Besfort Zeneli
Swedish footballer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Besfort Zeneli (born 21 November 2002) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Union Saint-Gilloise and the Sweden national team.
|
Zeneli with Union Saint-Gilloise in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 November 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Säter, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Union Saint-Gilloise | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2021 | IF Elfsborg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2025 | IF Elfsborg | 68 | (4) |
| 2026– | Union Saint-Gilloise | 15 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023 | Kosovo U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2025– | Sweden | 8 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:30, 24 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:26, 5 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
IF Elfsborg
On 6 January 2022, Zeneli signed his first professional contract with Allsvenskan side IF Elfsborg after agreeing to a two-year deal.[2] On 21 July 2022, he was named as an IF Elfsborg substitute for the first time in a 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round against Molde.[3] His debut with IF Elfsborg came seven days later in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round again against Molde after coming on as a substitute at 73rd minute in place of Michael Baidoo.[4] On 11 September 2022, Zeneli made his league debut in a 2–0 away win against GIF Sundsvall after coming on as a substitute at last minutes again in place of Michael Baidoo.[5]
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
On 13 January 2026 Zeneli joined Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.[6]
International career
Kosovo
Zeneli was eligible to represent two countries on international level, either Sweden or Kosovo. On 18 October 2021, Zeneli declared through an interview for Koha Ditore that he is waiting for a call-up from Football Federation of Kosovo to represent Kosovo at the under-21 level and that he had refused to represent Sweden at the youth level even though he had the opportunity to choose.[7] On 15 September 2022, Zeneli received a call-up from Kosovo U21 for a training camp held in Antalya, Turkey and for the hybrid friendly match against Greenland.[8]
On 18 March 2023, Zeneli received again a call-up from Kosovo U21 for the friendly matches against Moldova and Turkey.[9] His official debut with Kosovo U21 came six days later in the friendly match against Moldova after coming on as a substitute in place of Veton Tusha.
Sweden
On 9 September 2024, Zeneli declined a call-up to Kosovo U21 and announced him deciding to represent Sweden on an international level instead,[10] due to the alleged mistreatment of him and his brother by the Football Federation of Kosovo.[11]
On 24 February 2025, Zeneli's request to switch allegiance to Sweden was accepted by FIFA.[12] On 12 March 2025, he accepted a call-up to the senior team for the friendly matches against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland.[13] He made his full international debut on 22 March 2025, playing for 45 minutes in a friendly 1–0 loss against Luxembourg before being replaced by Yasin Ayari.[14]
On 12 May 2026, Zeneli was named in the Sweden squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[15]
Personal life
Born and raised in Sweden, Zeneli is of Kosovo Albanian origin from Selac, a village near Mitrovica.[16] He is the younger brother of Kosovo international Arbër Zeneli.[17]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 24 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| IF Elfsborg | 2022 | Allsvenskan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Allsvenskan | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| 2024 | Allsvenskan | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 13[c] | 0 | — | 41 | 1 | ||
| 2025 | Allsvenskan | 27 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| Total | 68 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 0 | — | 93 | 4 | |||
| Union Saint-Gilloise | 2025–26 | Belgian Pro League | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 3 | |
| Career total | 83 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 7 | ||
- Includes Svenska Cupen, Belgian Cup
- Appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 4 June 2026[18]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2025 | 5 | 0 |
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
Honours
Union SG
