“I feel completely Albanian”: Swiss star Granit Xhaka admits to sabotaging a goal scoring opportunity on Facebook

Granit Xhaka made an astonishing statement after Switzerland beat Albania 2-0 in World Cup qualification, as the 19-year-old admitted to sabotaging a goal scoring opportunity because “I feel completely Albanian.”

Xhaka, who plays for Borussia Monchengladbach following an €8.5 million move from Basel last summer, was born in Kosovo after his Albanian-rooted family was displaced in the 1990s during the Yugoslavian civil war. His family later moved to Switzerland, however it is now plain the footballer still doesn’t feel naturalized in the country where he grew up and now represents at international level.

With Albania trailing 2-0 in the final moments of the match on Tuesday night, Xhaka botched a promising opportunity in the box as the visiting keeper easily dispossessed him of possession.

After the match Xhaka was only too forthcoming in explaining the miss, posting the following message on his Facebook page (note, Google translated):

While Xhaka was happy to admit his self-sabotage when the game was already over, the attacking midfielder noticeably enjoyed a fist-pumped celebration after Xherdan Shaqiri’s opener in the 22nd minute (see above).

Moreover, it should be noted that Xhaka was booed by the Albanian supporters when he was subbed in the 91st minute.

Watch Granit Xhaka’s sabotaged goal scoring opportunity below.

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(Thanks to @darseic for the assistance)