Yksel Osmanovski
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yksel Osmanovski | ||
| Date of birth | 24 February 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Malmö, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position |
Winger Striker |
||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Malmö FF (U21 coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1984 | Malmö BI | ||
| 1985–1986 | IFK Malmö | ||
| 1987–1995 | Malmö FF | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1998 | Malmö FF | 58 | (16) |
| 1998–2001 | Bari | 85 | (14) |
| 2001–2002 | Torino | 9 | (1) |
| 2002 | → Bordeaux (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Torino | 13 | (0) |
| 2004–2007 | Malmö FF | 45 | (5) |
| Total | 217 | (36) | |
| National team | |||
| 1998–2006 | Sweden | 14 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Yksel Osmanovski (Macedonian: Иксел Османовски) (born 24 February 1977) is a Swedish former footballer of Turkish origin who played as a striker. His ethnic Turkish parents originate from the Prespa Lake region of Macedonia and is the first Muslim as well as the first ethnic Swedish Turk (second-generation and local-born) to represent Sweden in football (excluding Erol Bekir who was a migrant from Macedonia and Emin Nouri, who was born in Bulgaria and immigrated to Sweden as a child).
Born in Skrävlinge, Malmö, Osmanovski grew up in Rosengård, where fellow Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović also grew up. In an early interview, Zlatan said that "within a few years, I will play in Italy, and eventually the national team. I want to follow in Yksel's footsteps. We know each other, even if he is four years older than me. I got his autograph when he started playing for Malmö FF, when I played in Malmö BI. When he came to Rosengård and played and dribbled with us kids, we were all shouting "Yksel, Yksel, Yksel!" - Ibrahimović, in 2000.
He played for Malmö BI and IFK Malmö as a child, but joined Malmö FF in 1987 where he eventually made his debut in 1995. He gradually became a star in the Swedish league, and was bought by Italian Serie A outfit Bari. After three seasons he moved on to Torino, but struggled to capture a first team place. He therefore returned to Malmö FF in 2004 after a stint at Bordeaux. There he was part of the team that won the Allsvenskan league title, although Osmanovski himself did not receive a winner's medal, because he took part in too few matches. Still he played the crucial role, in stopping a ball on the goal line against title rivals Halmstad BK. Had it gone in, Malmö would certainly not won the league title, but thanks to a 2–2 draw, they kept themselves within a shot.
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