Arlind Ajeti

2.1. Youth career

Ajeti's father, Afrim, served as an early inspiration for him to start playing football. At the age of 8, Arlind began playing daily with his father. When he was 10 years old, he joined FC Concordia Basel, a local club in Basel, to start his youth football career. In 2004, he transferred to Basel, where he continued his development, representing the club's under-16, under-18, and under-21 teams. He played for the under-21 team from the 2010-11 season until the 2014-15 season in the 1. Liga Promotion, making a total of 67 appearances and scoring 4 goals.

2.2. Basel

On January 2, 2011, Ajeti signed his first professional contract with Basel, a deal lasting for two and a half years. He was subsequently called up to the first team for the 2011-12 season. He was also eligible to play for the newly formed Basel under-19 team in the 2011-12 NextGen series, featuring in their inaugural match against Tottenham Hotspur on August 17, 2011.

He made his Swiss Super League debut on August 28, 2011, as a substitute in a 2-1 home victory against FC Thun. At the conclusion of the 2011-12 season, Ajeti was part of the Basel squad that achieved the Double, winning both the League Championship title and the Swiss Cup. Although he made only one league appearance and two Swiss Cup appearances with the first team, he regularly played for the U21 squad.

Ajeti secured his second Swiss Super League championship title at the end of the 2012-13 season and was a Swiss Cup runner-up with Basel. In the 2012-13 UEFA Europa League, Basel reached the semi-finals, where they faced the reigning UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea, eventually being eliminated with a 5-2 aggregate loss.

During the early part of the 2013-14 season, on October 5, 2013, Ajeti scored his first league goal in a 2-1 away win against Lausanne-Sport. He went on to win his third league championship with Basel at the end of the 2013-14 Super League season. The team also reached the final of the 2013-14 Swiss Cup, but were defeated 2-0 by Zürich after extra time. In the 2013-14 Champions League season, Basel finished third in their group stage, qualifying for the Europa League knockout phase, where they advanced to the quarter-finals.

The 2014-15 season marked a highly successful period for Basel, as they clinched their sixth consecutive championship title. In the 2014-15 Swiss Cup, they reached the final, but for the third season in a row, they finished as runners-up, losing 3-0 to FC Sion. Basel participated in the Champions League, advancing to the knockout phase after securing a 1-1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool on December 9, 2014. However, they were subsequently eliminated by Porto in the Round of 16. Despite the team's overall success, Ajeti's personal season under coach Paulo Sousa was less fruitful in terms of playing time, as he made only 17 appearances in total, with just 3 in the League, 2 in the Cup, and 1 in the Champions League, though he featured in 11 test games. Ajeti became one of three Albanian international footballers to participate in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage for the first time in history, alongside his Basel teammates Shkëlzen Gashi and Taulant Xhaka.

2.3. Frosinone

After six months as a free agent following the conclusion of his contract at Basel, Ajeti signed with the newly promoted Serie A side Frosinone on November 24, 2015. His contract was set to run until the end of the season. He chose the vacant number 93 jersey, signifying his birth year. Two days later, during his media presentation, Ajeti expressed that playing in Serie A was a "dream come true" and thanked the club for the opportunity.

He received his first call-up for a game on December 6, 2015, against Chievo Verona at the Stadio Matusa, where he remained an unused substitute. Ajeti finally made his debut against Sassuolo on January 6, 2016. In that match, he was involved in an own goal but also managed to score a goal himself. At the end of the season, Frosinone was relegated to Serie B.

2.4. Torino

On July 7, 2016, Torino completed the signing of Ajeti on a free transfer. He signed a three-year contract, which included an option to extend for an additional two years. His reported salary was 500.00 K EUR per season. Ajeti made his debut for Torino on February 5, 2017, in a 1-1 draw against Empoli. A week later, he scored his first goal for the club against Pescara in the ninth minute, contributing to a 2-0 lead. However, he also conceded an own goal in the same match, though Torino ultimately won 5-3.

2.5. Crotone (loan)

On August 1, 2017, Ajeti was loaned to fellow Serie A team F.C. Crotone for the duration of the 2017-18 season, with an option for Crotone to purchase him permanently. In a match against Chievo on December 17, 2017, Ajeti took a shot that was diverted into the empty net by Ante Budimir, a decisive moment that secured a 1-0 victory for Crotone.

2.6. Grasshoppers

On September 13, 2018, Arlind Ajeti officially joined Grasshoppers, signing an initial one-year contract with an option to extend for an additional two years. This move marked his return to Switzerland after three years playing in Italy.

2.7. Vejle BK

On February 18, 2020, Danish 1st Division club Vejle Boldklub confirmed the signing of Arlind Ajeti. The club did not disclose the specific length of his contract.

2.8. Reggiana

Ajeti played for Reggiana during the 2020-21 season, making 24 league appearances and scoring 2 goals.

2.9. Padova

On November 16, 2021, Ajeti signed with Padova in Serie C. His contract was for one season, with an option to extend for another year. During his tenure, he made 17 league appearances and scored 1 goal.

2.10. Pordenone

On July 12, 2022, Ajeti joined Pordenone, signing a two-year deal with the club. He featured in 32 league matches for Pordenone, scoring 6 goals.

2.11. CFR Cluj

During the 2023-24 season, Ajeti played for Romanian club CFR Cluj. He made 22 league appearances and scored 3 goals. He also played 1 league match in the 2024-25 season for the club.

2.12. Bodrum F.K.

Arlind Ajeti is currently playing as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Bodrum.

3.1. Switzerland youth national teams

Ajeti began his international career playing for Switzerland's youth national teams. He made his debut for the Switzerland U17 team on March 4, 2010, in a match against Sweden. He later debuted for the Switzerland U18 team on September 15, 2010, in a 2-2 draw with the Belgium U18 squad. During the qualifications for the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, Ajeti played his first game for the Switzerland U19 team as a substitute in a Group 2 match against England on June 2, 2011.

On February 6, 2013, Ajeti made his debut for the Swiss U21 team at the Estadio El Madrigal in Villarreal, Spain. He played the entire match, which ended in a 1-0 defeat against the Slovakian U21 team. His final game for the Swiss youth teams took place on September 24, 2014, in a 2-0 defeat against the Ukraine U21 team during the qualification matches for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

3.2. Albania national team

The abandoned match between Serbia and Albania on October 14, 2014, where Albanian players demonstrated bravery in defending their national symbol against historical political adversaries, deeply motivated many footballers of Albanian descent to express their desire to play for the Albania national team. Arlind Ajeti was among the first to declare his intention to represent the senior team of Albania.

He made his debut for Albania on November 14, 2014, in a friendly match against the Euro 2016 hosts, France, which was part of the "Group I centralised" fixtures. He came on as a substitute in the 69th minute, replacing Amir Abrashi. On March 5, 2015, Ajeti officially received Albanian citizenship, along with fellow Basel defender Naser Aliji, making him eligible to participate in official qualification matches for the Albania national team.

5.1. Club

5.2. International