Alban Bekim Hoxha (; born 23 November 1987) is an Albanian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
for Albanian club
Partizani and the
Albania national team.
Club career
Dinamo Tirana
Hoxha started youth football at age of 6 and was raised through the ranks at his hometown team
Turbina
''Turbine'' ( cs, Turbina) is a 1941 Czech historical drama film directed by Otakar Vávra and starring František Smolík, Lída Baarová and Vlasta Matulová. It is based on a novel by Karel Matěj Čapek-Chod.
Synopsis
The film takes pl ...
before joining the youth team of
Dinamo Tirana
Futboll Club Dinamo Tirana is an Albanian professional football club based in the country's capital Tirana. They play in the Kategoria e Parë, the second tier of Albanian football, in the 2022–23 season.
Founded in 1950 during the communist ...
in 2004. He was loaned back out to Turbina for the 2005–06 campaign, where he played in the
Kategoria e Parë
Kategoria e Parë is the second level of professional football in Albania, behind the Kategoria Superiore and above the Kategoria e Dytë.
Format
Kategoria e Parë was founded in 1930. It is made up of 14 teams. The 2 best ranked teams gain prom ...
.
He returned the following season and joined the first team at Dinamo as
Ilion Lika
Ilion Lika (born 17 May 1980) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and also is goalkeeping coach of Albanian club Tirana in the Albanian Superliga.
During his 19-year career span, Lika has played more than 500 match ...
understudy. He made his top flight debut with Dinamo on 10 March 2007 in a home game against
Elbasani. He featured in 11 league games between March and the end of the season due to first choice keeper Lika being sidelined with injury.
The following season, he became second choice to
Elvis Kotorri following the departure of Ilion Lika, and he made 2 league appearances as Dinamo were crowned Kategoria Superiore champions for the first time since 2002. During the first half of the
2008–09 season he only made one league and one cup appearance before being loaned out to fellow Superiore side
Apolonia in January for the remainder of the season. He made 8 appearances while on loan at Apolonia and kept 3 clean sheets, helping the team avoid the relegation play-off places by a single point.
He returned to his parent club Dinamo ahead of the
2009–10 season and made 6 league appearances as he won his second Superiore title with Dinamo. The following season, he competed with Albanian international
Isli Hidi
Isli Hidi (born 15 October 1980) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Albanian club Erzeni.
He started his career with KF Tirana, where he won six Kategoria Superiore winners medals, three Kupa e Shqipërisë wi ...
for the first choice spot in the team, and following Hidi's departure to
Olympiakos Nicosia
Olympiakos Nicosia ( el, Ολυμπιακός Λευκωσίας, ''Olympiakos Lefkosias'') is a football club based in Nicosia, Cyprus and competes in the Cypriot First Division. The club was founded in 1931, and is a founding member of the C ...
in January 2011 he became Dinamo's first choice keeper for the first time and eventually featured in 24 league games as Dinamo narrowly avoided relegation after beating
Besëlidhja in the relegation play-off.
At the time with Dinamo, he had a short spell with
Kosova Vushtrri in the
Kosovo Superleague.
[Alban Hoxha]
at AlbaniaSoccer
Kastrioti
On 22 August 2011, Hoxha completed a transfer to
Kastrioti
The House of Kastrioti ( sq, Dera e Kastriotëve) was an Albanian noble family, active in the 14th and 15th centuries as the rulers of the Principality of Kastrioti. At the beginning of the 15th century, the family controlled a territory in the ...
by penning a one-year contract as a free agent. There he competed with
Argjent Halili for the starting lineup, ultimately losing out as he only made 6 league appearances, and was used mainly in the Albanian Cup, where he featured 10 times. He left the club at the end of the season along with Halili, and was in talks with
Kukësi regarding a possible transfer, but a move never materialised as an agreement could not be reached.
Besa
He joined
Besa ahead of the 2012–13 campaign and was immediately made the first choice goalkeeper ahead of Ibrahim Bejte. Throughout the season Hoxha made 23 league and 2 cup appearances, helping Besa to a 9th-place finish, avoiding the relegation play-off places.
Partizani
He joined newly promoted
Partizani in the summer of 2013 and was given the number 1 shirt as well being named captain for the 2013–14 season.
Hoxha went 1,084 minutes without conceding a goal during
2014–15 Kategoria Superiore season and got the all-time
Kategoria Superiore
The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...
record as he broke the 30-year-old record set by the goalkeeper of
KS Labinoti (modern day called
KF Elbasani
Klubi i Futbollit Elbasani is an Albanian professional football club based in the city of Elbasan, that last competed in the Kategoria e Dytë, the third tier of football in the country.
History
The club was formed in 1913 as Klubi Futbollit U ...
),
Bujar Gogunja, who kept intact net goal for 1037 minutes. At the end of 2014, Hoxha was named
Albanian Footballer of the Year
Albanian Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the best professional Albanian footballer elected by Football Association of Albania members, coaches and captains of the Kategoria Superiore clubs. The award can also be given to a forei ...
for his performances throughout the season.
In March 2015, Hoxha was named
Albanian Superliga Player of the Month after playing 5 matches, keeping a clean sheet.
On 1 November 2015, during the league match against
Teuta
Teuta ( Illyrian: *''Teutana'', 'mistress of the people, queen'; grc, Τεύτα; lat, Teuta) was the queen regent of the Ardiaei tribe in Illyria, who reigned approximately from 231 BC to 228/227 BC.
Following the death of her spouse Agr ...
, Hoxha suffered a jaw-injury after a clash with his team-mate
Gëzim Krasniqi in the 76th minute of the match, being taken off the field by an ambulance.
On 20 July 2016, in the returning leg of
Champions League second qualifying round at
Groupama Arena
Groupama an abbreviation for Groupe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles ( en , Group of Mutual Agricultural Insurances) is a French insurance group headquartered in Paris with operations in 10 countries.
It is listed in the 2007 International Co ...
, Hoxha was the main protagonist of the game. After the regular and extra time had finished in a 1–1 draw, the game was decided in a penalty shootout where Hoxha saved three penalties after himself having scored a
'Panenka'. It was the first time that Partizani successfully progressed to the Champions League third qualifying round.
Hoxha made his 100th
Kategoria Superiore
The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...
appearance for Partizani on 17 October 2016 in the 4–0 win over
Flamurtari
Flamurtari FC is a professional football club based in Vlorë, Albania. The club plays in the Kategoria e Parë, which is the second tier of football in the country.
Founded in 1923, the club is one of the oldest in Albania, and it is also on ...
at
Elbasan Arena
Elbasan Arena ( sq, Elbasan Arena, formerly known as Ruzhdi Bizhuta) is a multi-purpose stadium in Elbasan, Albania. The stadium was completed in 1967 and has been the home ground of KF Elbasani ever since. The stadium was under reconstruction a ...
.
On 9 August 2017, Hoxha agreed a new contract extension with the club, signing until 2020. Hoxha was excluded from the lineup in the opening matchday of championship against
Laçi, lost 0–2. Following the match, manager
Mark Iuliano
Mark Iuliano (; born 12 August 1973) is an Italian football manager and a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Following his retirement he worked as a coach. He is currently working as Igor Tudor's assistant at Serie A clu ...
said that Hoxha has violated the club's rules. It was reported that Hoxha left the team's gather without permission. Club director
Luciano Moggi said that Hoxha would not play unless he apologises to the team, but Hoxha refused and instead handed in his captaincy.
In July 2018, Hoxha was renamed captain following the departure of
Idriz Batha
Idriz 'Idi' Refik Batha (born 28 March 1992) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Romanian club UTA Arad.
Club career Early career
Born in the southern city of Gjirokastër, Batha moved to the capital Tir ...
. Despite the club finishing 5th in the previous season, Skënderbeu Korçë's exclusion from the UEFA competitions meant that Partizani had qualified for the
2018–19 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. The team faced
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
's
NK Maribor, and lost both matches 3–0 on aggregate which brought the early elimination from the competition. Hoxha commenced his domestic season by playing in the opening match of
2018–19 Kategoria Superiore
The 2018–19 Kategoria Superiore was the 80th official season, or 83rd season of top-tier Association football, football in Albania (including three unofficial championships during World War II) and the 19th season under the name Kategoria Superio ...
, conceding an injury time penalty for a foul on
Dejvi Bregu
Dejvi Bregu (born 24 October 1995) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Turkish club Boluspor.
Club career Flamurtari
Bregu was first promoted to Flamurtari's senior squad on 12 May 2012 for the final matchday again ...
which caused the loss. Hoxha faced another penalty in the second matchday against
Kamza; the penalty was conceded in the 45th minute with the score still 0–0, but Hoxha managed to save
Sebino Plaku
Sebino Plaku (born 20 May 1985) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Football Superleague of Kosovo club SC Gjilani.
Club career
Early career
Plaku joined the Partizani academy as a teenager and was eventually pr ...
's attempt as Partizani would later score and win the match 1–0 for the first three points of the season.
In June 2020, Hoxha signed a new one-year contract with the club. Later on 8 November, he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 win over Kukësi in what turned out to be his 300th appearance for the club in all competitions.
International career
Youth
Hoxha was called up for the first time at
Albania under-19 team for the
2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying campaign where he played in all three
Group 9 Group 9 may refer to:
* Group 9 element
*Group 9 Rugby League
Group 9 is a rugby league competition based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, and surrounding areas. The competition is played in five grades, with these being Under 17s, U ...
matches.
Senior
Beginnings
After the end of the
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
, the second choice goalkeeper
Samir Ujkani
Samir Ujkani (born 5 July 1988) is a Kosovar Albanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Italian club Empoli and the Kosovo national team.
Early life
Ujkani was born in Resnik, a village near Vushtrri, SAP Kosovo, SR Serbia, ...
left the team to play for the
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. Albania were looking forward for a third choice behind
Etrit Berisha, which was a starter choice and
Orges Shehi
Orges Shehi (born 25 September 1977) is an Albanian professional former football player and current coach of Tirana.
In July 2010, he joined Skënderbeu and won 6 consecutive league titles (2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014– ...
, which became second choice after leaving of Ujkani.
UEFA Euro 2016 campaign
For the
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...
second round matches against
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
in October 2014, Hoxha received his first senior team call-up by the Albania coach
Gianni De Biasi
Giovanni "Gianni" De Biasi (, sq, Xhovani "Xhani" De Biazi), born 16 June 1956 is an Italian football coach and former player. He holds dual Italian and Albanian citizenship. De Biasi was the first coach of the Albania national team to lead t ...
as a third choice goalkeeper. He remained as an unused substitute for both matches. For the
friendlies against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in November 2014, Hoxha had some issue family problems and he was replaced with the fellow
Kategoria Superiore
The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...
goalkeeper
Stivi Frashëri
Stivi Frashëri (born 29 August 1990) is an Albanian professional footballer who as a goalkeeper for Ballkani in the Kosovar Superliga.
Club career
Early career
Frashëri joined the youth setup of his local side Skënderbeu Korçë as a 14-y ...
of
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
.
On 16 November 2015, Hoxha made his official debut with Albania by replacing Berisha during the friendly match against
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
which ended in a 2–2 draw at
Qemal Stafa Stadium
The Qemal Stafa Stadium ( sq, Stadiumi Qemal Stafa), named after Qemal Stafa (1920–1942), a World War II hero, was a national stadium and the largest football stadium in Tirana, Albania. Construction started in 1939 and the stadium was inaugu ...
.
On 21 May 2016, Hoxha was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro squad on 31 May.
Hoxha didn't manage to play any minute of all Group A matches as Albania were eliminated by ranking in the 3rd place behind hosts
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
against which they lost 2–0 and
Switzerland against which they also lost 1–0 in the opening match and ahead of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
by beating them 1–0 in the closing match with a goal by
Armando Sadiku
Armando Durim Sadiku (born 27 May 1991) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Cartagena and the Albania national team.
Born in Cërrik, Elbasan, Sadiku started his career with a local club Fushë Mbr ...
. Albania finished the group in the third position with three points and with a goal difference –2, and was ranked last in the third-placed teams, which eventually eliminated them.
2018 FIFA World Cup campaign
On 12 November 2016, in the matchday 4 of
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 ...
against
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, Hoxha made his competitive debut by coming on as a 57th minute substitute to save a penalty kick from
Eran Zahavi
Eran Zahavi (or Zehavi, he, ערן זהבי; born 25 July 1987) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a forward for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Zahavi was named Israeli Footballer of the Year twice (2013–14 ...
with Albania already 0–1 down, however, he conceded two more goals as "Red and Blacks" were defeated 0–3 at Elbasan Arena.
Personal life
Hoxha was married to his longtime girlfriend Dorjana Haka. They became parents in November 2014 where Dorjana Haka gave birth to a boy but she died at the time of the birth in a hospital in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
. However the baby survived. He is currently engaged to the Albanian singer
Ciljeta.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Club
Dinamo Tirana
*
Kategoria Superiore
The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...
:
2007–08,
2009–10
Individual
*
Albanian Footballer of the Year
Albanian Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the best professional Albanian footballer elected by Football Association of Albania members, coaches and captains of the Kategoria Superiore clubs. The award can also be given to a forei ...
: 2014
*
Albanian Superliga Player of the Month:
March 2015
References
External links
*
*
FSHF profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoxha, Alban
1987 births
Living people
People from Cërrik
Albanian footballers
Association football goalkeepers
Albania youth international footballers
Albania international footballers
UEFA Euro 2016 players
FK Dinamo Tirana players
KS Turbina Cërrik players
KF Apolonia Fier players
KF Vushtrria players
KS Kastrioti players
Besa Kavajë players
FK Partizani Tirana players
Kategoria Superiore players
Kategoria e Parë players
Kategoria e Dytë players
Albanian expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Kosovo
Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Kosovo