| Brajan Gruda | |
| Birth Date: | 31 May 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Speyer, Germany[1] |
| Height: | 1.78 m |
| Position: | Attacking midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Clubnumber: | 8 |
| Youthyears1: | 2010–2015 |
| Youthclubs1: | FV Speyer |
| Youthyears2: | 2015–2018 |
| Youthclubs2: | Karlsruher SC |
| Youthyears3: | 2018–2023 |
| Youthclubs3: | Mainz 05 |
| Years1: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs1: | Mainz 05 |
| Caps1: | 30 |
| Goals1: | 4 |
| Years2: | 2024– |
| Clubs2: | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Caps2: | 0 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | Germany U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | Germany U16 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2022 |
| Nationalteam3: | Germany U18 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 2 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2022 |
| Nationalteam4: | Germany U19 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 4 |
| Nationalyears5: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam5: | Germany U21 |
| Nationalcaps5: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals5: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 21 May 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 19:31, 26 March 2024 (UTC) |
Brajan Gruda (born 31 May 2004) is an Albanian-German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Born in Speyer, Gruda began his career with local side FV Speyer, before joining Karlsruher SC in 2015.[1] He joined Mainz 05 at the age of 14, and signed his first professional contract with the club in November 2022.[2]
In January 2023, he was promoted to take part in first team training, and made his senior debut on 25 January 2023 in a 2–1 home Bundesliga defeat against Borussia Dortmund.[3] Later that year, on 6 October, he scored his first goal in a 2–2 away draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach.[4]
On 18 May 2024, he scored and assisted in a 3–1 victory against VfL Wolfsburg, confirming Mainz 05's survival in the Bundesliga on the last day of the season.[5]
On 14 August 2024, Gruda signed for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, signing a contract until 2028.[6]
Gruda is of Albanian descent. He has represented Germany at youth international level.[7]
In September 2023, he was first called up by Germany U21, and he made his U21 debut in a 3–0 victory against Kosovo, he provided three assists in the match.[8] [9]
In May 2024, he trained with the senior national team prior to the UEFA Euro 2024.[10] He departed the training camp on 5 June after a calf injury.[11]
Gruda is the son of Albanian former Vllaznia Shkodër player Bujar Gruda.[12] He is also related to fellow footballer Ildi Gruda.[12] His ancestry traces to the Albanian Gruda tribe of Northern Albania.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Mainz 05 | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 4 | |||
Individual