| Elvis Rexhbeçaj | |
| Full Name: | Elvis Rexhbeçaj[1] |
| Birth Date: | 1997 11, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Gjonaj, FR Yugoslavia[2] |
| Height: | 1.82 m[3] |
| Position: | Defensive midfielder |
| Currentclub: | FC Augsburg |
| Clubnumber: | 8 |
| Youthyears1: | –2010 |
| Youthclubs1: | Brandenburger SC Süd |
| Youthyears2: | 2010–2016 |
| Youthclubs2: | VfL Wolfsburg |
| Years1: | 2016–2019 |
| Clubs1: | VfL Wolfsburg II |
| Caps1: | 47 |
| Goals1: | 12 |
| Years2: | 2017–2022 |
| Clubs2: | VfL Wolfsburg |
| Caps2: | 28 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Years3: | 2020–2021 |
| Clubs3: | → 1. FC Köln (loan) |
| Caps3: | 43 |
| Goals3: | 5 |
| Years4: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs4: | → VfL Bochum (loan) |
| Caps4: | 32 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2022– |
| Clubs5: | FC Augsburg |
| Caps5: | 59 |
| Goals5: | 3 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam1: | Kosovo |
| Nationalcaps1: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 30 November 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 21 October 2024 |
Elvis Rexhbeçaj (born 1 November 1997) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for German club Augsburg and the Kosovo national team.
On 20 August 2017, Rexhbeçaj signed a professional contract with Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg.[2] [1] On 28 January 2018, he made his debut in a 1–0 away win against Hannover 96 after coming on as a substitute at 84th minute in place of Daniel Didavi.[4] [5]
In January 2020, it was announced that Rexhbeçaj would be loaned to 1. FC Köln until June 2021. The move included an option to remain permanently at the club.[6]
On 2 August 2021 Rexhbeçaj was loaned to VfL Bochum for the 2021–22 season.[7]
On 27 July 2022, Rexhbeçaj signed a four-year contract with FC Augsburg.[8]
Rexhbeçaj was born in the village of Gjonaj and raised in Spremberg and Brandenburg an der Havel by Kosovo Albanian parents who fled Kosovo during the Kosovo War.[9] In February 2021, he confirmed his desire to represent Germany and stated that he was contacted by Stefan Kuntz as a candidate for the Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[10] A month later, there were reports that Rexhbeçaj would switch his allegiance to Albania.[11]
On 13 July 2024, the Football Federation of Kosovo announced that Rexhbeçaj had decided to play for the Kosovo national team, and the delay in his decision was due to the restrictions of the old German nationality law, which did not allow dual citizenship.[12] On 30 August 2024, he received a call-up from Kosovo for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Romania and Cyprus.[13] His debut with Kosovo came seven days later in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League match against Romania after being named in the starting line-up.[14]
| Club | Season | League | DFB Pokal | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg II | 2016–17 | Regionalliga Nord | 17 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | Regionalliga Nord | 24 | 9 | — | — | 24 | 9 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Regionalliga Nord | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Regionalliga Nord | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 47 | 12 | — | — | 47 | 12 | |||||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | |||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 28 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |||
| 1. FC Köln (loan) | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 30 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 33 | 7 | |||
| Total | 43 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 46 | 7 | ||||
| VfL Bochum (loan) | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| FC Augsburg | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| Total | 59 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | 64 | 4 | ||||
| Career total | 209 | 22 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 225 | 25 | |||