Armando Broja

Albanian footballer (born 2001)

Armando Broja
Broja with Chelsea in 2019
Personal information
Full name Armando Broja[1]
Date of birth (2001-09-10) 10 September 2001 (age 22)
Place of birth Slough, England
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2][3]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Fulham (on loan from Chelsea)
Number 9
Youth career
0000–2007 Burnham Juniors
2007–2009 Tottenham Hotspur
2009–2020 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Chelsea 26 (2)
2020–2021 → Vitesse (loan) 30 (10)
2021–2022 → Southampton (loan) 32 (6)
2024– → Fulham (loan) 6 (0)
International career‡
2019 Albania U19 6 (2)
2019–2021 Albania U21 6 (4)
2020– Albania 19 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:26, 14 April 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:02, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Armando Broja (Albanian pronunciation: [bɾɔja]; born 10 September 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Fulham, on loan from Chelsea. Born in England, he plays for the Albania national team.

Club career

Early career

Broja was born in Slough, England to Albanian parents from Koplik, Malësi e Madhe District.[4][5][6] He began his football career with Burnham Juniors,[7] then had trials with Reading and Fulham, before signing with Tottenham Hotspur and joining their under-8 selection.[7]

Chelsea

After a two-year stint at Tottenham, Broja transferred to Chelsea and joined their academy in 2009.[8] With the under-18 side, he won the domestic treble of U18 Premier League, U18 Premier League Cup and FA Youth Cup in 2017–18.[9] He also won the Premier League 2 with the under-23s in 2019–20, scoring three goals in ten appearances.[10]

On 26 February 2020, Broja signed his first professional contract with the club after agreeing to a two-year deal.[11] On 8 March, he made his professional debut in a 4–0 Premier League win against Everton after coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute in place of Olivier Giroud.[12]

2020–21 season: Loan at Vitesse

On 21 August 2020, Broja signed for Vitesse on a season-long loan.[13] On 19 September, he scored his first ever league goal in a 2–0 win over Sparta Rotterdam.[14] Broja finished his loan spell at Vitesse as their joint-top scorer in the Eredivisie for the 2020–21 season, netting ten goals.[15]

2021–22 season: Loan at Southampton

On 18 July 2021, Broja signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea.[16] On 10 August 2021, he was loaned to fellow Premier League club Southampton for the 2021–22 season.[17] On his debut on 25 August, he scored two goals in an 8–0 win over League Two side Newport County in the second round of the EFL Cup.[18] On 16 October, Broja scored his first league goal for The Saints in a 1–0 win against Leeds United,[19] and became the first Albanian player to score in the Premier League.[20]

2022–23 season

On 2 September 2022, Broja signed a new long-term contract with Chelsea until 2028.[21] He scored his first goal for the club on 8 October 2022 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, helping Chelsea seal a 3–0 win.[22]

He was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in a friendly game against Aston Villa during the international break for the 2022 World Cup.[23]

2023–24 season: Loan at Fulham

After scoring two goals in 19 games across all competitions for Chelsea in the first half of the season, Broja was sent on loan to fellow Premier League side Fulham on 1 February 2024, signing a contract until the end of the season.[24] He made his debut on 3 February, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute for Rodrigo Muniz in a 2–2 away draw to Burnley in the Premier League.[25]

International career

Broja was eligible to play for England through his place of birth, and for Albania through his Albanian parents. In early 2019, he declined an invitation by the England under-21 team as his desire was to play only for Albania.[4]

Under-19

Broja received his first international call-up from the Albania under-19 team by coach Nevil Dede for the first gathering of 2019 in February.[26] He was then called up for a double friendly against North Macedonia the following month. Broja made his international debut in the first game played on 24 March, when he started the match and scored in the 60th minute for the final score of 1–1.[27] He started again in the second game two days later, putting his side 1–0 up in the 10th minute, but North Macedonia overturned the score and won 2–1.[28] In May 2019, he received a call-up for another double friendlies against Kosovo.[29] Broja was named in the starting line-up in the first match, and also scored his side's third goal in a 3–1 away win.[30] Two days later, Albania won 4–1 over Kosovo with Broja scoring twice.[31]

In November, Broja was invited to participate in the 2020 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification Group 4 where his side were shorted to play against Greece, Belgium and Iceland.[32] He played the full 90 minutes in the first match versus Greece where his side were beaten 5–1, and against Belgium where he managed to score a consolation goal in the second half as Albania lost 2–1.[33] In the third game against Iceland, he started the match and helped his side to score two goals in the first half, but received a red card in the 65th minute as Iceland eventually overturned the game and won 4–2.[9][34]

Under-21

On 9 June 2019, Broja made his debut with the Albanian under-21 side in the friendly match against Wales after coming on as a substitute in the 46th minute in place of Din Sula, and scored his side's two goals during a 2–1 home win.[35]

Senior

In May 2019, Broja received a call-up from Albania for a training camp in Durrës, Albania from 21 to 26 May 2019.[36]

On 7 September 2020 he made his debut in a 1–0 home loss against Lithuania.[37] On 5 September 2021, Broja scored his first senior goal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, helping his team to a 1–0 victory.[38]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 14 April 2024[9]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelsea U23 2019–20 — — — — 3[c] 0 3 0
Chelsea 2019–20 Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2022–23[39] Premier League 12 1 0 0 1 0 5[d] 0 — 18 1
2023–24[40] Premier League 13 1 2 1 4 0 — — 19 2
Total 26 2 2 1 5 0 5 0 — 38 3
Vitesse (loan) 2020–21 Eredivisie 30 10 4 1 — — — 34 11
Southampton (loan) 2021–22[41] Premier League 32 6 4 1 2 2 — — 38 9
Fulham (loan) 2023–24[40] Premier League 6 0 — — — — 6 0
Career total 94 18 10 3 7 2 5 0 3 0 119 23
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 25 March 2024[3]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Albania 2020 3 0
2021 7 3
2022 7 1
2024 2 0
Total 19 4
Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Broja goal.
List of international goals scored by Armando Broja
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 5 September 2021 Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania 7  Hungary 1–0 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 8 September 2021 Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania 8  San Marino 3–0 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 9 October 2021 Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary 9  Hungary 1–0 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 10 June 2022 Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania 13  Israel 1–0 1–2 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B

References

  1. ^ "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Armando Broja". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Armando Broja". National Football Teams. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Heroi nga Kopliku, kush është Armando Broja? 20-vjeçari i lindur në Londër që refuzoi të luante për Anglinë". Shqiptarja.com (in Albanian). 10 October 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Lojtari me origjinë nga Malësia e Madhe, Armando Broja edhe tre gola të tjerë për Chelsea" [The player with origin from Malësia e Madhe, Armando Broja also three more goals for Chelsea]. Shkodra Sport (in Albanian). 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  6. ^ Sheldon, Dan (19 February 2022). "Armando Broja: from a three-touch sensation in Slough to Albania superstar". theathletic.com. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Teenage Kicks: Armando Broja". Chelsea F.C. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. ^ Young, Alex (27 March 2021). "Armando Broja: Chelsea's Albanian wonderkid looking to punish England". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Armando Broja at Soccerway. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Armando Broja » Premier League 2 Div. 1 2019/2020". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Signed | Armando Broja agrees first professional Chelsea contract!". Chelsea F.C. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Match report: Chelsea 4 Everton 0". Chelsea F.C. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020. Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta (c), Rudiger, Zouma, Alonso; Barkley, Gilmour, Mount (James 60); Willian (Anjorin 71), Giroud (Broja 86), Pedro
  13. ^ "Broja komend seizoen Vitessenaar (Video)" (in Dutch). SBV Vitesse. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Vitesse wint Airborne-duel vs Sparta Rotterdam" (in Dutch). SBV Vitesse. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  15. ^ "2020–2021 Vitesse Stats". fbref.com. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  16. ^ "New deal for Broja". Chelsea F.C. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Armando Broja: Southampton sign Chelsea teenager on season-long loan". BBC Sport. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  18. ^ Pearlman, Michael (25 August 2021). "Newport County 0–8 Southampton: Saints claim record win as they crush Exiles in EFL Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Southampton 1–0 Leeds". BBC Sport. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Armando Broja bëhet shqiptari i parë që shënon në Ligën Premier, faqja zyrtare e ligës vjen me një postim për sulmuesin" [Armando Broja becomes the first Albanian to score in the Premier League]. Telegrafi (in Albanian). 16 October 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  21. ^ "New deal for Broja". Chelsea F.C. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Armando Broja » Premier League 2022/2023". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Armando Broja: Chelsea striker suffers knee injury during friendly v Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Armando Broja transfer news: Fulham sign Chelsea striker on loan". BBC Sport. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Burnley 2-2 Fulham: David Datro Fofana scores twice on home debut as Clarets fight back to draw". BBC Sport. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  26. ^ "U-19/Shqipëria U-19, flasin talentet kuqezi: "Ëndërr të luajmë për Shqipërinë"" [U-19/Albania U-19, red and black talents speking: "It's a dream to play for Albania"] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  27. ^ "Talenti i Chelsea gjen golin, Maqedonia e Veriut ndal hovin kuqezi" [Chelsea;s talent finds the goal, North Macedonia stops the red and black's hop] (in Albanian). Ora News. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  28. ^ "U19 / Shqipëria mundet nga Maqedonia e Veriut" [Albania defeated by North Macedonia] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  29. ^ "U-19/Shqipëria luan dy miqësore me Kosovën, ja lojtarët e grumbulluar" [U-19/Albania plays two friendlies with Kosovo, here are the players that gathered] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  30. ^ "U-19/Shqipëria fiton ndaj Kosovës" [U-19/Albania wins over Kosovo] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020. Në pjesën e dytë skuadra e Dedes ka dominuar mbi kundërshtarin duke arritur të shënojë dy herë, me anë të Muçit përsëri në minutën e 69-të dhe Armando Brojas në minutën e 80-të. Goli i sulmuesit të Chelsea vulosi dhe rezultatin 3–1 që nuk ndryshoi deri në fund
  31. ^ "U-19/Shqipëria fiton dhe miqësoren e dytë ndaj Kosovës" [U-19/Albania also won the second friendly over Kosovo] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2022. Loja sulmuese ka dhënë rezultat, dhe në minutën e 40-të, sulmuesi i Chelsea, Armando Broja, ka dyfishuar rezultatin dhe ka dërguar skuadrën në dhomat e zhveshjes me rezultatin 2–0. Pjesa e dytë ka konfirmuar dominimin e Shqipërisë, që ashtu si edhe në pjesën e parë ishin superior ndaj bashkombasve të Kosovës duke shënuar edhe 2 gola të tjerë. Në minutën e 48-të, Kosova ngushton diferencat me Bytyqin, por kuqezinjtë përgjigjen menjëherë me Muçin në minutën e 56-të dhe Brojan në minutën e 65-të, gol që vulos dhe rezultatin i cili nuk do të ndryshoj deri në fund.
  32. ^ "U-19/ Nevil Dede zbardh listën e futbollistëve për turneun zyrtar të UEFA-s në Belgjikë (Video)" [Nevil Dede clear up the list of the footballers for the UEFA's official tournament in Belgium (Video)] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Belgium U19 vs. Albania U19 – 16 November 2019 – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  34. ^ "U-19/ Shqipëria mbyll turneun zyrtar të UEFA" [Albania concludes the UEFA's official tournament] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  35. ^ "U-21/ Shqipëria fiton 2–1 ndaj Uellsit në miqësore" [U-21/Albania wins 2–1 against Wales in friendly] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020. Në pjesën e dytë trajneri Bushi ka aktivizuar sulmuesin Armando Broja, njeriun e ndeshjes, në minutën e 46-të, i cili ka shënuar një dygolësh në minutën e 47 dhe 59
  36. ^ "Shqipëria fillon grumbullimin paraprak, ja lojtarët nën urdhërat e trajnerit Reja" [Albania start the preliminary gathering, here are the players under the orders of coach Reja] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  37. ^ "Jorginho impressive in Italy win; Armando Broja makes international debut". Chelsea F.C. 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  38. ^ "Albania – Hungary 1:0 (WC Qualifiers Europe 2021/2022, Group I)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  39. ^ "Games played by Armando Broja in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  40. ^ a b "Games played by Armando Broja in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  41. ^ "Games played by Armando Broja in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 December 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Armando Broja.
  • Profile at the Chelsea F.C. website
  • Armando Broja at the Albanian Football Association (in Albanian and English) Edit this at Wikidata
  • Armando Broja – UEFA competition record (archive) Edit this at Wikidata
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