Elseid Hysaj is an Albanian footballer who plays as full back for Lazio and the Albanian national team.
Elseid Hysaj was born on February 2, 1994 in Scutari in Albania.
In 2004, his father, Gezim, started working as a bricklayer on the house owned by sports agent Marco Piccioli. Papà Hysaj took the opportunity to point out that his son was good at football but being only ten years of age, he could not have a trial for any team. “Come back to me in four years’ time”, Piccioli told Gezim. And this is exactly what he did. Four years later he got in touch with the agent who kept his word. Hysaj impressed the Fiorentina scouts but for bureaucratic reasons they could not sign him. So Empoli did, paying the club he was playing for, Vllazina, €50,000.
Hysaj worked himself up the ladder and in October 2012 debuted in Serie B and in his first year as a professional he immediately made the starting eleven under Maurizio Sarri. In 2013-14 Empoli were promoted to Serie A and he debuted in the top tier on August 30 2014 in a defeat at Udine. He made 109 appearances with one goal with Empoli and in 2015 he followed Sarri and signed for Napoli. He immediately became a regular. When Carlo Ancelotti replaced Sarri in 2018 he started to play less due to problems with the manager. Ancelotti preferred to play with Giovanni Di Lorenzo and when he was not available, Kevin Malcuit. When Rino Gattuso arrived, Hysaj was used more but he still found it hard to make the first eleven.
When his contract with Napoli ended in the summer of 2021, after 222 appearances with one goal, he signed for Lazio. He was a specific request by Lazio’s new manager Sarri, who knew he could count on one of his faithful players to show the rest of the squad how he wanted Lazio to play. Hysaj’s first year was not so good, but then again, the whole team struggled. He blossomed in his second year and was one of the fundamental players in Lazio’s historical second place finish. In his third year he has been maimed by injuries and not been able to make a difference.
At international level, Hysaj has 83 caps for Albania, and in 2016 became their youngest captain ever. He played in Euro 2016 and in the two nations league (2020-21 and 2022-23).
Hysaj is a good right back who can also play on the left. At Lazio he has done both. So far, he has reached 112 appearances for the Biancocelesti with 2 goals, not counting the current season.
Lazio Career (updated October 18, 2024)
Season | Total Played (Goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League | Conference League | Super Coppa |
2021-22 | 38 (1) | 29 (1) | 2 | - | 7 | | - |
2022-23 | 43 (1) | 34 (1) | 1 | - | 6 | 2 | - |
2023-24 | 31 | 22 | 3 | 5 | - | - | 1 |
2024-25 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
Total | 114 (2) | 87 (2) | 6 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
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