The grandson of the martyr who inherited his name, Vesel Demaku excelled in his debut with Kosovo: A dream come true

Vesel Demaku is the newest addition to the Kosovo National Team and he made his debut in Pristina in the match against Iceland, having a very good performance.

The central midfielder, born and raised in Austria, has played for all age groups of this national team from U15 to U21.

However, in October last year he said 'Yes' to Kosovo and to see him on the field in the Dardanian shirt, we had to wait for the March training camp and the two Nations League Play-Off matches.

In the first match held in Pristina, where Kosovo won 2-1, Demaku entered the field from the reserve bench and provided calm in the midfield, but also destroyed many of the 'Vikings' actions.

Meanwhile, in the return match, Demaku was a starter and had a fantastic performance on the field, where it seemed like he had been playing with the Dardanelles jersey for years.

In a statement to Telegrafi, the midfielder of the Austrian team Altach says that he is very happy and cannot describe his debut with Kosovo in words.

"I am truly very happy and at the same time very excited that my dream of playing for Kosovo has finally come true. It is an incredible feeling," the midfielder told Telegrafi on Monday.

Veseli was born in February 2000 and he inherited the name of his grandfather, the great martyr of Kosovo, Vesel Demaku, a former soldier of the Kosovo Liberation Army who was killed on the battlefield by Serbian forces.

"I come from a family that has fought and shed blood for this country and for this reason I had a lot of emotions. My grandfather is Vesel Demaku and of course he is very proud of my debut with Kosovo. However, for me, a big dream has come true to wear the Kosovo jersey. Despite the fact that a week has passed, I continue to think that I am still dreaming," Demaku tells Telegrafi.

The 25-year-old says that he had said 'Yes' to Kosovo a long time ago, but due to injuries and poor form, he was unable to make the squad.

"It's been more than three years since I met with Bajram (Shala) and we talked. Since then I have been determined to play for Kosovo, however there have been other problems. I didn't play much in clubs and players in the National Team have to be in shape because in the National Team everyone wants to play, but they don't get called up without having minutes with the clubs. However, I also had numerous problems with injuries and then the documentation was delayed because Austria does not accept dual citizenship and things like that. The important thing is that now I am part of Kosovo and I will always give my best for this jersey", Vesel Demaku continues his story.

Demaku has played for many big clubs in Austria, where he initially started in the Academies of Rapid Vienna and Red Bull Salzburg, before moving to the first team of Austria Vienna in 2017. Since then, in addition to the capital club, Demaku has also played for Sturm Graz, Austria Klagenfurt and most recently is part of Altach in the Austrian Bundesliga where he is an undisputed starter.

The reception he received in Kosovo has been fantastic, according to the defensive midfielder.

"I am really very pleased with the welcome I received. Everyone welcomed me well, from the FFK leaders to the technical staff and the players. There were many good people, they made it much easier for me to acclimatize to the national team."

The Dardanians won two victories over Iceland, while Demaku says it was not easy at all, as before the matches the chances were equal for both national teams to advance.

"Iceland is a very strong opponent. Before the matches, the chances were equal to advance, until we showed that we are a very strong team and showed character by winning both matches and deservedly advanced to League B, writing history," says Demaku.

In the second match held in Murcia, Demaku suffered an injury, but it was not very serious.

"The injury is not too serious to keep me out of the field for months, however I will continue with some check-ups to see how long I will be missing."

After their historic achievement in League B, Kosovo will now play in the World Cup qualifiers, where the group includes big names like Sweden, Switzerland, and Slovenia.

Demaku is cautious, saying that they are up against big names, and that they will give their best to achieve positive results.

"We have to stay grounded and not say that we are now going to the World Cup. Of course, we footballers will give our best on the field to achieve positive results, but it will be very difficult, as we have strong national teams in front of us. The goal is to give our best on the field, then the results will come," Demaku told Telegrafi.

He has watched Kosovo matches before, but says that the quality of the Dardanian footballers up close is much greater.

"Of course, I have always watched Kosovo's matches. Were the players better on television or watching them up close? Very good on television, but even better up close. We really have a lot of good players in the national team and there is a lot of quality. We hope to do great things for Kosovo," concluded Vesel Demaku. /Telegraph/