Erando Karabeci (born 6 September 1988) 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 lea ...

who plays 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 ...

for

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 ...

. He mainly operates in the centre of midfield, but he can also play out wide as well as in a more defensive role in the midfield.

Club career

Early career

Born in

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 ...

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 ...

, Karabeci first joined local side

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 ...

at the age of 11 in 2000, where he progressed to the under-17s and then the under-19s, where he won the national championship with both age groups. He was promoted to the senior side during the 2006–07 season, where he made his professional debut as an 18-year-old in a home tie against

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 23 December 2006. Karabeci came off the bench in the 89th minute for

Gerhard Progni Gerhard Nik Progni (born 6 November 1986) is an Albanian professional footballer plays as a striker for Valbona. A product of FK Partizani Tirana, Progni has played for several clubs in Albania, including Skënderbeu, whom he won one Albanian ...

in the 2–0 win. He made another two league appearances that season in home wins over

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, ...

and Shkumbini Peqin once again. The following season, he still didn't break into the first team and only managed 3 league appearances throughout the 2007–08 campaign, including coming off the bench in the closing stages of a memorable

Tirana Derby The term Tirana derby () refers to the local derbies in Tirana played between two of the three professional football clubs KF Tirana, Dinamo or Partizani. It specifically refers to individual matches between the clubs, but can also be used to ...

which ended in a 4–1 win for Partizani. His breakthrough season came in 2008 when

Shpëtim Duro Shpëtim Duro (born 24 December 1959) is an Albanian professional football coach. Managerial career Duro won his first major title as coach of KF Besa Kavajë when his team beat KF Vllaznia in the 2010 Albanian Cup final. He won the 2010–11 ...

took charge of Partizani, and Karabeci became one of the club's regular midfielders alongside Artan Karapici,

Dritan Babamusta Dritan Babamusta (born 6 September 1981) is an Albanian former footballer who played as a midfielder. He has been capped once for Albania. Club career On 5 August 2006, Babamusta was released by Dinamo Tirana in a move which was dubbed a surp ...

and Viktor Gjyla. He scored his first professional goal in the Tirana Derby against

on 7 December 2008 in a 2–2 draw. Partizani struggled throughout the season, which ended in them finishing third from bottom and having to play Kastrioti Krujë in a play-out game for a spot in the following season's Albanian Superliga. The play-out game with Kastrioti ended was surrounded by controversy and notoriety, as Partizani lost 1–0 and the club's president Albert Xhani attacked the referee Arjan Mali for disallowing a Partizani equaliser. Following the game Partizani were relegated to the

Albanian First Division Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

and Karabeci was allowed to terminate his contract and leave the club.

Tirana

On 28 August 2009, Karabeci signed for Albanian Champions

. He joined up with the team ahead of the international break which he spent with the Albanian U21 side. On 13 September 2009, he made his first appearance with Tirana during the 0–1 away win against Gramozi Ersekë, entering in the field in the 70th minute in place of Enco Malindi. In the next league match against

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 19 September, Karabeci made his first start and played full-90 minutes in a goalless draw 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 ...

. He signed short-term loan deal with Kukësi in July 2013 for their

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 ...

qualifying campaign, as a replacement for the suspended Besar Musolli. On 18 December 2013, Karabeci scored his first goal with Tirana after his return from Kukësi during the 1–1 draw against Lushnja. On 7 February of the following year, he played full-90 minutes during the 1–0 triumph of Tirana against cross-town rivals of

. He later scored his first league goal of the season, a long range strike in the 1–1 away draw against

Niko Dovana Stadium The Niko Dovana Stadium, officially Stadiumi "Niko Dovana", is a multi-use stadium located in Durrës, Albania. It is the home ground of Teuta. The capacity is 12,040, making it the fifth largest ground in the country. It was renamed in 1991 ...

on 13 March. Tirana officially escaped relegation on 3 May 2014 in penultimate matchday after a 2–2 away draw 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 ...

, which Karabeci playing full-90 minutes. Karabeci concluded his 5th Tirana season by making 32 appearances between league and cup, scoring twice in the process. Following the return of veteran

Ervin Bulku Ervin Bulku (, born 3 March 1981) is an Albanian former professional footballer. He was a utility player and played in many positions such as central midfielder, defensive midfielder, right midfielder and even right-back for the Albania nation ...

in the summer of 2014, Karabeci handed his captaincy to Bulku as a sign of respect of the Albanian international, and became the vice-captain instead. During the January 2015, Karabeci 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 ...

by the association "Sporti na bashkon". He scored his first goal of 2014–15 season against

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 ...

during the 2–2 draw at the neutral ground of

Kastrioti Stadium Kastrioti Stadium () was a multi-use stadium in Krujë, Albania. It was used mostly for association football, football matches and was the home ground of Kastrioti Krujë. References

KS Kastrioti Football venues in Albania Buildings and ...

, valid for the first leg of the quarter-final of

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 ...

. He ended the season with 37 appearances in all competitions, including 32 in the league, with Tirana who finished it in the fourth place and was eliminated in semi-finals of

2014–15 Albanian Cup 2014–15 Albanian Cup () was the sixty-three season of Albania's annual cup competition. Flamurtari were the most recent winners of the competition, that being their fourth first Cup trophy. Ties are played in a two-legged format similar to tho ...

against Laçi with the 1–0 aggregate. He started the 2015–16 season by playing full-90 minutes in a 1–2 away win against the newcomers of Tërbuni Pukë on 23 August. In the next league match against Laçi at the neutral ground of

KS Kastrioti Football venues in Albania Buildings and ...

, Karabeci scored a last-minute equaliser with a powerful shot that went in the triangle of Gentian Selmani's goal. On 21 September 2015, Karabeci made his 200th official appearance for Tirana during the 2–1 away league lose against

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 ...

, assisting the goal of

Masato Fukui is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Albanian club Kamza. Club career Gainare Tottori In 2011, he joined Gainare Tottori in J2 League, on 6 March 2011 he made his first appearance for the team. Home United In 2013 ...

in the 3rd minute. Karabeci's 2016–17 season was marred by injures, as he was able to make only 23 league appearances without scoring. In January 2017, he suffered an injury while he has home which required surgery, keeping him sidelined for 2 months. He returned to action only on 31 March where he made a substitute appearance in the derby against Vllaznia Shkodër lost 1–2 at home. Tirana eventually ended the season by getting relegated for the first time in history after failing to win in the final matchday against Vllaznia Shkodër. In cup, Karabeci made 6 appearances, including the final, as Tirana was crowned the champions for a record 16th time after defeating Skënderbeu Korçë in the final. Karabeci started the 2017–18 season by playing in the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round against

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

. He played in both legs as Tirana was eliminated 5–0 on aggregate. On 6 September, Karabeci lifted Tirana's 11th

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 ...

trophy after defeating Kukësi 1–0 in the last minutes. Tirana also set a record by becoming the

side to win the Supercup. Karabeci scored the first goals of the season in the first leg of

2017–18 Albanian Cup 2017–18 Albanian Cup () was the sixty-sixth season of Albania's annual cup competition. Tirana are the defending champions. Skënderbeu won the title for the first time in their history. Ties are played in a two-legged format similar to those ...

first round against

one week later. Three days later, he made his first ever Albanian First Division appearance in Tirana's 1–0 home win over Iliria Fushë-Krujë.

International career

He was picked for the Albania U-21s by the coach

Artan Bushati Artan Bushati (4 October 1963 – 29 August 2013) was an Albanian football coach who is most noted for leading the Albania U21 national team between 2005 and 2011. Managerial career He has also managed KF Elbasani Klubi i Futbollit Elbasa ...

to help the team for the

UEFA U-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

qualifier and is still considered a very important part of the team. He even managed to score the winning goal in Albania U-21's qualifying game with Azerbaijan U-21 shortly after signing for his current club,

KF Tirana Klubi i Futbollit Tirana is an Albanian professional football club based in the country's capital city, Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. The men's football club is part of the multi-discipli ...

. He received his first call up to the senior

squad by coach Gianni De Biasi for the

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

es against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

on 14 and 18 November 2014. He was an unused substitute for both matches.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Club

KF 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 ...

: 2019–20 *

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 ...

, 2011–12, 2016-17 *

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

: Winner Group B *

: 2017-2018 KF Teuta *

2020–21 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 ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Individual

January 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 th ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Karabeci, Erando 1987 births Living people Men's association football midfielders Footballers from Tirana Albanian men's footballers Albania men's under-21 international footballers Albania men's youth international footballers FK Partizani Tirana players KF Tirana players FK Kukësi players KF Teuta players Kategoria Superiore players Kategoria e Parë players 21st-century Albanian sportsmen