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 nameElizabeta Ejupi
Date of birth (1994-04-21) 21 April 1994 (age 30)
Place of birthPristina, FR Yugoslavia
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)Forward
Team information
Current team
Sunderland
Number37
Youth career
2005–2010Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2010–2013Charlton Athletic8(0)
2013–2016Nottingham Forest29(5)
2016–2017Notts County3(0)
2017–2018Aston Villa15(0)
2018–2019Charlton Athletic18(13)
2019–2021London City Lionesses29(7)
2021–2022Durham13(2)
2023–Sunderland8(3)
International career
2009England U151(0)
2011–2012Albania3(0)
2022–Kosovo8(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:55, 16 April 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 February 2024

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 a 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 when she came on as a 46th-minute substitute for Argnesa Rexhepi.[10]

Personal life

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

International goals

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.15 February 2023Gold City Sports Complex, Alanya, Turkey  Estonia1–12–12023 Turkish Women's Cup
2.21 February 2024  Hong Kong1–01–02024 Turkish Women's Cup
3.24 February 2024  Estonia2–03–0

See also

References

External links