Shkodran Mustafi

Shkodran Mustafi was born on 17 April 1992 in Bad Hersfeld to parents of Albanian descent. He grew up in nearby Bebra and played for FV Bebra and SV Rotenburg — albeit as a striker.

In 2006, Mustafi started his professional football career in the youth system of Hamburger SV.  He passed up offers by Bayern Munich, Werder Bermen and Eintracht Frankfurt to move to Hamburg, partly because of the side's excellent boarding home. The switch to Hamburg also saw Mustafi move further back in the line-up, eventually landing in the defense.

Just before the U17 European Championship kicked off, Mustafi decided to leave Hamburg in favor of English club Everton, signing on a three-year contract until June 30, 2012. Mustafi chose Everton over other big clubs such as Newcastle United, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.

Mustafi's excellence in the backline was a key to Marco Pezzaiuoli's German U17 team's hopes at the U17 European Championship in Germany. And Mustafi and the Germans did not disappoint. Pezzaiuoli's men allowed just two goals in five matches on their way to winning the 2009 U17 European Championship. Mustafi played all five games, including the 2-1 final victory over the Netherlands in extra time on 18 May 2009. In 14 appearances with the German U17 team, Mustafi scored three goals.

He was rated to be one of Germany's top young defenders when Everton spirrited him away after winning the U17 European title, and Hamburg were not too happy about him leaving. 

"We really tried to keep Shkodran at our club, but when there is a club from England coming up we are unable and unwilling to compete financially," said Jens Todt, the head of Hamburg's youth academy. "It is tough to accept, but it will not destroy us. We are just hoping this is not going to happen too often again."

Mustafi said Everton's past of pushing their young players and giving them a chance to play for the senior side was a big reason for his decision. He told uefa.com: "They give young players the chance to play in the first team and get experience, like Wayne Rooney, and that is the reason I went there."

The move to England also is a dream come true for Mustafi. "With the transfer to Everton, a dream is coming true for me," he told spox.com on 16 May, 2009. He also said he thinks he will have success in England, adding: "I think I'm an enormously strong-willed guy who never gives up. Therefore I think I was made for the English league. I will fight as long as I have to and give everything I have until I eventually play in the top flight."

At Everton he was soon given the distinctly un-Albanian nicknam, Donny, possibly in recognition of his singing prowess, and made his senior debut for Everton versus BATE Borisov in December 2009 in the Europa League, coming on as a substitute for Tony Hibbert.  He was an unused sub in five other games that first season.

In his second season at Everton, he might have been expected to break through. and was given a nmore promising shirt number... but with Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin, John Heitinga and even Shane Duffy as competition, he couldn't get past the substitute's bench.

So it wasn't surprising, given his European pedigree and captaincy of the German U-20 team, that he took the opportunity to return to the Continent in January 2012 when Sampdoria snapped him up on a free transfer.

By Michael Kenrick
Last updated January 2012