Nedim Bajrami, born in Macedonia on that fateful day of 28 February 1999 (making him a sprightly 25-year-old), currently parades his nimble-footed talents in the midfield for Rangers. Standing at an average 5ft 10in (1.79m for anybody who wants to be difficult), he tips the scales at a lightweight 10st 9lb (68kg) and has a bit of an affection for the number 14. He's not just a one-club man, oh no - he's also put in a good few shifts for the Albania national team.
According to Transfermarkt, his market value is in the vicinity of delightful £3.9m. So he's not just pretty decent on the pitch, he's also quite the catch for a potential suitor, with their bulging wallet.
Bajrami got his first stab at professional football in July 2009 with Grasshoppers in the Super League in Switzerland, before most of us had even heard of him. Started off slow, with seven appearances in the 2016 - 2017 season, but soon enough he was taste of the month, clocking up 29 appearances, and even managed to unceremoniously bundle the ball into the net three times the following season.
After a bit of a kerfuffle in 2019, he was shipped off to Empoli in Italy for a cool £430k. More sun, more pasta, what's not to love? Apparently Empoli was to his liking as he spent more than few season there, dribbling, kicking and heading their way to glory, despite being passed around to Sassuolo on a loan distastefully.
Sassuolo must have liked what they saw as they splashed out £5.2m to have him all to themselves in 2023. However, the winds of change must have been blowing, because just a year later, the Scots came calling with their irresistible haggis and highlands, and Bajrami was packed off to Rangers for £3.5m in August 2024.
Since then, Neds, as I'm sure nobody calls him, has chosen the strangest vacation from regular league games to play in the League Cup, Scottish Cup, and even went on an international excursion with Albania in the Euro 2024 and Nations League 2024 - 2025, scoring goals aplenty. But hey, as long as Rangers are okay with their £3.5m man gallivanting all over Europe, who are we to judge?
