Eljif Elmas
Age: 24Club: RB LeipzigPosition: MidfielderCountry: North Macedonia (52 caps, 12 goals)
Key Stats
A veteran international since the age of 17, Elmas took his first major steps in football at FK Rabotnički in his home side of North Macedonia. Scoring six goals and providing seven assists in 33 midfield appearances in the Prva Liga, or national division, while Rabotnički finished third in 2016/17, Elmas established himself at the helm of the world stage. Turkish side Fenerbahçe then signed the talented player.
The six-footer only played five Süper Lig games in his first season with the Turkish giants, but eclipsed that figure in the following campaign, making 40 appearances in all competitions as Fenerbahçe reached the knockout stages of the Europa League and finished sixth in the most sensible domestic flight.
Looking to build on a second-place finish in Serie A under coach Carlo Ancelotti, Italian side Napoli brought Elmas into their squad ahead of the 2019/20 season. The North Macedonian made his debut at Italy’s highest point in a 4-3 win over Fiorentina and would go on to score one goal in an additional 25 Serie A games in his first season, appearing primarily in Ancelotti’s central midfield and the next replacement for tactician Gennaro. Gattuso.
However, it was at the Coppa Italia that Elmas experienced wonderful glory for the first time. Among his five appearances in the 2019/20 tournament, a brief appearance in the main win over Juventus, with Napoli beating their rivals in Rome to claim the crown. An even greater glory would endure three years later, when the southern Italian team won their first Scudetto since 1990.
In that successful 2022/23 season, Elmas scored six goals and provided 3 assists in 36 Serie A games, and the 24-year-old showed his immense versatility throughout the crusade by betting on both sides of the attack as well as in midfield.
In four-and-a-half seasons with the Partenopei, Elmas played 189 times, scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists.
After rising through the youth ranks with his country to the Under-21 level, Elmas made his senior debut at the age of 17 years and 8 months in a 2-1 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat to Spain in 2017. In November 2021, Elmas scored twice in the 3–1 win over Iceland that helped North Macedonia triumph in the World Cup play-offs, squandering the final to Portugal. Elmas has scored 12 goals in 52 high-level foreign matches to date.
Sounds a bit like: Jonas Hofmann
With super-quick feet, incredible close control, and the ability to pick out a defence-splitting pass or unlock tight games, Elmas is not all that dissimilar in playing style to current Bayer Leverkusen schemer and Germany international Jonas Hofmann.
Made?
A former North Macedonian Footballer of the Year, Elmas scored the winning goal for his country in a 2-1, World Cup qualifying victory against Germany at the MSV-Arena in Duisburg in March 2021. The midfielder’s new teammate at Leipzig, Timo Werner, was a second-half substitute for Germany that day.
What they’re saying
“Eljif’s technical talent is incredible. He is agile, loves to run and dribble and can score goals. He can play in midfield, but is equally comfortable on both flanks. With his skills he will bring anything else to our game, as he is very clever when it comes to beating his boy with his acceleration and his physique. ” – Leipzig sporting director Rouven Schröder following the signing of Elmas in December 2023.
“As a kid, I never thought I’d win a league title. I’ve never been able to think about it because I thought it was beyond me. If I think about winning it with Napoli, it’s an even bigger dream.” – Elmas speaking shortly before Napoli’s Serie A championship victory in 2023.
The Macedonian midfielder will sign a four-and-a-half-year contract at the Red Bull Arena, having helped Napoli win the Serie A season.
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Football as it’s meant to be
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