Ansi Nika (born 22 August 1990) is an

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

n former 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 played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Club career

Nika begun his professional career with Ada Velipojë where he played for two seasons, before joining his boyhood club Vllaznia Shkodër at the start of 2009–10 season. Nika signed a new one-year contract with

Teuta Durrës Klubi i Futbollit Teuta, commonly referred to as ''Teuta'', is an Albanian professional football club based in Durrës. The club competes in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. Their home ground is the Niko Dovana Stadiu ...

on 19 June 2014. A day later, he was loaned out to Kukësi for their

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

qualification games. However, this deal later turned to be a permanent deal, as Nika remained at the club for the entire 2015–16 season. On 5 July 2016, Nika joined

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ov ...

on a two-year contract. He was presented three days later along with fellow midfielder

Afrim Taku Afrim Taku (born 4 August 1989) is an Albanian professional Association football, footballer. Club career Early career Taku began his football career as a 13-year-old when he joined the KF Tirana Reserves and Academy, KF Tirana academy, where h ...

. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 October in the 4–1 away win against Luftëtari Gjirokastër, valid for the first leg of Albanian Cup's second round. Nika terminated his contract by mutual consent on 7 January due to lack playing of time, having collected only 338 minutes in league during the first part of the season. In an interview one day later, Nika cited that he left the club on his free will. On 10 January 2017, Nika agreed personal terms and signed a contract until the end of the season with Albanian Superliga strugglers Laçi. With the number 14, Nika made his competitive debut with the club on 28 January by playing full-90 minutes in a 0–1 vital win over

Korabi Peshkopi KF Korabi is an Albanian football club based in Peshkopi, named after the nearby Mount Korab, which is the tallest mountain in Albania and North Macedonia. The club's home ground is the Korabi Stadium. History Early years The club was founded ...

. He netted his maiden Laçi goal on 18 March, the winner against

Flamurtari Vlorë Flamurtari Football Club is an Albanian professional football club based in Vlorë, Albania. The club plays in the Kategoria Superiore, which is the first tier of football in the country. Founded in 1923, the club is one of the oldest in Alba ...

Laçi Stadium Laçi Stadium () is a multi-use stadium in Laçi, Albania. It is used mostly for association football, football matches and hosts the home games of KF Laçi of the Kategoria Superiore. The stadium currently has an official seated capacity of 2,271 ...

as the team took three vital points in their bid to escape relegation. Nika finished the season by making 15 league appearances, including 2 in cup, as Laçi avoided the relegation by just one point by winning in the last matchday against Teuta Durrës. After initially announcing his departure from the club in the start of July, Nika returned to the club in the first days of August ahead of the new season. In the 2017–18 season, Nika continued to be a consistent starter in the midfield as he finished it with 30 league games and 2 goals. On 27 May 2018, he played in the 2018 Albanian Cup Final match versus

Skënderbeu Korçë 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 ...

which ended in defeat. He left the club in June 2018, concluding his spell with the club by playing 51 matches between league and cup. On 4 July 2018, Nika left Albania for the first time to sign with

Football Superleague of Kosovo The Football Superleague of Kosovo (), also known as the ALBI MALL Superleague of Kosovo () for sponsorship reasons with Albi Mall, is the top level of the Football in Kosovo#Men's, Kosovar football league system. The Superleague is organized by t ...

side Gjilani. On 18 August 2019, Nika was announced as the newest player of

, returning in Albanian Superliga after one season.

Personal life

His younger brother is also a footballer who currently plays for Ada Velipojë. Nika is a fan of his hometown club Vllaznia, whom he played in 2009–10 season.

Career statistics

Honours

;Kukësi *

Albanian Cup The Albanian Cup () is the main "knockout" competition in Albanian football. The competition started in 1939 as Kupa e Mbretit ( English:"The King's Cup"). The cup was suspended for the next eight years as the Second World War started. It start ...

: 2015–16

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nika, Ansi 1990 births Living people Footballers from Shkodër Albanian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders KF Ada Velipojë players KF Vllaznia Shkodër players KF Teuta players FK Kukësi players KF Tirana players KF Laçi players SC Gjilani players Flamurtari FC players Kategoria e Parë players Kategoria Superiore players Football Superleague of Kosovo players Albanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Kosovo Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Kosovo 21st-century Albanian sportsmen