Daniel Xhafa
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Daniel Xhafaj (born 8 March 1977) is an Albanian retired 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 ...
. Mainly as a striker, he could also play as
second striker In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...
. He spent the majority of career playing in Albania where he enjoyed success with Dinamo Tirana, Teuta Durrës, Tirana, Besa Kavajë and Skënderbeu Korçë. Throughout his 20-year career, Xhafaj was known for his goalscoring ability and for being a deadly striker inside the zone. With 204 goals, he is the second top goalscorer in Albanian Superliga history. An Albania international, Xhafaj has been capped only once with
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 ...
in 2007.


Club career


Early career

A
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 ...
product, Xhafaj made his professional debut in the 1995–96 season. He found more space to play in the next season, appearing in 11 league matches, but still went goalless. Xhafaj scored his first goal during the 1997–98 season. He went on to score two more times during that season, as Flamurtari avoided relegation for only three points. Xhafaj enjoyed his breakthrough season in 1998–98 where he netted 10 goals in 23 league appearances as Flamurtari once again barely avoided relegation. Xhafaj scored 4 times in 13 league appearances during the first part of 1999–2000 season, before was sent on loan at fellow top flight side Bylis Ballsh to win more experience. He impressed during his short spell at Ballsh, scoring 8 times in 12 league appearances. Bylis finished the league in a respectable 5th place. Xhafaj's performances earned him a transfer to capital club
Dinamo Tirana Football Club Dinamo City, commonly referred to as Dinamo City and colloquially known as Dinamo, is an Albanian professional football club based out of Tirana. They compete in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. Founded i ...
. He scored 10 goals in 25 league appearances as Dinamo Tirana finished 3rd. He won his first major trophy in the 2001–02 season when Dinamo clinched the championship title for the 16th time. He also played in European competitions for the first time as Dinamo was eliminated by
Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...
in the first qualifying round of
2001–02 UEFA Cup The 2001–02 UEFA Cup was won by Feyenoord at their home ground in the final against Borussia Dortmund. It was the second time they won the competition. Liverpool could not defend their title as they automatically qualified for the 2001–02 ...
. Xhafaj declined in the first half of 2002–03 season where he scored only twice in 13 league appearances. In January 2003, he returned to his first club Flamurtari Vlorë where he played until autumn of 2003. Xhafaj scored only 4 goals in 21 league appearances during his second spell with ''The Red and Blacks''.


Teuta Durrës

Xhafaj joined Teuta Durrës in the autumn of 2003 where he went to play in the next four years. He scored his first league goal on 25 October 2003 in the matchday 9 versus
Besa Kavajë Besa or BESA may refer to: Arts & entertainment * ''Besa'' (newspaper), a newspaper published in Albania * ''Besa'' (TV series), a Serbian-British television series produced by Adrenalin and Red Planet Pictures * ''The Besa'', a novel by Albanian ...
. He then scored a hat-trick, his second in the
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 ...
, to give Teuta all three points against the same opponent. Xhafaj finished his first season at Durrës by scoring 21 goals in 24 league matches as Teuta finished 5th which qualified them to the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup first round. He began the 2004–05 season on 20 June by playing in the round of UEFA Intertoto Cup against
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as Teuta earned a goalless draw. Xhafaj also played in the returned leg as Teuta was thrashed 4–0 at Mestský štadión which confirmed their elimination for the competition. Xhafaj started the domestic season on 21 August by appearing the opening championship day, a 6–1 loss to Vllaznia Shkodër. He opened his scoring account later on 25 September by netting the lone goal in the match versus Laçi. Xhafaj scored another winner three weeks later in the matchday 8 against Dinamo Tirana. He scored his first hat-trick of the season on 23 April of the following year in the 5–0 win over underdogs of Laçi. He repeated the feat two weeks later in the 3–5 loss to
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 ...
. He finished 2004–05 by netting 21 goals in 34 league matches, missing the Golden Boot to
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 ...
's Dorian Bylykbashi. Teuta Durrës once again finished 5th in the championship. This meant the qualification to the UEFA Cup first qualifying round. Teuta begun their UEFA cup campaign on 14 July 2005 where they faced Bosnia outfit
Široki Brijeg Široki Brijeg () is a city and the regional capital of West Herzegovina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. the town itself had a population of 6,149 and the municipality of 28,929. Name ...
in the first round. Xhafa scored his first European goal to lead the team into a 3–1 home win. Teuta blew up a two-goal lead in the returning leg and was eliminated 4–3 on aggregate. Xhafaj then spent the remaining 2005–06 season on loan at
Swiss Super League The Super League (also known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss football league system. It has been played in its current fo ...
side
Neuchâtel Xamax Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel. Since the fusion in 2021 of the municipalities of Neuchâtel, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux, and Valangin, the city has ap ...
where he netted 3 goals in 21 league matches. He also played two cup matches and returned to Teuta in the summer of 2006. On 9 July 2006, Xhafaj was sent on loan to Elbasani for the club
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 ...
campaign. He made his first UEFA Champions League appearance two days later in the first leg of
first qualifying round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
versus Ekranas as Elbasani won 1–0 at
Ruzhdi Bizhuta Stadium 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 and was officially ...
. He also played in the returning leg as Elbasani lost 0–3 and was eliminated 1–3 on aggregate. Xhafaj returned to Teuta following Elbasani's elimination. Xhafaj started his 4th Teuta season on 26 August by netting a brace in the opening matchday of 2006–07 Albanian Superliga versus Dinamo Tirana. He scored his 100th Albanian Superliga goal later on 21 October in the 0–2 win at
Shkumbini Peqin Klubi i Futbollit Shkumbini Peqin is an Albanian football club based in the town of Peqin. The club's home ground is the Shkumbini Stadium and they compete in the Kategoria e Dytë. History Football was first introduced to the city of Peqin in t ...
. Xhafaj recorded his 50th league goal for Teuta on 2 December in the 2–0 win versus
Apolonia Fier Futboll Klub Apolonia Fier is an Albanian football club based in Fier. The club was founded on 17 June 1925 and took its name from the nearby ruins of the ancient city of Apollonia. The club currently competes in Kategoria e Parë, the secon ...
. He finished 2006–07 season by netting 20 goals in 31 league appearances as Teuta finished runner-up in championship to Tirana. Teuta also reached the final of Albanian Cup, where Xhafaj scored one of his team's goals in an eventual 3–2 defeat at the hands of Besa Kavajë. Xhafaj left the club in July 2007. He finished his spell at Teuta with 65 goals in 96 appearances in all competitions.


Tirana

Xhafaj completed a transfer to Albania most successful club
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 ...
as a free agent. Priror to that, he had an unsuccessful trial at
Austrian Football Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...
outfit
Rapid Wien Sportklub Rapid (), commonly known as Rapid Wien or Rapid Vienna in English, is an Austrian professional football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the f ...
. Xhafaj was allocated his favourite squad number 22, and started the season on 15 August by playing in the
2007 Albanian Supercup The 2007 Albanian Supercup was the 14th edition of the Albanian Supercup since its establishment in 1989. The match was contested between the Albanian Cup 2007 winners Besa Kavajë and the 2006–07 Albanian Superliga champions KF Tirana. Detail ...
where Tirana won 4–2 versus
Besa Kavajë Besa or BESA may refer to: Arts & entertainment * ''Besa'' (newspaper), a newspaper published in Albania * ''Besa'' (TV series), a Serbian-British television series produced by Adrenalin and Red Planet Pictures * ''The Besa'', a novel by Albanian ...
to clinch the first trophy of the season. It was his third career trophy. His league debut occurred one week later in the 0–1 loss away to
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 ...
in the opening championship week. Xhafaj endured a slow start to the season and was out of form in the first matches. He had to wait until 7 November to score his first goal of the season; he netted a header in 39th minute against his former team Teuta Durrës to temporarily level the figures in an eventual 2–1 win. His second of the season came later in round 14 in the 3–2 home win over Skënderbeu Korçë which was the third league win in a row. At the end of 2007, Xhafaj was ranked 43rd in the list of top 50 goalscorers by
IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
. Xhafaj slightly improved in the second part of the season, netting in both legs of
2007–08 Albanian Cup 2007–08 Albanian Cup () was the fifty-sixth season of Albania's annual cup competition. It began in August 2007 with the First Preliminary Round and ended on 7 May 2006 with the Final match. The winners of the competition qualified for the 2008- ...
second round tie versus Laçi. He also scored in the 2–1 win versus Elbasani in matchday 25. It was a season to forget for Tirana as they ended up 6th in championship like never before. Xhafaj himself managed to score only 8 league goals, his worst tally in Albania since 2002–03 season. He however was able to score 4 cup goals as Tirana lost in final to Vllaznia Shkodër. Following the end of the season, Xhafaj was the only player on contract with Tirana. Xhafaj was sent on loan at fellow capital side Dinamo for their Champions League campaign. He played in the first leg of
second qualifying round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
as Dinamo lost 0–2 at home versus
Modriča Modriča ( sr-cyrl, Модрича) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the town has a population of 10,137 inhabitants, while the municipality has a population of 25,720 inhabitants. Hist ...
. He also played in the returning leg, scoring in 72nd minute which revived Dinamo hopes of qualification before Modriča scored twice in the last minutes to win 2–1. Xhafaj begun his domestic season on 24 August 2008 by appearing in the goalless draw of Albania derby versus Vllaznia Shkodër. He scored his first goal of the season in matchday 3 against
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 ...
in the capital derby. Xhafaj was also on the score-sheet of the inaugural Taçi Oil Cup match versus then-
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
winners
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
on 14 October. He scored with a shot just inside the zone in an eventual 2–1 win. Xhafaj scored his first cup goal of 2008–09 season later on 29 October in the 1–1 draw versus Tërbuni Pukë in the first leg of
first round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
. Xhafaj eventually finished the season with 10 league goals as Tirana clinched their 24 championship in history; this was Xhafaj second Albanian Superliga title. He also scored twice in Tirana's run in cup as the team was defeated 1–2 by Flamurtari Vlorë in the final. Xhafaj begun his third Tirana season by playing in the
second qualifying round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
on
2009–10 UEFA Europa League The 2009–10 UEFA Europa League was the first season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA. The competition was previously known as the UEFA Cup, which had been in existence for 38 years. Spai ...
against
Stabæk Fotball Stabæk Fotball is a Norway, Norwegian professional association football, football club based in Bærum, a suburb of Oslo. It is part of the multi-sport organization Stabæk IF. Founded in 1912, the club's name is an archaic spelling of the sub ...
. He played in both legs as Tirana was crashed out of competition 1–5 on aggregate. He left the club in August 2009. His spell with the capital club was marred by his wrong positioning on the field and poor relationship with manager
Sulejman Mema Sulejman Haxhi Mema (born 17 November 1955) is an Albanian former football player and manager of KF Tirana, Tirana Youth. He has also been head of refereeing at the Football Association of Albania. International career He made his debut for Alb ...
.


Besa Kavajë

Xhafaj signed for
Besa Kavajë Besa or BESA may refer to: Arts & entertainment * ''Besa'' (newspaper), a newspaper published in Albania * ''Besa'' (TV series), a Serbian-British television series produced by Adrenalin and Red Planet Pictures * ''The Besa'', a novel by Albanian ...
on 27 August 2009 after having played in the Champions League qualifiers with previous club
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 ...
against Norwegian side Stabæk. Tirana's failure to qualify to the next round lead to Xhafaj considering his options, one of those came from Besa's president Nexhat Bizhdili who had great ambitions to make Besa one of Albania's top sides. Just days before finalising the deal for the striker, he had a meeting with Bizhdili to discuss a possible transfer, after he was convinced he signed on 27 August 2009 and trained with the rest of the club at their preseason training camp in
Mavrovë Mavrovë ( sq-definite, Mavrova) is a village in the Vlorë County, Albania, about southeast of Vlorë, in the Shushicë River valley. At the 2015 local government reform, it became part of the municipality Selenicë. Notable people * Kadri Ha ...
. Xhafaj made a dream debut by scoring a brace in the 2–0 home win versus Vllaznia Shkodër in the opening championship matchday. The brace was followed by the winner against Skënderbeu Korçë in round 5 which placed Besa in first place tied on points with Dinamo. On 29 November 2009, in the matchday 12 away against Vllaznia Shkodër, Xhafaj scored in the 35th second of the match to make it the 4th fastest goal ever in
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 ...
; Besa won 3–2. It was his first league goal after six matches. His goal was ranked the fourth fastest ever in the championship behind
Stevan Račić Stevan Račić ( sr-Cyrl, Стеван Рачић; born on 17 January 1984) is a Serbian former professional footballer who plays as a forward. He has played with several Eastern European and Asian clubs during his career. Career Born in Bačk ...
,
Gjergji Muzaka Gjergji Muzaka (born 26 September 1984) is an Albanian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A product of Partizani Tirana academy, Muzaka begun his career as a talented youth player, which prompted Paris Saint-Germain to s ...
and
Migen Memelli Migen Memelli (born 25 April 1980) is an Albanian professional football coach and a former player. Regarded as one of the best strikers of Albanian football, he was known for his goalscoring ability, and has twice been the top goalscorer in th ...
. Xhafaj begun second part of the season on prolific form; he scored in each of three four league matches as Besa collected 12 points to remain in second position 12 points behind the leader Dinamo. Priror to that he scored in the third edition of Taçi Oil Cup against Spanish giants
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
while representing Gramozi Ersekë; he scored inside two minutes to give Gramozi the lead in an eventual 1–2 loss at
Qemal Stafa Stadium The Qemal Stafa Stadium (), 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 inaugurated in 1946 for the Ba ...
. Xhafaj also scored in both legs of
2009–10 Albanian Cup 2009–10 Albanian Cup was the fifty-eighth season of Albania's annual cup competition. It began on 23 September 2009 with the First Preliminary Round. The winners of the competition qualified for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Lea ...
third round tie versus Tirana as Besa progressed thanks to away goal rule. Xhafaj reached double-figures for the second season in a row on 7 March 2010 by netting his team's lone goal in a 1–2 home loss to Skënderbeu Korçë. On 9 May, Xhafaj won his first trophy with Besa, the Albanian Cup, after defeating Vllaznia 2–1 at extra-time. His first hat-trick of the season came later on 14 May in the penultimate matchday versus Gramozi Ersekë as Besa won 6–4. It was his first hat-trick in three years and 4th overall. The hat-trick and a goal in the last matchday versus Dinamo lifted the striker tally to 18 goals which allowed him to clinch the Golden Boot for the first time in career, leaving behind Dinamo's Elis Bakaj. Xhafaj eventually finished the season by netting 21 goals between league and cup, as Besa finished runner-up in league to Dinamo to secure a spot to Europe for next season. He left the club in the first days of June.


Flamurtari Vlorë

Xhafaj returned to
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 ...
on 12 June 2010 by agreeing a deal worth €70,000 per season. He was presented on the same day where he was given squad number 22. He made his third Flamurtari debut on 21 August by netting the winner versus current champions
Dinamo Tirana Football Club Dinamo City, commonly referred to as Dinamo City and colloquially known as Dinamo, is an Albanian professional football club based out of Tirana. They compete in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. Founded i ...
in the opening matchday of championship. This was followed by a brace against the other capital club Tirana in the second matchday to lead the team into a 2–1 win and first place in championship. Starting from October, Xhafaj went on to score in 7 consecutive league matches, including in the 4–0 home win against title challengers Skënderbeu Korçë on 7 November. Priror to that, he was sent-off in the 1–3 away loss to
Shkumbini Peqin Klubi i Futbollit Shkumbini Peqin is an Albanian football club based in the town of Peqin. The club's home ground is the Shkumbini Stadium and they compete in the Kategoria e Dytë. History Football was first introduced to the city of Peqin in t ...
on 17th which forced him to miss the next match against Laçi which was won 1–0 a week later. His run came to an end on 13 December in the 1–0 win to Besa Kavajë. Flamurtari finished the first part of the season in the first place three points ahead of the closest follower. Xhafaj himself scored an impressive 12 goals in 15 matches. Xhafaj started 2011 by scoring a goal in each of first three league matches of the second part of the season; the first was in the 1–2 win at Kastrioti Krujë, the second in the 4–2 win over Shkumbini Peqin and the third from a winner against Laçi. This wins helped the team to extend the league lead to Skënderbeu. Xhafaj was protagonist in the controversial 0–1 away loss to Skënderbeu in the "championship battle". Flamurtari lost to a controversial penalty awarded in 31st minute by the referee. As if that was not enough, the team also played for more than half-hour with 10 players after the expulsion of
Bledar Devolli Bledar Devolli (born 15 January 1978) is an Albanian professional Association football, football coach and former player. Club career Devolli was released by the Flamurtari chairman Shpëtim Gjika on 19 July 2011, along with three other main pla ...
. Xhafaj went to publicly accuse the referee for deciding the game. In an interview in 2017, where he was asked about this match, Xhafaj stated: "I have not feel well to see that episodes. In my long career, it is the first time that a game which decides the title gets determines by a referee like this, because he determined that. This is a disaster and I invite AFA to interfere, because they decide for the referees." They were also deducted three points by AFA after abandoning the game versus Vllaznia Shkodër; they abandon the game in 89th minute after a penalty assigned to Vllaznia. Flamurtari at that point was winning 1–0 with the goal of Xhafaj. Federation gave Vllaznia a 3–0 walkover win. Flamurtari finished the championship on second place. For Xhafaj it was a good season in personal terms, as he managed to win Golden Boot for the second consecutive season after netting 19 goals in 31 matches. He was also named Player of the Year by
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
. Xhafaj also made 2 cup appearances as Flamurtari was eliminated in the
second round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
. He was released by the Flamurtari chairman Shpëtim Gjika on 19 July 2011, along with three other main players,
Sebino Plaku Sebino Plaku (born 20 May 1985) is an Albanian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Early career Plaku joined the Partizani academy as a teenager and was eventually promoted to the first team ahead of the 2003 ...
,
Bledar Devolli Bledar Devolli (born 15 January 1978) is an Albanian professional Association football, football coach and former player. Club career Devolli was released by the Flamurtari chairman Shpëtim Gjika on 19 July 2011, along with three other main pla ...
and Julian Ahmataj.


Skënderbeu Korçë

Despite interest from Greek side
PAS Giannina PAS Giannina Football Club (), or with its full name Panipirotikós Athlitikós Síllogos Giánnina (, ''Panepirotic Athletic Club Giannina'') is a Greek professional Association football, football club based in the city of Ioannina, the capita ...
, Xhafaj signed a one-year contract with Albanian champions
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 ...
on 23 July 2011, just 4 days after being released by Flamurtari. It was believed he had signed a contract worth €70,000 for the 2011–12 season. Xhafaj was handed squad number 22 and made his debut on 18 August in the 2011 Albanian Supercup versus Tirana as Skënderbeu lost 0–1 at home. This match was also delayed for one hour due to clashes among fans. He made his first league appearance later on 10 September in the goalless draw against
Tomori Berat Futboll Klub Tomori Berat is an Albanian football club based in the city of Berat. The club's home ground is the Tomori Stadium and they currently participate in the Kategoria e Dytë. History The sport of football was introduced to the city of ...
in the opening matchday. Xhafaj opened his scoring account on 31 October by netting the lone goal versus
Kastrioti Krujë Klubi Sportiv Kastrioti is an Albanian football club based in the city of Krujë. The club's home ground used to be the Kastrioti Stadium, but after the stadium got closed and demolished, Kastrioti decided to move to the Kamëz Stadium in Kamëz, ...
, which ended a run of 501 minutes of football without a goal. It was also Skënderbeu's first win under
Stanislav Levý Stanislav Levý (born 2 May 1958) is a Czech football manager and former player, whose playing position was defender. During his club career, Levý played for Bohemians 1905, SpVgg Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin and Tennis Borussia Berlin. He also mad ...
management. Xhafa scored again one month later in the 2011–12 Albanian Cup Group C match versus Luftëtari Gjirokastër to help Skënderbeu win 2–0 at home. The team eventually finished second in the group which secured them a spot to quarter-finals. Xhafaj then scored a brace on 5 December in Skënderbeu's 3–2 defeat of Bylis Ballsh to lift the team to 3rd place in championship. He was named Man of the Match. He kicked off 2012 by netting his 4th cup goal in matchday 2 of quarter-finals Group 2 versus Laçi in a 1–2 win at
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 ...
. Xhafaj reached double-figures in league for the 4th consecutive season on 12 May where he netted a brace in the 1–3 win at Pogradeci, which eventually relegated the latter. Xhafaj finished his season as Skënderbeu top goalscorer. He scored 15 goals in all competitions, including 11 in league as the team won the championship for the second successive year. He was also important in the team's run in cup, scoring 4 goals in 10 appearances as Skënderbeu lost to Tirana in the final. Xhafaj continued to be part of the team in the Champions League second qualifying round. He played in both legs as starter as Skënderbeu was eliminated by Debreceni 1–3 on aggregate. He left the club in the first days of August 2012 after failing to find a way for the new contract.


Return to Teuta Durrës

On 2 August 2012, Xhafaj returned to
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 ...
after a 5-year absence by signing a one-year contract. He took his favourite squad number 22 and commenced the season later on 26 August in the 0–1 win at
Shkumbini Peqin Klubi i Futbollit Shkumbini Peqin is an Albanian football club based in the town of Peqin. The club's home ground is the Shkumbini Stadium and they compete in the Kategoria e Dytë. History Football was first introduced to the city of Peqin in t ...
. He wasted the chance to score a penalty in 61st minute but his attempt was saved by
Elvis Kotorri Elvis Kotorri (born 30 April 1979) is an Albanian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the goalkeeping coach at AF Elbasani. Playing career First spell with Dinamo Tirana Kotorri joined Dinamo Tirana in the summer of 2007. Duri ...
. Xhafaj missed the second matchday due to injury. He had to wait until 10 November to score his first goals of the season in form of a brace to give his team all three points in the match versus
Apolonia Fier Futboll Klub Apolonia Fier is an Albanian football club based in Fier. The club was founded on 17 June 1925 and took its name from the nearby ruins of the ancient city of Apollonia. The club currently competes in Kategoria e Parë, the secon ...
; his brace came inside four minutes to seal a 1–2 win at
Loni Papuçiu Stadium Loni Papuçiu Stadium () is a multi-use stadium in Fier, 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 withi ...
which lifted Teuta to second place. One week later he scored his first goal at home to seal a 3–0 his former side Bylis Ballsh. On 9 December, Xhafaj received a straight red-card during the 4–0 loss to Laçi in a cup match. It was his first red-card since October 2010. He began the second part of the season on strong fashion, scoring brace in each of the first two matches as Teuta won 3–0 and 2–0 respectively against Shkumbini Peqin and Luftëtari Gjirokastër. Xhafaj finished 2012–13 season with 10 goals in 23 league appearances as Teuta finished runner-up to Skënderbeu in championship. In addition he also made 3 cup appearances as Teuta was eliminated in Group B of
2012–13 Albanian Cup 2012–13 Albanian Cup () was the sixty-first season of Albania's annual cup competition. Laçi, the winners of the competition qualified for the first qualifying round of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. KF Tirana were the defending champions, ...
quarter-finals. Xhafaj signed a new one-year contract with Teuta on 16 July 2013, lengthening his career at
Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...
. Speaking of that, Xhafaj said: "I accepted to be part of Teuta for another season, because I feel good here. We passed a wonderfull season and achieved Europe. We have new challenges for the new season." He started 2013–14 season by scoring the opener of the 3–1 home win over
Dacia Chişinău Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...
in the first leg of 2013–14 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. Teuta lost the second leg 0–2 and was eliminated on away goal rule. The match was classified as fixed by Federbet, the anti match fixing organisation. Xhafaj begun the domestic season on 31 August by netting a header in the 2–1 win over Bylis Ballsh in the matchday 1 of 2013–14 Albanian Superliga. He was named
Albanian Superliga Player of the Month The Kategoria Superiore Player of the Month () is an association football award that recognises the best Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissne ...
for September 2013 after bagging two goals in four matches which gave Teuta six points. October was even more prolific for the veteran as he scored four goals in four matches, including a brace in the 3–2 win over Vllaznia Shkodër, to help Teuta catch the first place in championship. In December 2013, Xhafaj performances were rewarded with
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 ...
award, becoming the first Teuta Durrës to win it. He declined in the second part of 2013–14 season, netting only five times in 16 matches as Teuta eventually finished 4th. Overall, Xhafaj scored 14 goals in 32 league appearances, improving his last season tally. He also played 4 times in cup as Teuta was eliminated in the semi-finals to Kukësi. He left the team on 30 May 2014 at the end of the season after his contract expired and the club's directors decided not to renew his contract. Xhafaj finished his third spell with ''Sea Boys'' by scoring 25 goals in 64 matches in all competitions.


Dinamo Tirana and retirement

In November 2014, Xhafaj begun training with
Dinamo Tirana Football Club Dinamo City, commonly referred to as Dinamo City and colloquially known as Dinamo, is an Albanian professional football club based out of Tirana. They compete in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. Founded i ...
as he was a free agent at that time. His approach to the club was greeted by the club's administrator Saliaj, who went on to say: "It's an honour and pleasure to have back an ex-champion of Dinamo back on the team again to contribute in this category." On 15 January of the following year, Xhafaj officially signed a one-year contract with the club, with the month salary reported to be 150,000
Albanian lek The lek (; indefinite singular ''lek'', definite plural ''lekët'', indefinite plural ''lekë''; Currency symbol, sign: L; ISO 4217, code: ALL) is the currency of Albania. Historically, it was subdivided into 100 ''qintars'' (; singular ''qinda ...
(around €1,100). He made his first appearance of the season on 7 February by playing the entire match of the 1–0 away defeat at Lushnja. After that, he went on to make further two league appearances before retiring from the sport in March 2015.


International career

Xhafaj was called for the first time in senior team in May 2007 by manager
Otto Barić Otto Barić (; 19 June 1933 – 13 December 2020) was an Austrian-Croatian professional football player and manager. Coaching career 1970s to 1980s Born in Eisenkappel, near Klagenfurt, Barić started his coaching career in 1969 at West Germa ...
for the friendly versus England B. He was the only Albania player not to play in the match as Albania lost 1–3 at
Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
. Xhafaj continued to be part of the team for the
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals tournament took place between August 2006 and November 2007. Fifty teams were divided into seven groups. In a Round-robin tournament, double round-robin system, each team played against each of the others ...
matches against
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. He made his competitive debut in the second match on 6 June, appearing in the last 13 minutes as Albania won 0–3 at
Stade Josy Barthel The Stade Josy Barthel is the former national stadium of Luxembourg, and the former home of the Luxembourg national football team. The stadium, which also hosted rugby union and athletics events, is located on route d'Arlon, in the Luxembourg ...
. Xhafaj received another call-up in January 2008 for gathering between 14 and 23 January in
Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...
, Turkey.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

Dinamo Tirana *
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 ...
: 2001–02 Teuta Durrës *
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 ...
: 2004–05 Tirana *
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 ...
: 2008–09 *
Albanian Supercup The Albanian Supercup is a single match usually at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Kategoria Superiore and Albanian Cup. Prior to 2000, Supercup final was not played when the champion team won the Double. However, after the ...
:
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
Besa Kavajë *
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 ...
: 2009–10 Skënderbeu Korçë *
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 ...
: 2011–12 Individual * Albanian Superliga Golden Boot: 2009–10,
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
*
Albanian Superliga Player of the Month The Kategoria Superiore Player of the Month () is an association football award that recognises the best Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissne ...
: September 2013 *
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 ...
: 2013


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Xhafaj, Daniel 1977 births Living people Footballers from Vlorë Albanian men's footballers Men's association football forwards Albania men's international footballers Kategoria Superiore players Swiss Super League players Kategoria e Parë players Flamurtari FC players KF Bylis players FC Dinamo City players KF Teuta players Neuchâtel Xamax FCS players KF Elbasani players KF Tirana players KF Besa Kavajë players KF Skënderbeu Korçë players Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Albanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland