Leon Avdullahu (born 23 February 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for German Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim. Born in Switzerland, he represented that nation at youth international levels but in 2025 switched to play for Kosovo national team.[1]
Born in Solothurn, Avdullahu started his youth football with local club FC Gerlafingen and then moved to Solothurn in 2013. In the summer of 2018, he moved to Basel's youth department and in 2022 he advanced to their U-21 team, but remained part of the U-18 team that celebrated winning the Swiss championship at the end of June 2023. In July 2023 he signed his first professional contract and advanced to their first team for their 2023–24 season.[2]
After playing in three test games Avdullahu played his domestic league debut for the club in the home game in the St. Jakob-Park on 13 August 2023 as Basel were defeated 2–1 by Lausanne-Sport.[3] In the 2023–24 Swiss Cup second round match, on 16 September, Avdullahu scored his first goal for the team as Basel went on to win 8–0 against amateur club FC Bosporus in Bern.[4]
As Fabio Celestini became FCB head-coach, Avdullahu became a regular starter. He scored his first league goal for the team on 30 March 2024 in the home game in the St. Jakob-Park as Basel played a 2–2 draw with Zürich.[5] At the end of the 2024–25 Swiss Super League season he became Swiss champion and Cup winner with them. On 12 June FC Basel 1893 announced that their former youth player Avdullahu was moving to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga.[6] During his two seasons with FCB's first team, Avdullahu played a total of 71 games for them scoring a total of three goals. 63 of these games were in the Swiss Super League and 8 in the Swiss Cup. He scored two goals in the domestic league and the other in the cup.[7]
On 12 June 2025, German Bundesliga side TSG 1899 Hoffenheim announced the signing of Avdullahu on a long-term contract.[8]
Born and raised in Switzerland, Avdullahu is of Kosovo Albanian origin from Kamenica.[9] From 2019, until 2025, he has been part of Switzerland at youth international level, respectively has been part of the U15, U16, U18, U19 and U21 teams and he with these teams played 22 matches and scored one goal.
On 22 June 2025, Avdullahu met with the president of the Football Federation of Kosovo, Agim Ademi, which was seen as a possible indication of his interest in representing Kosovo at the international level.[10] Following the meeting, reports emerged that he might switch his allegiance to Albania and that he had received a call-up for the September matches;[11] however, the authenticity of the reported invitation was later disputed.[12]
On 25 August 2025, Avdullahu decided to represent Kosovo at the international level, a decision confirmed through a Facebook post by the president of the Football Federation of Kosovo, Agim Ademi.[1] Four days later, he accepted their call-up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Switzerland and Sweden.[13] On 2 September 2025, Avdullahu's request to switch international allegiance to Kosovo was approved by FIFA.[14] His debut with Kosovo came three days later in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Switzerland after being named in the starting line-up.[15]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Basel U21 | 2021–22 | Swiss Promotion League | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Swiss Promotion League | 25 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Swiss Promotion League | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 35 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 0 | |||||
| Basel | 2023–24 | Swiss Super League | 28 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | |
| 2024–25 | Swiss Super League | 35 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 1 | |||
| Total | 63 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 71 | 3 | |||
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 104 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 3 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosovo | |||
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
Basel
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