Bersant Celina

Bersant Celina (born 9 September 1996) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Swedish club AIK and the Kosovo national team.

He made his senior debut for Manchester City in 2016, going on to have loan spells at Twente and Ipswich Town during his time at the club.

Celina grew up in Drammen, Norway, where he moved to as a refugee, with his family, at the age of two after leaving his native Kosovo to escape the ongoing war in the country.

In late December 2014, Celina was called up to the first team by head coach Manuel Pellegrini due to the busy Christmas schedule that saw Manchester City play four games in just over a week.

[5] On 19 January 2015, Celina was selected to take part in the first-team squad's mid-season Abu Dhabi training camp along with three other Manchester City academy players.

He was included along with Brandon Barker, George Evans and Thierry Ambrose from Patrick Vieira's Elite Development Squad for the trip to the Middle East.

[6] Celina made his first senior appearance for City as a substitute for Edin Džeko in a friendly against German side Hamburger SV.

[7] Celina made his official debut for the first team on 9 January 2016 in the FA Cup tie against Norwich City, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute in a 3–0 away win.

[9] On 21 February, he made his first appearance in Manchester City's starting XI in an FA Cup fifth round match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

[23][24] On 13 January, Celina scored a stunning long-range goal from 30-yards out in a 1–0 home win against Leeds United at Portman Road.

[32] Three days later, he scored in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup to give Swansea a 2–0 half time lead over his former club Manchester City at the Liberty Stadium, though they eventually lost the match 2–3.

Celina scored twice in 37 appearances during the season, helping Swansea reach the EFL Championship play-offs following a 6th-placed finish.

Celina went on to make 33 appearances in all competitions that season, providing 5 assists without scoring, with Dijon being relegated to Ligue 2 after finishing 20th.

[41] Ipswich had attempted to do a deal earlier in the summer, however the move was put on hold due to a heart condition Celina suffered from after contracting COVID-19.

[56] On 12 June 2013, he made his debut for the Kosovo U21s in the 2013 Valais Youth Cup semi-final against Ghana U20 after being named in the starting line-up.

Celina missed the two upcoming friendlies against Turkey and Senegal in May due to injury, but returned in September 2014 for a match against Oman.

[65] On 7 August 2016, Celina was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol when officers found him behind the wheel in Manchester City Centre at 3.30 am.

[66] In February 2022, Celina offered his flat in Drammen, Norway, free of charge, to Ukrainian refugees who had fled their homeland due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Celina warming up for Manchester City in 2015
Celina playing for Dijon in 2021