Vedat Muriqi was born in Prizren in Kosovo, on April 24, 1994. At the time it was a Yugoslavian province with a majority Albanian population. Muriqi is Kosovarian but has Albanian and Turkish citizenship.
His first club was local Liria in the Superliga Kosovës. He joined when he was nine and made his first team debut in 2011. He played 10 league games and scored 3 goals for his hometown club.
In January 2013 he moved to Albania and joined Teuta, from Durazzo. He stayed one year with the "Djemtë e detit" (Boys of the sea) and played 23 games with 3 goals.
In January 2014 he stayed in Albania but joined Besa Kavajë. He played 13 games and scored 3 goals.
In the summer of 2014, he started his Turkish adventure. He joined Giresunspor in the 1 Lig (2nd tier). He stayed with the Black Sea club for two seasons, playing a total of 69 games with 23 goals.
In 2016 he moved up to the Süperlig and joined Gençlerbirliği in Ankara. He stayed one full season and the "Ankara Rüzgāri" (Wind of Ankara) finished 8th. He played 40 games (33 in league) with 6 goals (3 in league). The following year he stayed on but then left in January after playing 15 games (13 in league) with 4 goals (2 in league). Gençlerbirliği were eventually relegated in 17th place.
In January 2018 he joined Çaykur Rizespor in the second tier. The team from Rize, on the Black Sea towards the border with Georgia, won promotion. Muriqi played 16 league games with 8 goals for the Karadeniz Atmacasi (The Black Sea Sparrowhawks).
The next season he stayed on and did even better, scoring 17 goals in 34 league games. The Blue and Greens finished 11th.
In 2019 he moved to Istanbul and joined Fenerbahçe. He did well for the "Sari Kanaryalar” (Yellow Canaries), scoring 15 goals in 32 league games and 2 goals in 4 domestic cup games. Fener however had a poor season finishing 7th, under Ersun Yanal.
In 2020 he made a surprise move to Lazio who were looking for a backup for star striker Ciro Immobile. Even more surprising was the amount paid for him (20 million Euros) by Claudio Lotito, not known for his big spending. The manager was Simone Inzaghi and Lazio had a decent season finishing 6th but not reaching the levels of the previous year. Muriqi had his chances, playing 27 league games with 1 goal (Atalanta), 2 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Atalanta again) and 5 games in the Champions League. He was a disappointment however with few goals and generally poor performances.
He stayed on the following season probably more due to the investment made than in recognition of his sporting abilities. The new manager was Maurizio Sarri with a completely new style of play. Muriqi played 11 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 3 in the Europa League before leaving in January. Lazio had the chance to get back some of the money spent on him and loaned him to Mallorca in La Liga with the option to buy him in the summer.
In Spain he did better. The manager was first Luis Garcia and then, from March, Mexican Javier Aguirre and Muriqi played 16 league games with 5 goals (Cadiz, Betis, Atlético Madrid, Alavés, Rayo Vallecano) plus 1 game in the Copa del Rey. The "Piratas", the same nickname as Muriqi himself, finished 9th. Fortunately, for Lazio, the islanders then decided to sign him permanently.
In the 2022-23 season he therefore stayed on the Balearic island with the "Bermellones" (The Ruby Reds/Vermillions) and totalled 37 appearances with 16 goals.
In 2023 Muriqi has played 33 games and scored 7 goals. In the autumn he suffered an injury and was out of action for two months but he returned in mid-January.
At international level he has won 58 caps for Kosovo and is their leading goal scorer with 28 goals. He even scored 4 goals in one game in a friendly against San Marino and has been captain three times. In 2013-14 he also played 7 games for Albania U21's with 1 goal.
Muriqi is a centre-forward. He is 1.94 and 92 kilos, so a physical player. He is left-footed and reasonably technical despite his height. His main asset predictably is his heading skills and he is also a reliable penalty taker.
Lazio saw almost nothing of his talent. He was basically a failure in Rome. He only scored two goals but also contributed very little to the team game. Even in the air he seemed to have difficulty and had no elasticity in his jump off the ground. In his defence, Lazio’s play did not cater to his characteristics, with few crosses or high balls but one expected a lot more from him in Rome, especially after what Lotito paid for him.
Recently interviewed by the Gazzetta dell Sport, Muriqi explained:"I knew that Immobile was there with his Golden Shoe, plus Correa and Caicedo, but I thought that by spending all that money they would bet on me. And I wasn't wrong. Simone Inzaghi made me play whenever he could, but I didn't perform. No excuses, no-one else's responsibility, just my fault. In football it happens, and when it happens, you have to make room for someone else. I had a thigh problem, and my pregnant wife remained in Turkey, I felt alone and settling in was complicated. I did not fee, on and off the pitch".
In Spain he is proving to be a decent player and there is no way he can really be as bad as he was with Lazio.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League |
2020-21 | 34 (2) | 27 (1) | 2 (1) | 5 | - |
2021-22 | 15 | 11 | 1 | - | 3 |
Total | 49 (2) | 38 (1) | 3 (1) | 5 | 3 |
Sources
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