Berat Djimsiti (also spelled Gjimshiti or Xhimshiti; ; born 19 February 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Diriyah and captains the Albania national team.
He began his senior career with Zürich, winning the Swiss Cup title in 2013–14 season, before joining Atalanta in 2016, where he later won the UEFA Europa League in the 2023–24 season.
Djimsiti represented Switzerland at various youth international levels before switching his allegiance to Albania, making his senior debut in 2015 during the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. Although Albania qualified for the tournament for the first time in history, Djimsiti was not included in the final squad. He later became captain of the national team and led Albania during the UEFA Euro 2024 campaign.
Djimsiti has been noted for his physical strength and height (1.90 m), and in addition to playing as a central defender he is also capable of playing as a full‑back without issues.
Club career Zürich
Djimsiti began his youth career at FC Zürich-Affoltern, where he played until 2007, before joining the Zürich academy at the age of 14.
He was initially integrated into the Zürich U21 team in the Swiss Promotion League, making his debut at the age of 17 and going on to play 46 matches over three seasons, scoring six goals in the process. In the 2010–11 season, he scored in the final league match for Zürich U21, opening the scoring in a 2–0 away victory against Zofingen, as the team finished the season in second place in their league group.
2011–2013: First-team debut and breakthrough He received his first call-up to the senior squad during the 2011–12 Swiss Super League season and was named on the bench in a 2–1 win over Young Boys on 19 April 2011. Later that year, he was included in the matchday squad for the UEFA Champions League play-off round fixture against Bayern Munich on 17 August 2011.
Djimsiti made his professional debut on 3 March 2012 in a 1–0 loss to Sion, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Heinz Barmettler. He scored his first goal for Zürich on 20 May 2012 in a 1–0 away win over Grasshopper, starting the match and scoring in the 75th minute. These two matches were his only appearances of the season, which Zürich finished in sixth place in the league, missing out on qualification for European competitions.
He established himself as a regular starter during the 2012–13 Swiss Super League season, featuring in the vast majority of league matches and regularly completing the full 90 minutes out of 36 league fixtures. Zürich finished in fourth place in the league standings, which earned them a place in the Europa League third qualifying round. In the 2012–13 Swiss Cup, Djimsiti made full 120 minutes appearances in both the quarter-final and semi-final matches and Zürich were eliminated in the semi-final by city rivals Grasshopper.
2013–2015: European campaign On 5 August 2013, Zürich extended Djimsiti's contract until the summer of 2016, one year longer than his previous deal, which had been set to expire in 2015.
Djimsiti started the 2013–14 Swiss Super League with a goal on 3 April 2025, scoring a late winner with a header in the 93rd minute shortly after coming on as a substitute to secure a 3–2 victory for Zürich against Thun. In the Europa League third qualifying round in early August 2013, Djimsiti played the full 90 minutes in both legs against Slovan Liberec, but Zürich were eliminated 4–2 on aggregate. In league Djimsiti made 26 appearances as Zürich finished the season in fifth place in the standings. In the 2013–14 Swiss Cup, Djimsiti was ever-present in Zürich's cup-winning campaign, featuring in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final, each of which went to extra time and he completed the full 120 minutes in all three matches, as Zürich defeated Basel 2–0 after extra time in the final to lift the trophy and secure qualification for the UEFA Europa League play-off round.
In the UEFA Europa League play-off, Djimsiti played in both legs against Spartak Trnava, completing the full 90 minutes in each match and Zürich won 4–2 on aggregate to qualify for the group stage. On 14 September 2014, Djimsiti scored in the 2014–15 Swiss Super League matchday 8 against Sion in a 4–1 home win. Djimsiti made his UEFA major competition debut on 18 September 2014 in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage, featuring in matchday 1 against Apollon Limassol and playing the full 90 minutes in the 3–2 away defeat. Later in the competition, on 27 November 2014, Djimsiti scored the equaliser in the return match against Apollon Limassol, netting eight minutes after Zürich had fallen behind and helping the team secure a 3–1 victory. Djimsiti featured in the first five matches throughout the competition, playing the vast majority of minutes, as Zürich were eliminated after losing 3–0 away to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the final group match on 11 December 2014, a game which Djimsiti missed due to injury. On 21 May 2015, Djimsiti scored his second league goal of the season for Zürich in their 2–2 draw against Vaduz, equalising in the 52nd minute. During the league season, Djimsiti was regular, playing 30 matches for the full 90 minutes, starting once before being substituted, making two appearances as a substitute, and missing three league matches in total. Zürich finished in third place in the league standings. In the 2014–15 Swiss Cup, Djimsiti was ever-present as Zürich recorded a victory over Grasshopper in the quarter-final afte 120-minutes, before being eliminated by Sion in the semi-final.
In the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, Djimsiti played every minute of both legs against Dinamo Minsk, with Zürich being eliminated after extra time in the return match. In the 2015–16 Swiss Cup, Djimsiti made three appearances, often coming on as a substitute, and featured until the round of 16 match in which Zürich defeated Young Boys 3–1 to advance to the next round. In the first half of the 2015–16 Swiss Super League season, Djimsiti featured regularly, making most of his appearances as a starter and completing 90 minutes in the majority of matches, with occasional substitutions.
On 17 January 2016, Zürich and Djimsiti mutually agreed to terminate his contract, allowing him to seek regular playing time ahead of the upcoming European Championship; he left the club after making 135 competitive appearances and scoring six goals.
Atalanta On 18 January 2016, Djimsiti signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Serie A side Atalanta, taking the number 55 for the remainder of the 2015–16 Serie A season.
He made his debut on 3 May 2016, featuring against Napoli in a 2–1 defeat. The delay in his debut was due to Atalanta securing their Serie A survival, which allowed the coaching staff to gradually integrate Djimsiti. He initially struggled to find his rhythm in the match but adapted as the game progressed and delivered a positive performance. He also played in the final two matches of the season, completing the full 90 minutes in each.
2016–17 season: Loan to Avellino On 31 August 2016, Djimsiti was loaned out to Serie B side Avellino to gain more playing time.
He made his debut on 10 September 2016 against Trapani, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw. On 26 October 2016, Djimsiti played the full match in Avellino's 1–0 win over Ternana on matchday 11, receiving best player rating for his defensive performance. During the whole 2016–17 Serie B season, Djimsiti played 34 full 90 minutes matches. At the end of the regular league season, Djimsiti returned to Atalanta following the conclusion of his loan spell at Avellino, as the club secured survival in the league.
2017–18 season: Loan to Benevento On 8 July 2017, Djimsiti moved on loan to newly promoted Serie A side Benevento until the end of the season, with buying option.
He made his debut on 1 October 2017, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–1 away loss to Inter Milan. On 19 November 2017, Benevento recorded its 13th consecutive defeat, setting a negative record for the most consecutive losses in Europe's top leagues, after conceding a decisive goal in the 94th minute, with Djimsiti part of the squad during this period. On 30 December 2017, Djimsiti played the full 90 minutes in Benevento's first Serie A victory, a 1–0 home win over Chievo during matchday 19. On 29 January 2018, despite a defeat against Torino, Djimsiti was rated as the best defender of his team by Italian media. On 6 February 2018, Djimsiti received criticism for a challenge on Dries Mertens during Benevento's 2–0 home defeat to Napoli, resulting in a booking. On 18 February 2018, Djimsiti provided an assist for the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Crotone, setting up Cheick Diabaté’s goal in the 89th minute. On 8 April 2018, Djimsiti conceded a penalty in Benevento’s defeat against Juventus after a challenge on Miralem Pjanić. On 17 April 2018, Djimsiti delivered a solid performance in a 2–2 draw against Sassuolo, despite the club having already been relegated. On 22 April 2018, Djimsiti played the full match in Benevento’s 1–0 away win over Milan, receiving positive ratings from Italian media.
In total, during the 2017–18 Serie A season, Djimsiti made 30 league appearances, all as a starter and completing the full 90 minutes in each match, as Benevento recorded three additional victories during the campaign, including a 3–0 home win over Hellas Verona on matchday 27.
2018–19 season: Return to Atalanta and breakthrough Djimsiti returned to Atalanta ahead of the 2018–19 season. He made his European debut for the club in mid-August 2018, starting in the second leg of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League qualifying third round against Hapoel Haifa, which Atalanta won 2–0 to advance 6–1 on aggregate. He went on to play regularly under manager Gian Piero Gasperini, establishing himself as a regular starter. In league play, he made his first appearance of the 2018–19 Serie A campaign on 20 August in a 4–0 win against Frosinone. On 10 September 2018, Atalanta offered Djimsiti a new contract, extending his stay with the club until 2023 and included a wage increase of his salary to €300,000 per season. He scored his first goal for Atalanta on 11 November, heading in the team’s third goal in a 4–1 home win over Inter Milan, which ended the visitors’ six-match winning streak. On 26 December 2018, Djimsiti scored an own goal in a 2–2 draw against Juventus and received a low rating from some Italian media for his performance. On 20 January 2019, during matchday 20, Djimsiti provided an assist in Atalanta's 5–0 away victory over Frosinone. On 11 May 2019, Djimsiti provided an assist for Timothy Castagne in a 2–1 win over Sassuolo. In the Serie A, Atalanta finished third in the standings, securing qualification for the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League. During the 2018–19 Coppa Italia, Djimsiti played every minute in all of Atalanta's matches from the round of 16 to the final, where Atalanta finished as runners‑up after losing 2–0 to Lazio on 15 May 2019.
2019–2021: Champions League debut and rise