Elizabeta Ejupi

Elizabeta "Liz" Ejupi (born 21 April 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Sunderland. She has previously played for Charlton Athletic (two spells), Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Aston Villa, London City Lionesses, and Durham.

Elizabeta Ejupi
Ejupi in action with Durham in 2022
Personal information
Full name Elizabeta Ejupi
Date of birth (1994-04-21) 21 April 1994
Place of birth Pristina, FR Yugoslavia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Sunderland
Number 37
Youth career
2005–2010 Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Charlton Athletic 8 (0)
2013–2016 Nottingham Forest 29 (5)
2016–2017 Notts County 3 (0)
2017–2018 Aston Villa 15 (0)
2018–2019 Charlton Athletic 18 (13)
2019–2021 London City Lionesses 29 (7)
2021–2022 Durham 13 (2)
2023– Sunderland 8 (3)
International career‡
2009 England U15 1 (0)
2011–2012 Albania 3 (0)
2022– Kosovo 4 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:55, 16 April 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 February 2023

Born in Kosovo and raised in England, she represented England as a youth and Albania at full international level while still a teenager, with an intended switch to the Kosovo national team in 2021 delayed due to documentation issues.

Club career

London City Lionesses

On 18 August 2019, FA Championship club London City Lionesses published the squad list for the 2019–20 season and Ejupi was included.[1] That same day, she made her debut in a 2–0 away win against London Bees after being named in the starting line-up.[2]

Durham

On 23 July 2021, Ejupi signed a one-season contract with FA Championship club Durham.[3] On 29 August 2021, she made her debut in a 2–1 home win against Watford after being named in the starting line-up.[4]

Sunderland

In January 2023, Ejupi left Durham and joined Sunderland.[5]

International career

England U15 and Albania

In 2009, Ejupi became part of England U15 with which she made her debut in a match against Germany U15. On 5 November 2011, she received her first senior international call-up from Albania for the friendly match against Macedonia,[6] and made her debut in the nation's second ever international match after being named in the starting line-up.[7]

Kosovo

On 11 June 2021, Ejupi received a call-up from Kosovo for a four-day training camp in Hajvalia.[8] She was planned to be called up from Kosovo in September 2021 for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification matches against Albania and Norway, but due to problems with documentation, namely the lack of passport, could not be part of the national team.[9] Her debut with Kosovo came on 12 April 2022 in a 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification match against Belgium after coming on as a 46th minute substitute in place of Argnesa Rexhepi.[10]

Personal life

Ejupi at the age of three together with her parents and brother due to the Kosovo War was displaced as a refugee in London.[11]

See also

References
  1. London City Lionesses [@LC_Lionesses] (18 August 2019). "The Pride. #LondonCityLionesses" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. "London Bees 0–2 London City Lionesses". Women's Leagues and Competitions – The FA. 18 August 2019.
  3. "SIGNING: Liz Ejupi Joins Durham". Durham W.F.C. 23 July 2021.
  4. "REPORT: Durham 2–1 Watford". Durham W.F.C. 29 August 2021.
  5. Frith, Wilf (7 January 2023). "Sunderland Women sign Liz Ejupi from Durham". She Kicks.
  6. "Albania Call-Up For Liz". Charlton Athletic. 5 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019.
  7. "Winning International debut for Liz". Charlton Athletic. 10 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019.
  8. "Kombëtarja e femrave në kamp përgatitor" [Women's national team in the training camp] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 11 June 2021.
  9. "Kosova nis kualifikimet për Botëror me ndeshjen emocionale ndaj Shqipërisë" [Kosovo starts the World Cup qualifiers with the emotional match against Albania] (in Albanian). Koha Ditore. 10 September 2021.
  10. "Kosovo vs. Belgium 1–6". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  11. Katie Whyatt (13 October 2018). "'There were massacres, killings – we left to survive': Refugee Elizabeta Ejupi on fleeing Kosovo and new life in England". The Telegraph.
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