after his 18th birthday, it was announced that Heerenveen had signed the young Serbian forward Miralem Sulejmani, and he was expected to join the club in January 2007. However, his transfer to Heerenveen caused controversy as the club and Sulejmani's football agent could not agree on the financial compensation for his training at the Partizan youth academy. This led Partizan's management to appeal to the Serbian Football Association to intervene in the transfer conflict and prohibit any potential deals until May 11, 2007. Heerenveen appealed to FIFA, and although the initial decision was in favor of Heerenveen, FIFA imposed a transfer ban on Sulejmani until May 11, 2007, the date when his contract with Partizan would expire.
Heerenveen and Ajax
After finally joining Heerenveen, Sulejmani made his debut for the youth team on May 17, 2007, in a match against Heracles, which Heerenveen won 3-0, with Sulejmani providing an assist. In the 2007/2008 Dutch championship, Sulejmani made his debut for the first team on August 17, 2007, in a match against Willem II, which ended in a 0-0 draw. In his second match for Heerenveen, Sulejmani scored a goal against Ajax, although the match ended in a 4-1 loss for Heerenveen.
Success at Heerenveen
In the first half of the season, Sulejmani proved to be an excellent replacement for the departed forward Afonso Alves. He scored 4 goals and provided 5 assists. In total, Sulejmani scored 15 goals in 34 matches during the season. He was named the "Best Young Player of the Dutch Championship" for the season. Sulejmani received numerous offers from clubs such as Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV, and even Chelsea. After a week of rumors about his transfer, Sulejmani officially joined Ajax on July 4, 2008, for €16.25 million, breaking the previous record for the highest transfer fee in Dutch football held by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Career at Ajax
At Ajax, Sulejmani signed a 5-year contract, which expires on June 30, 2013. He made his debut for Ajax in a friendly match against Sunderland on August 3, 2008. Sulejmani also represented Serbia in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship held in Austria, where his team failed to advance from the group stage. In the senior national team of Serbia, Sulejmani has played six matches.
