It was evening, and the Stadium of Light was buzzing. Granit Xhaka, who orchestrated the midfield for Sunderland, had just put in another vintage shift with those line-breaking passes, his relentless pressing, and fiery leadership that one can’t take their eyes off. He’s played across Europe and earned his stripes everywhere. But at 33, the Swiss captain is still playing with the same chip on his shoulder that made him a cult hero at Arsenal and a Bundesliga winner at Leverkusen.

But here’s the thing about Granit Xhaka. One doesn’t truly get him until  they understand where he comes from. That fire in his belly? That refusal to back down? That’s not just footballing passion; that’s inheritance.

Who are Granit Xhaka’s parents?

Meet Ragip and Elmaze Xhaka, the backbone of one of football’s most remarkable family stories. Ragip, born in Pristina in 1963, and Elmaze, his rock, emigrated from Kosovo to Switzerland in 1990, fleeing the political turmoil that would soon erupt into war. They arrived with next to nothing. Within two years, they had two sons: Taulant, born 1991 in Basel and Granit, born in 1992. 

Ragip wasn’t just any immigrant. He was a political prisoner who had spent three-and-a-half years in a Yugoslav jail for participating in student demonstrations in 1986, demanding democratic rights for ethnic Albanians. He shared a cell with four other men, allowed out only ten minutes a day. Elmaze, meanwhile, met Ragip just three months before his arrest and waited for him through those brutal years. Today, both parents remain deeply involved in their sons’ lives.

Ragip even moved to Germany for two years to support Granit when he joined Borussia Mönchengladbach as a teenager. They give back to their community as most immigrant families do− by instilling values of hard work and resilience in the next generation and supporting Kosovar-Albanian causes from afar.

What ethnicity are Granit Xhaka’s parents?

Ragip and Elmaze Xhaka are Kosovar Albanians. They are ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, which at the time of their emigration was still part of the former Yugoslavia.

Granit himself has been crystal clear about this. In a Swiss documentary, he said that while he’s proud to play for Switzerland, “My blood and origin are from Kosovo.” His parents didn’t just leave Kosovo; they were forced out by a regime that jailed Ragip simply for wanting basic democratic rights.

Their ethnicity isn’t just a checkbox on a form; it’s the entire reason the Xhaka family ended up in Switzerland in the first place. This is why Granit celebrates goals with the Albanian eagle gesture and why his brother Taulant chose to represent Albania internationally while Granit plays for Switzerland.

Inside Granit Xhaka’s Relationship with His Parents

Granit is open about his parents being his everything. “My main inspiration when I started my career was my dad. He taught me never to give up on anything, to be strong, mentally tough,” he said. But he’s equally close to his mother. “I can speak in a different way to my mum as I do with my dad, so for me both of them are inspiring,” he said.

Their influence on Granit is immeasurable. When he was booed by Arsenal fans and stripped of the captaincy in 2019, it was Ragip who broke the silence on the car ride home and told his son, “It’s time to leave.” That’s the kind of relationship they have, which is honest, unfiltered, and built on a foundation of sacrifice and survival. Elmaze worked double shifts, often starting at 4 a.m., just to keep the family afloat. Granit hasn’t forgotten a second of it.

As for what’s next? Granit Xhaka is far from finished. He’s captaining Switzerland in the 2026 World Cup in North America, his fourth successive World Cup.  In the Round of 16 battle against Colombia, expect Xhaka to bring that trademark intensity. And somewhere in the stands, or maybe watching from home, Ragip and Elmaze will be there, proud, resilient, and probably shaking their heads at how far their boy has come. The Xhaka story isn’t just about football. It’s about survival. It’s about love. And it’s about two parents who gave everything so their sons could have a chance.