Amir Kadri Rrahmani (born 24 February 1994) is a Kosovar 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 lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for club

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

Club career

Drenica

Born in

Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...

to Albanian parents from

Skenderaj Skenderaj ( sq-definite, Skënderaji) or Srbica ( sr-Cyrl, Србица) is a List of cities in Kosovo, town and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality located in the District of Mitrovica, Mitrovica District of Kosovo. According to the 2021 cens ...

, Rrahmani began his football career with the youth team of

Drenica Drenica (, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klina, Zubin Potok, Mitr ...

, where he was promoted to the senior team during the 2011–12 campaign where he immediately began to impress despite being only 17 years old. He went on trial with

Albanian Superliga Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...

side Kastrioti Krujë in the summer of 2012, where he impressed the coaching staff. However, a deal to sign the player could not be agreed, with negotiations stalled over a compensation package which was reported to be in the region of €3,000. He returned to KF Drenica where he became an important first team player as he helped his side finish just above the relegation playoff zone in the Superleague of Kosovo. His contract expired at the end of the 2012–13 season and he was allowed to leave Drenica on a free transfer.

Partizani

Rrahmani was subject to interest by a host of

Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...

sides, with the reigning champions

Skënderbeu Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanian feudal lord and military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serb ...

formally offering the 19-year-old a contract to join the club, but he would ultimately decide to join Partizani instead. He made his debut for his new club on 21 September 2013 in an away game against Besa, where he came on as a substitute after half time in the 1–0 win for his side. At the end of 2014–15 season, Rrahmani was named "Talent of the Year" by association "Sporti na bashkon".

RNK Split

On 5 June 2015, Rrahmani finished his career at Partizani and moved to Croatian side

RNK Split Radnički nogometni klub Split ("Workers' Football Club of Split") commonly known as RNK Split, is a Croatian professional football club based in the city of Split. History The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard. The club was fo ...

, where he joined the fellow Albanian player

Sokol Cikalleshi Sokol Cikalleshi (; born 27 July 1990) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as forward for Turkish club Adanaspor and the Albania national team. He made his professional debut in 2007 as a 17-year-old with his hometown club Besa, ...

. He made his competitive debut for the club on 13 July in the opening league match of 2015–16 season against Lokomotiva, where he played full-90 minutes in a 2–1 home win. Following that, Rrahmani become a regular starter in

Zoran Vulić Zoran Vulić (; born 4 October 1961) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is notable for having managed Hajduk Split five separate times between 1998 and 2018, which is a record among all Ha ...

and later

Goran Sablić Goran Sablić (born 4 August 1979) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Bosnian Premier League club Velež Mostar. He spent most of his career in Croatia, playing for Hajduk Split and has also play ...

lineup, establish himself in the center of defence. On 30 October, Rrahmani made a solid performance against the league leaders

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...

for a 1–0 home win, which lead him to be named in the Team of the Week. On 22 November, following his good display in the 1–1 away draw against Istra 1961, Rrahmani was named again in the Team of the Week. Rrahmani commenced 2016 by playing full-90 minutes in the team's first league match of 2016, a 1–1 away draw against

Inter Zaprešić Inter may refer to: Association football clubs * Inter Milan, an Italian club * SC Internacional, a Brazilian club * Inter Miami CF, an American club * Inter Playa del Carmen, a Mexican club * FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club * FC Inter Turku, a Fi ...

, which was followed by another full-90 minutes against

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, which lead him to be named again in the Team of the Week. On 2 March 2016, Rrrahmani netted his first goal for the club during the 1–2 home defeat to

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

. This lead him to another Team of the Week selection. Rrahmani continued with his solid appearances which led to his value rising to an estimated €1 million. He was named again in the Team of the Week for the 8th time following a goalless draw against

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

on 8 April.

Dinamo Zagreb

On 30 August 2016, Rrahmani joined with champion of

Croatian First Football League The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establishe ...

side

. Dinamo Zagreb reportedly paid a €1.6 million transfer fee.

Loan at Lokomotiva

Eight days after the transfer to

, Rrahmani joined with another

side Lokomotiva, on a season-long loan. On 11 September 2016, he made his debut in a 2–3 away win against

Slaven Belupo Nogometni klub Slaven Belupo (), often referred to as Slaven Belupo, is a Croatian professional football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of Croatia. They play their home matches at Gradski stadion in Koprivnica. They play in ...

after being named in the starting line-up.

Return from loan

On 21 June 2017, Rrahmani returned to

side

. A month later, he made his debut in a 4–0 home win against

Cibalia Hrvatski nogometni klub Cibalia, commonly known as Cibalia Vinkovci or simply Cibalia, is a Croatian football club from the town of Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Cibalia currently play in the Prva NL, Croatia's second-tier league. Their stadium ...

after coming on as a substitute at 68th minute in place of

Filip Benković Filip Benković (born 13 July 1997) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Allsvenskan club AIK. Early life Benković was born in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and joined the Dinamo Zagreb academy in 2008. Club ...

Hellas Verona

On 26 June 2019, Rrahmani joined

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

side

Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Hellas Verona (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Verona, Veneto, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won ...

, on a four-year contract. Hellas Verona reportedly paid around €2 million transfer fee. One day later, the club confirmed that Rrahmani had joined on a permanent transfer. On 18 August 2019, he made his debut with Hellas Verona in the

third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

2019–20 Coppa Italia The 2019–20 Coppa Italia (branded as the Coppa Italia Coca-Cola for sponsorship reasons during the final) was the 73rd edition of the national cup in Italian football. Lazio were the defending champions having won their seventh cup title in May ...

against

Cremonese Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

after being named in the starting line-up.

Napoli

On 20 January 2020, Rrahmani joined

side

. Napoli reportedly paid a €14 million transfer fee. He won the Serie A in the 2022–23 season.

Return to Hellas Verona as loan

On 20 January 2020, Rrahmani was sent back on loan to

for the remainder of the season, with the club paying wages of £8,000 per week. Six days later, he played the first game after the return against

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

after being named in the starting line-up.

Return from loan

On 24 August 2020, Rrahmani returned to

. On 3 January 2021, he made his debut in a 1–4 away win against

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

after coming on as a substitute at 87th minute in place of

Kostas Manolas Konstantinos "Kostas" Manolas (; ; born 14 June 1991) is a Greek footballer who plays for Kyklades FCA First Division club Pannaxiakos. A defender throughout his career, Manolas has been playing as a striker for Pannaxiakos since 2024. Clu ...

. On 12 March 2024, Rrahmani scored his first

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

goal during Napoli's 3–1 away defeat to

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

in the

Round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

second leg, where his club ultimately exited the competition with a 4–2 aggregate loss. Rrahmani played a pivotal role in Napoli's triumphant

2024–25 Serie A The 2024–25 Serie A (known as the Serie A Enilive and Serie A Made in Italy for sponsorship reasons domestically and abroad, respectively) was the 123rd season of top-tier Italian football, the 93rd in a round-robin tournament, and the 1 ...

campaign under

Antonio Conte Antonio Conte (; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional Association football, football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Serie A club Napoli. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the wo ...

. He led the team in minutes played and topped several defensive metrics, including clearances (4.7 per 90 minutes) and aerial duels won (3.4 per 90 minutes), boasting a 69.6% success rate in aerial challenges. Additionally, Rrahmani led all Serie A players in touches (3,195), total passes (2,769), and successful passes (2,521) over the season.

International career

Being of Albanian descent from Kosovo, Rrahmani received Albanian citizenship on 4 June 2013 among Albania senior side member

Agon Mehmeti Agon Xhevat Mehmeti (born 20 November 1989) is an Albanian former professional footballer who last played as a striker for Örebro SK. Club career Malmö FF Mehmeti began his football career at IFK Malmö before moving to join Malmö FF in 20 ...

, and fellow Albania U21 players Haxhi Neziraj,

Valentin Gjokaj Valentin Gasper Gjokaj (born 23 August 1993) is a Switzerland, Swiss-Albanian professional Defender (association football), footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), defender. Club career FC Luzern Born in Lucerne, Gjokaj bega ...

and Herolind Shala.

Albania U21

Principally Rrahmani was called up by

Skënder Gega Skënder Gega (born 14 November 1963) is an Albanian Association football, football coach and a former player. He is the manager of FK Partizani Tirana, Partizani. Playing career Club Gega played the majority of his career at FK Partizani Tiran ...

for a friendly match of the Albania U21 side against

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

in February 2013. He came as a later upcoming in the Albania U21's last 4 matches for the

2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 20th edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, a biennial international association football, football competition for men's under-21 national teams organised by UEFA. The final tourn ...

in last four months of the tournament, exactly from August to November 2013.

Kosovo

Rrahmani was capped once for the Kosovo national team in a sanctioned match by

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

on 25 May 2014 against

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 loss.

Albania

Following his good performances at both

Partizani Tirana Futboll Klub Partizani is an Albanian professional football club based in Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore. Founded in 1946, the club was historically affiliated to the Albanian army. Partizani's home ground is the newly built sta ...

and the Albania under-21 side, Rrahmani was called up by the Albania senior side coach Gianni De Biasi for a friendly match on 8 June 2014 against

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

. He made his debut against the side after coming on as a substitute in place of fellow 20-year-old defender

Elseid Hysaj Elseid Gëzim Hysaj (; born 2 February 1994) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Serie A club Lazio and the Albania national team. Early life Hysaj was born in Reç, Malësi e Madhe, Albania. Two months after ...

in the 82nd minute of the match, which finished in a 0–3 away victory. On 13 November 2015, Rrahmani scored against Kosovo, a team which he previously played for.

Return to Kosovo

In August 2016, Rrahmani decided to switch his international allegiance to represent Kosovo. On 11 June 2017, he scored his first goal for Kosovo in a 4–1 defeat against

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

during the

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA FIFA#Structure, confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia national football team, Rus ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Albania's and Kosovo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rrahmani goal.''

Honours

Dinamo Zagreb *

Prva HNL The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establish ...

: 2017–18, 2018–19 *

Croatian Cup Croatian Cup may refer to: *Croatian Football Cup *Croatian Football Super Cup *Croatian Women's Football Cup *Croatian Basketball Cup, also known as Krešimir Ćosić Cup *Croatian Handball Cup *Croatian Water Polo Cup The Croatian Water Polo C ...

: 2017–18 Napoli *

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

, 2024–25 Individual *

Talent of the Year:

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

3rd place,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Team of the Season: 2024–25

References

External links

Profile
at the SSC Napoli website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rrahmani, Amir 1994 births Living people Footballers from Pristina Kosovo Albanians Men's association football central defenders Kosovan men's footballers 21st-century Kosovan sportsmen Kosovo men's international footballers Kosovan expatriate men's footballers Kosovan expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Kosovan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Albanian men's footballers Albania men's youth international footballers Albania men's under-21 international footballers Albania men's international footballers Albanian expatriate men's footballers Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Dual internationalists (men's football) Football Superleague of Kosovo players KF Kosova VR Prishtinë players KF Ramiz Sadiku players KF Drenica players Kategoria Superiore players FK Partizani Tirana players Croatian Football League players RNK Split players GNK Dinamo Zagreb players NK Lokomotiva Zagreb players Serie A players Hellas Verona FC players 21st-century Albanian sportsmen