A long old haul from war-torn Kosovo to Swansea
The typical narrative of how a footballer rises to the professional ranks is well known, but the path that has brought Bersant Celina to Swansea City is no straightforward telling of a well-worn story.
The 21-year-old Kosovo international is still settling in to his new surroundings but his busyness on and off the ball, his alertness and ability to make things happen mean he has wasted little time making an impression on supporters.
At face value, his journey is not unlike many other footballers.
Celina was raised in Norway, recruited for an academy of one of the nation’s bigger clubs and went on to make his move to Manchester City.
Successful loan spells at FC Twente and Ipswich Town followed, and he has now made the permanent switch to the Liberty under Graham Potter.
But that would be to ignore the actions Celina’s parents took in order to keep their children safe during the formative years of his life.
The midfielder was just two years of age when the Kosovo War broke out, the 16-month conflict between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Front, who received support from Nato and Albanian ground forces.
It has been estimated that over 13,000 were killed, while in the region of one million Kosovan Albanians fled the region.
The Celinas had lived some 20 miles from the Albanian border in the historic town of Prizren but, with the municipality heavily affected by the war, they moved to Drammen in Norway.
Bersant is too young to remember that but is acutely aware of what his parents, Eduar and Mimoza, gave up in order to start again.
“It was about our safety. I mean I cannot remember it because I was so young,” he said. “It was a difficult time and it was a good thing that we got to go to Norway.
“My mother had family there and that is why we went, but it could have been anywhere and people ended up in a lot of different places.
“It is not something I like to talk about too much, but they were hard times. You have everything, and then you have nothing. My parents had to start again, they had lost everything.
“From their papers, to schools to jobs. We were immigrants in a different country.
“But Norway was a very nice country and was very good to us.”
While he was raised in Scandinavia, and proud to represent Norway at age-grade level, the chance to play for Kosovo at senior level was one he could not turn down.
Celina would not class it as an easy decision, but acknowledges it was one where the outcome was never really in doubt.
Kosovo began to play international friendlies in 2014 — Celina was on the bench for their first against Haiti — and were allowed to compete competitively in FIFA and UEFA tournaments from 2016.
Celina is well aware he and his team-mates have an opportunity that generations of players before them did not, and his goals are set high.
“I’m really proud and my family are proud,” he said. “I am just happy I can be part of something new and different for the country.
“We feel we are doing it for our country, something important that is bigger than football.
“My heart ruled my head on the decision. It was not easy, it was sad not to play for Norway because I enjoyed it and it meant a lot to me, but at the end it was about choosing my country.
“We have to aim big, reaching a tournament. We have good young players and, if you think about it, we could be an even better team if players who play for other countries were allowed to join us (Xherdan Shaqiri was born in Kosovo, while Granit Xhaka was born to Albanian parents who hailed from Kosovo).
“But we are going to be strong in the future and reaching the Euro finals is possible.”
Not that there have not already been memorable moments; when Celina scored in a friendly against Albania in November 2015 the entire stadium celebrated in recognition of the hardships the two nations and their people had faced.
“That match was just a celebration, the fans were just supporting both countries,” he added.
“They scored first and everyone cheered, I equalised and the same happened. I mean, what an atmosphere.
“It’s rare as a player that you score and both fans cheer, but this was the same people playing against each other.”
While Celina’s fulfilment in playing for Kosovo is clear, he is also keen to make clear the considerable role the Norwegian football pathway played in his development.
As boys, Celina and his brother Behajdin spent hours playing football either by themselves or with other kids in the neighbourhood.
Indeed, he puts his competitive nature partly down to the desire to match or beat his elder sibling.
They played for a local club until a sliding doors moment arrived for the future Swansea man.
Their team folded, some of the players could be absorbed into the set-up at Stromgodset, but not all.
Only the best could make the cut, Bersant was among them.
Celina caught the eye of a club who would help develop Martin Odegaard before the teenager’s highprofile move to Real Madrid in 2015.
“We played for the local team and then basically I think the team went bankrupt and you were either good enough to join the best club in the city’s youth set-up or not,” recalls Celina.
“I was good enough and that’s when it really started for me.
“Things could have been very different. It was a big moment, although I did not think it at the time, I just played football all the time and I looked up to my big brother.”
He spent five years in the youth ranks in Norway before his switch to City. The two clubs had a close relationship, while the Citizens also closely monitored his international displays.
Once in Manchester he was exposed to training regularly with a number of world-class players, such as the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Yaya Toure.
There were four first-team appearances in total under Manuel Pellegrini, including a Premier League appearance where he laid on a goal for the Argentinian striker in a 3-1 defeat at Leicester.
“I was really young coming to City, there is a new academy and everything is just amazing there. From every age they have great players,” he said.
“I am grateful for my time and chance there. Manuel Pellegrini was a big influence on me, he was the guy that took me up to the first team and I will always be thankful to him.
“I think I deserved it and I was good enough, but I was really young and it was great for me. Pellegrini made me feel part of it.
“There were so many wonderful players. I admired many of them but when I trained with the first team I looked to David Silva.
“Watching him play was incredible, just amazing. He was not the only one, but I loved the way he played.
“Playing with them was special, to set up a goal for someone like Aguero is something you will always remember.
“We lost, so it was not so good, but that is something I can always say.”
Instead of Aguero, it is the likes of Oli McBurnie, Barrie McKay and Joel Asoro who will be hoping to benefit from Celina’s creative abilities.
It is early days both for Celina and manager Potter’s rebuilding job, but there is plenty to be encouraged about on the field.
And, while many would view a move to the Championship from the Premier League title holders as a step down, Celina’s excitement over his move is tangible as he outlines what he hopes to bring to the Swans, and what convinced him to make the move.
“I’ve been delighted so far. We have had really tough games and I have been surprised at how we played, and how I was able to play in the team. I am really happy,” he said.
“Everything is possible if we play how we want and we want other teams to always know we are a tough opponent.
“I like playing the No. 10 role, I like being in the middle. I started my career there but I have also been a winger and I have played as a No. 6 here at times too. It’s different, but it is working well. I managed to get on the ball but I happy to play wherever I am needed.
“I have different football personalities. For example, if I play as a No. 6 it is less about dribbling and about being clever with the ball.
“If I am No. 10 then I know I can drive at players and take them on, and out wide it’s about being good one on one.
“I love being on the ball, I’m not a guy who is going to run around tackling everyone. I like to show what I can do, I love playing football.
“I felt this was the right time. I had two good seasons on loan but you don’t really get rewarded for it.
“So it was the right time to go somewhere else and start again.
“The reason I chose Swansea is because I was told the club and manager want to play good football and once I spoke to the manager it was easy.
“There was no other team that attracted me the way Swansea is.”
We feel we are doing it for our country, something important that is bigger than football. BERSANT CELINA