Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj, The Belgian Winger

Sportmob brings you the real story of the football genius known as "Adnando."

Our Adnan Januzaj Youth Story and personal Facts provides you with a comprehensive description of significant events from his childhood to the present.

His personal history before stardom, family background, relationship life, and many more OFF-Pitch (little known) information about him are all part of this article.

We've all heard about his meteoric rise to sports prominence.

Only a few people, however, have read or heard about Adnan Januzaj's life story which is pretty interesting.

Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj You Would Like to Know

Take a look at this little introduction on Adnan to get to know him better.

Quick Facts

• Full Name:

   Adnan Januzaj

• Nicknames:

   N/A

• Date of Birth:

   5 February 1995

• Place of Birth:

   Brussels, Belgium

• Age:

   26

• Nationality:

   Belgian

• Height:

   1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Weight:

   76 kg

• Marital Status:

   Unmarried

• Girlfriend: 

  Tulisa Contostavlos

• Net Worth: 

  N/A

• Position:

   Winger, attacking midfielder

• Current Team:

   Real Sociedad

• Jersey Number:

   11

Adnan Januzaj Upbringing Years and Family Roots

To begin, Januzaj comes from a Kosovar-Albanian family. His father is Albanian, while his mother, Ganimete Sadikaj, is a Kosovo native.

This implies that Januzaj is of Turkish and Serbian descent. His grandfather is Turkish, while his grandmother is Serbian, according to his family history.

Januzaj's father, a military officer, fled the Balkan crisis in 1992 to avoid poverty and punishment for his family members, one of the Ten things about Adnan Januzaj.

Apart from poverty, Adnan Januzaj's father, Abedin, moved to Belgium to avoid being drafted into the Yugoslav People's Army for the Bosnian war.

While Abedin escaped Kosovo, other members of his close-knit family took up arms in the country's independence fight against the Serbs. Adnan Januzaj was born in the mid-1990s to parents who met and fell in love in Belgium.

Adnan Januzaj was born in Brussels, Belgium, on February 5, 1995, to Ganimete Sadikaj (a millionaire businesswoman) and Abedin Januzaj (a former military officer).

One of the Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj is that Abedin, Januzaj's father, is reported to have had the greatest influence on the discovery and development of his son's football potential, which eventually skyrocketed.

Adnan Januzaj Career Buildout

Adnan Januzaj's love for football led him to join the roster of his local youth team, which provided him with the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities.

At the age of ten, Januzaj was already a member of the Anderlecht academy.

If Adnan had a bad match back then, his father would tell him about it. He might be rough at times, and Adnan's eyes would occasionally well up with tears, one of the

Ten things about Adnan Januzaj.

But he had a feeling his father knew what he was up to.

He instilled in his son the ability to bounce back from setbacks, which was beneficial to his development.

Adnan Januzaj Path to Prominence

While Adnan was in the academy, he still attended school, and his parents considered both soccer and academics as viable alternatives for him.

However, that fateful day arrived, when

scouts traveled to Belgium in search of exceptional young footballers. They all formed a line and stared closely at every football player.

After seeing Januzaj perform tricks at a skills school, these scouts saw him as a talented player, one of the Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj.

The footballer's straightforward technique and desire to dribble past his pals as if it were the most natural thing in the world piqued the scouts' interest.

Manchester United scouts followed his progress till he was 16 years old.

academy sought to sign him to a contract at the age of 16 to prevent the English club from stealing their starlet, but this was illegal for a 16-year-old kid. Unfortunately, at that age, the academy lost him to Manchester United, who paid €300,000 for him.

One of the Ten things about Adnan Januzaj is that there were rumors at the time that United had paid another €200,000 to the Januzaj family, as well as supplying them with a property in a gated apartment block in one of Manchester's more affluent areas, where Adnan lived with his mother and father.

The midfielder made his professional debut for Manchester United against Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield on August 11, 2013, when he replaced Robin van Persie with six minutes remaining.

He made his Premier League debut a month later, replacing Ashley Young in the 68th minute in a 2–0 home win over Crystal Palace on September 14. 

Januzaj netted twice as United came from behind to defeat Sunderland 2–1 on October 5, 2013, in what was his debut start for the club.

Manchester United signed Januzaj to a new five-year contract on October 19, 2013, to fight off bids from other teams who could have signed him for "minimal compensation" when his old contract expired in June 2014.

He was nominated for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year on December 3, 2013, after appearing in ten games for Manchester United at the time.

Adnan was given the number 11 shirt at the start of the 2014–15 season, which had previously been worn by

, who had recently retired. He made his first Premier League debut of the season as a substitute in United's 1–2 loss to Swansea City at home.

On October 20, 2014, he made his first start of the season in a 2–2 draw against West Bromwich Albion, in which he battled against muscular defenders Sebastien Pocognoli and Joleon Lescott.

The Belgian scored his first goal in almost a year, one of the

Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj

, on 14 August 2015, a close-range 29th-minute shot that handed United victory over

, after failing to score in any competition the previous season and failing to make the bench for the first game of the new season.

On his return from loan, he made his first appearance against Southampton on January 23, 2016, as a late substitute for Cameron Borthwick-Jackson.

Adnan Januzaj Ascend to Prominence

Januzaj was loaned to German club

for a season on August 31, 2015. He was recalled to United on January 6, 2016, appearing only in 12 games for Dortmund in the first half of the season, starting three of them.

The winger agreed to join Sunderland on a season-long loan from Manchester United on August 12, 2016, reuniting with former United manager David Moyes.

He made his Premier League debut the next day, coming off the bench in a 2–1 loss to Manchester City on the opening weekend of the season.

Adnan made his first goal for

in his third game against Shrewsbury Town, a late winner. Januzaj was sent off for two yellow cards in a 1–0 loss against Tottenham on September 18.

During the 3–2 defeat to Crystal Palace six days later, he sustained an ankle injury that would keep him out for at least six weeks.

Despite Januzaj's potential, Moyes warned in December that if he wanted to break into Manchester United's team, he needed to improve his performance at Sunderland, one of the Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj.

Januzaj signed a five-year contract with

in July 2017 after failing to retain his position in Manchester United's side.

He made his La Liga debut on 10 September, starting in a 4–2 win against Deportivo de La Coruna, and scored his first goal in a 3–1 home triumph over Basque rivals SD Eibar on 5 November.

The 22 year old also scored in a 2-2 draw with UD Las Palmas, and he was one of three

Player of the Month nominees. In addition, he produced a late equalizer against Atletico Madrid, which was crucial in securing his team's European spot.

In October 2013, England manager Roy Hodgson revealed that the Football Association was keeping an eye on Januzaj with the intention of bringing him up if he became a British citizen (and passed the residency requirement of FIFA, according to David Moyes).

Despite the substantial media attention, Adnan did not meet the standards to play for England under the Home Nations agreement's standards, another one of the Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj.

The Home Nations agreement requires athletes to complete a minimum of five years of education within the area of the relevant association before the age of 18 and does not grant national team eligibility based on residency.

Wilmots declared Januzaj's commitment to the

on April 23, 2014. Januzaj's manager, Dirk De Vriese, confirmed this message on the same day.

Januzaj was included in Belgium's 23-man team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on May 13, 2014.

He made his debut appearance with the national team two weeks later in a match against Luxembourg, but he did not win his first cap;

FIFA declared the match invalid on 4 June because Belgian coach Wilmots used seven substitutes in an international friendly, although only six are allowed.

On the 7th of June, he made his official debut in a 1–0 win over Tunisia, replacing Eden Hazard after 73 minutes.

The Belgian footballer was recalled to the Belgian squad for the first time in three years in November 2017, however, he did not feature in the friendlies against Mexico and Japan.

Roberto Martnez named him to the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia in June.

He scored the solitary goal in the final group game against England in Kaliningrad, ensuring the Belgians advanced as group champions.

Adnan Januzaj Personal & Love Life

Adnan Januzaj is without a doubt a charming guy on any lady's wish list, standing at a height of 6 feet.

When it comes to his personal life, Januzaj has been dating Tulisa Contostavlos since 2013.

Tulisa is a musician and singer who has featured on the X Factor as a judge.

She is six years older than Januzaj and dated Queens Park Rangers defender Danny Simpson before.

In 2014, Januzaj had a blind date with Melissa McKenzie, one of the

Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj.

He took her on her first date to Adnando, where they had a spicy chicken meal for only £18. Melissa later left him after news of his odd £18 meal went viral.

Adnan Januzaj Family

Now let’s get into details about Adnan’s family as a section in our Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj.

Adnan Januzaj Father

Adnan Januzaj's father was the oldest of the Januzaj family previous generation's six children. After his father Idriz (Adnan Januzaj's grandpa), a textile factory worker, became ill with cancer, Abedin was expected to care for the family.

Abedin had no choice but to join the Serb-dominated Yugoslav Army to fight in Bosnia because of hardship and a need to survive.

In 1992, however, Abedin defected and escaped to Belgium, where he met his future wife (Adnan Januzaj's mother).

Adnan Januzaj Mother

Ganimete Sadikaj, Abedin's wife, and Adnan's mother was also a victim of repression. She was born into one of the wealthiest families in Istog, Kosovo's easternmost town, and municipality.

After WWII, the Serb-dominated Yugoslav regime viewed her family, the Sadikajs, as a threat. They were compelled to leave Kosovo, causing them to flee to Turkey, one of the Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj.

Arif Haskaj, a former neighbor, once talked about Adnan's mother's family:

‘THE SADIKAJ FAMILY HAD A LOT OF LANDS AND A FARM. THEY WERE AMONG THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE.

BUT THEY HAD TO ESCAPE TO TURKEY BECAUSE THE SERBIAN AUTHORITIES TOOK AWAY THEIR LAND AND THEIR PROPERTY DURING THE COMMUNIST TIMES, AFTER WORLD WAR TWO.’

Adnan's mother's family then relocated to Belgium, where his grandfather, Alija, established a successful business. Destiny arranged for her to meet Abedin, her husband, in Belgium.

Adnan Januzaj Relatives

Januzaj's uncles, Januz and Shemsedin, and aunt Lavi were active members of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the time of the war, sacrificing their lives in the struggle for independence.

The footballer's family was notable for one thing: They had heroic ladies in addition to brave men.

Uncle Januz, on the other hand, was previously imprisoned for 15 years for participating in a protest demanding Albanian rights in what is now Kosovo. In his words:

“I WAS A FIGHTER WITH THE KLA AND SO WAS MY WIFE. WE FOUGHT TOGETHER IN THE SAME BRIGADE.

ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS WAS KILLED – HE STEPPED ON A LANDMINE.”

Adnan Januzaj Less-Known Details

In this part, we mention some of the Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj which the fans probably don’t know about.

The J in his given name, Januzaj, is silent. His name, however, is claimed to have several alternative pronunciations. It has been pronounced Janussaj, Janussigh, Yanoossajh, and Yan-You-Sigh over the years. The last is very noticeable by Sky Sports’ very own Geoff Shreeves.

One of the

Top Facts about Adnan Januzaj

is that the Januzaj family is so renowned in Kosovo that there is a sign saying "The hamlet of Januzaj" just outside of Istog.

Adnan Januzaj's ancestors are from Kosovo. FIFA, on the other hand, does not recognize Kosovo. Adnan Januzaj's parents are ethnically Albanian by heritage.

The Brussels-born old school athletics instructor, Abdel Jaichi, described him as "timid" and "unselfish." Abdel was Januzaj's teacher from the age of 12 until he moved to Manchester at the age of 16. He remembered him as a shy young man who led by example with his work ethic.

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