| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brajan Gruda[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 31 May 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Speyer, Germany[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78ย m (5ย ft 10ย in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2010โ2015 | FV Speyer | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015โ2018 | Karlsruher SC | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018โ2023 | Mainz 05 | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023โ2024 | Mainz 05 | 30 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024โ | Brighton & Hove Albion | 39 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026 | โ RB Leipzig (loan) | 13 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| International careerโก | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Germany U15 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Germany U16 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Germany U18 | 2 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Germany U19 | 7 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023โ | Germany U21 | 20 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goalsย as of 2 June 2026 (UTC) โก National team caps and goals as of 10:16, 28 March 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Brajan Gruda (German pronunciation: [หbสaษชฬฏjan หษกสuหda]; born 31 May 2004) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as the Germany national under-21 football team.
Club career
editMainz 05
editBorn in Speyer, Gruda began his career with local side FV Speyer, before joining Karlsruher SC in 2015.[2] He joined Mainz 05 at the age of 14, and signed his first professional contract with the club in November 2022.[3]
In January 2023, he was promoted to take part in first team training, and made his senior debut on 25 January 2023 in a 2โ1 home Bundesliga defeat against Borussia Dortmund.[4] Later that year, on 6 October, he scored his first goal in a 2โ2 away draw against Borussia Mรถnchengladbach.[5]
On 18 May 2024, he scored and assisted in a 3โ1 victory against VfL Wolfsburg, confirming Mainz 05's survival in the Bundesliga on the last day of the season.[6]
Brighton and Hove Albion
editOn 14 August 2024, Gruda signed for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on a contract until 2028.[7] On 10 May 2025, Gruda scored his first goal in English football in a Premier League match during a 2โ0 away win at Wolves.[8]
Loan to RB Leipzig
editOn 2 February 2026, Gruda returned to Germany and joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, on a six-month loan until the end of the season.[9]
International career
editGruda is of Albanian descent.[10] He has represented Germany at youth international level.[10][11]
In September 2023, he was first called up by Germany U21, and he made his U21 debut in a 3โ0 victory against Kosovo, he provided three assists in the match.[12][13]
In May 2024, he trained with the senior national team prior to the UEFA Euro 2024.[14] He departed the training camp on 5 June after a calf injury.[13]
Personal life
editGruda is the son of Albanian former Vllaznia player Bujar Gruda.[15] He is also related to fellow footballer Ildi Gruda.[15] His ancestry traces to the Gruda tribe of Northern Albania.
Since Brajan Gruda started playing as a starter for Mainz, the Albanian federation has tried to convince him to play for Albania, but the player has refused. Albanian media have always asked during Sylvinho's press conferences whether Gruda could join the Albanian national team, but he avoided the question by saying "they were working on it".
In October 2024, in an interview on the German national channel, he stated: "I don't know what the future holds, my parents are Albanian but my heart says I want to play for Germany."[16][17]
In June 2025, coach Alban Bushi stated that he had spoken with Brajan's parents and was in contact with them, saying that Brajan will join Albania only if he doesnโt receive a call-up from Germany.[18]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 16 May 2026[19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mainz 05 | 2022โ23 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | โ | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023โ24 | Bundesliga | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | โ | 29 | 4 | ||
| Total | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | โ | 32 | 4 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2024โ25 | Premier League | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| 2025โ26 | Premier League | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 3 | |
| Total | 39 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 4 | ||
| RB Leipzig (loan) | 2025โ26 | Bundesliga | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | โ | 14 | 3 | |
| Career total | 82 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 91 | 11 | ||
Honours
editGermany U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2025[20]
Individual
- Fritz Walter Medal U19 Silver: 2023[21]
References
edit- ^ "2024/25 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Brajan Gruda". Bundesliga. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "05-TALENT GRUDA ERHรLT PROFIVERTRAG". Mainz 05 (in German). 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Gruda debuts in professional football with Mainz in the Bundesliga". KOHA.net. 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Borussia Mรถnchengladbach 2โ2 1. FSV Mainz 05". Bundesliga. 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Geile Mannschaft, geile Jungs". 1. FSV Mainz 05 (in German). 18 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Brighton sign midfielder Gruda from Mainz for ยฃ25m". BBC Sport. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Unwin, Will (10 May 2025). "Welbeck spot on to reach goal milestone as Brighton solve equation at Wolves". The Guardian. ISSNย 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
- ^ "New number 10 for RBL: Brajan Gruda joins the Red Bulls". RB Leipzig. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ a b Brajan Gruda at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Brajan Gruda" (in German). German Football Association.
- ^ "Gruda รผberzeugt, Mwene & Onisiwo auf EM-Kurs". 1. FSV Mainz 05 (in German). 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Kosovo U21 0:3 (0:0) Deutschland U21". DFB โ Deutscher Fuรball-Bund e.V. (in German). 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "DFB-รberraschung zum Geburtstag! Youngster-Duo bleibt lรคnger". Sky Sport. 29 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Brajan Gruda, "pinjolli" i familjes Gruda grumbullohet me Kombรซtaren U15 tรซ Gjermanisรซ" [Brajan Gruda, the "kid" of the Gruda family, joins the U15 National Team of Germany]. shkoder.info (in Albanian). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "The attacker openly rejects Albania: I want to play in the World Cup with". 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Gruda finally closes the door to Albania: I want to play for Germany".
- ^ https://www.cna.al/english/sport/e-bujshme-brajan-gruda-te-shqiperia-e-konfirmon-alban-bushi-vishet-100-kuq-i432769
- ^ Brajan Gruda at Soccerway
- ^ "England 3โ2 Germany (aet) highlights: Rowe header ensures Young Lions retain title". uefa.com. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ "Die Preistrรคger 2023". dfb.de (in German). 8 September 2023.
External links
edit- Brajan Gruda at Soccerway.com
- Brajan Gruda at WorldFootball.net
- Brajan Gruda at Soccerbase.com
- Brajan Gruda at FBref.com
- Brajan Gruda at BDFutbol
- Brajan Gruda at kicker (in German)
- Brajan Gruda at the German Football Association
- Profile Archived 29 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine at the 1. FSV Mainz 05 website (in German)
