Osmani and Kaçuri Happy to Be with Kosovo

Until Monday, Erblin Osmani and Dion Kaçuri had “only” family ties to Kosovo. Now they are also connected to Kosovo by the “Dardanian” jersey.

The two talented players joined Kosovo for the first time on Monday.

But who are the two young players, and what do they say about Kosovo?

Before joining Kosovo, 17-year-old Bayern talent Osmani scored one goal in seven matches for Germany U16, while in January he made two appearances for Germany U17. 

“I have always wanted to play for Kosovo,” Osmani told the FFK, immediately after exiting Pristina International Airport “Adem Jashari”.

“I am very proud that I can play for Kosovo. I am proud to have the opportunity to play for this country.”
Osmani says Kosovo has the potential to achieve success internationally.

“I hope we can go as far as possible with Kosovo. Kosovo has a lot of potential to achieve a great deal,” said the midfielder, who was born in Germany on May 19, 2009.

Osmani is considered a great talent and has already made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern, against Union Berlin on March 21 this year.

Most recently, he played for Bayern’s second team for the first time. He has been part of Bayern’s Academy since 2017.

“I thank Franco Foda and Agim Ademi and all of Kosovo’s staff for the invitation and for welcoming me so warmly. Of course, I also thank Bayern for bringing me this far, and I hope to achieve a lot with Kosovo,” said Osmani. 

The decision by Bayern talent Osmani to represent Kosovo has been described as a major loss for Germany.

Dion Kaçuri’s switch from Switzerland to Kosovo also did not go unnoticed.

Swiss media wrote that “Switzerland has lost a talent of the future.”

The 22-year-old midfielder has played for Switzerland’s youth teams. Kaçuri has made eight appearances and scored one goal for Switzerland’s U21 team. He has not been mentioned as a candidate for the senior Swiss national team. 

“I am very happy that I will play for Kosovo. I try to give my best every day, and it was a very easy decision,” said Kaçuri.

He is currently at Austria Lustenau on loan from Basel.

He has played 22 matches for Basel’s first team. He has also played 31 matches for Grasshopper and 17 for Yverdon. 

“It was easy, because my parents were born here and grew up here. My family is here, and once or twice a year I come to Kosovo on holiday, so it was a decision from the heart and an easy decision for me,” Kaçuri said.

Milot Avdyli has also been called up to Kosovo A for the first time. He was previously an important part of Kosovo U21. 

“Having played at all age levels and been captain of the U21 team, I was very pleased to receive the call-up, and my dream has come true,” Avdyli said.

The 24-year-old has been rewarded for his good performances at Celje in Slovenia.