Ismajl Beka
Kosovan footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ismajl Beka (born 31 October 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Swiss Super League side Grasshopper. Born in Switzerland, he plays for the Kosovo national team.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 October 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Frauenfeld, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Grasshopper | ||
| Number | 30 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2016 | Wil | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | Wil U21 | 47 | (6) |
| 2018–2020 | Wil | 7 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Rapperswil-Jona | 44 | (5) |
| 2022 | Wil | 6 | (1) |
| 2022–2026 | Luzern | 35 | (1) |
| 2025 | Luzern II | 11 | (0) |
| 2026– | Grasshopper | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | Kosovo U19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2023– | Kosovo | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:30, 23 December 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12 September 2023 | |||
Club career
Rapperswil-Jona
On 10 February 2020, Beka signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Swiss Promotion League club Rapperswil-Jona.[2] After the transfer, his debut and the league was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic. His debut with Rapperswil-Jona came on 6 August in the 2019–20 Swiss Cup quarter-final against Sion after being named in the starting line-up.[3] His league debut with Rapperswil-Jona came nine days later in a 1–1 away draw against Bellinzona after being named in the starting line-up.[4] Four days after league debut, he scored his first goal for Rapperswil-Jona in his third appearance for the club in a 2–1 home win over Breitenrain Bern in Swiss Promotion League.[5]
Return to Wil
On 10 June 2022, Beka signed a two-year contract with Swiss Challenge League club Wil.[6] His debut with Wil came on 17 July in a 2–0 home win against Neuchâtel Xamax after being named in the starting line-up.[7] Fourteen days after debut, he scored his first goal for Wil in his third appearance for the club in a 2–0 home win over Vaduz in Swiss Challenge League.[8]
Luzern
On 31 August 2022, Beka signed a three-year contract with Swiss Super League club Luzern and received squad number 30.[9] His debut with Luzern came four days later in a 0–2 home defeat against Servette after coming on as a substitute at 69th minute in place of Leny Meyer.[10] He made two further appearances from the bench in 2022.[1] For the second half of the season he became a fixed starter in Luzern's defense, missing just one game due to yellow card accumulation. His upward trajectory was abruptly cut short on 8 October 2023, when he was substituted due to injury after 55 minutes in a league match against Lausanne-Sport.[11] The club later confirmed that he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and would miss the remainder of the season.[12] Despite the injury, his contract was renewed on 15 December 2023 until summer 2026.[13]
He returned to Luzern's matchday squad more than a year later in December 2024, but remained an unused substitute.[1] His return to was delayed further on 31 January 2025, when he suffered a metatarsal bone fracture in training, sidelining him for at least a further two months.[14] He finally made his return in the final games of the 2024–25 season, making three appearances.[1]
Grasshopper
On 23 December 2025, Grasshopper announced that they had signed Beka as of 1 January 2026 for an undisclosed fee.[15] He was nominated to the starting lineup in the first league match after the winter break. Unfortunately, his debut for the Swiss record champions ended with him being sent off following a high-boot challenge in the 90th minute of a 1–3 home loss to FC Thun.[16][17]
International career
Youth
On 1 October 2017, Beka was named as part of the Kosovo U19 squad for 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifications.[18] His debut came two days later in a 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification match against Austria U19 after being named in the starting line-up.[19]
On 4 October 2018, Beka received a call-up from Kosovo U21 for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Israel U21,[20] he was an unused substitute in that match.
Senior
In August 2023, Beka received his first call-up to the Kosovo senior national team by head coach Primož Gliha, for two UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Switzerland and Romania.[21][22]
