Erion Hoxhallari (born 15 October 1995) 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

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for Polish club

Polonia Warsaw Polonia Warsaw (, ), founded on 19 November 1911, is the oldest existing sports club in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, best known for its Association football, football and basketball teams. It also has track and field, Swimming (sport), swimm ...

Club career

Early career

Hoxhallari started his youth career at

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 1 July 2011 he was loaned out at Austrian side

Grazer AK Grazer Athletiksport Klub (; abbreviated as GAK), better known simply as Grazer AK, is an Austrian sports club based in the city of Graz in the federal state of Styria. The football section was once among Austria's most popular clubs, enjoying s ...

for a half season.

Tirana

Hoxhallari made his professional debut for Tirana on 23 November 2011 in the cup tie against Apolonia, playing full-90 minutes in a 3–0 home win. That was his first and only appearance of the 2011–12 season. Hoxhallari found more opportunities in the 2012–13 season, making his league debut on 13 April 2013 in a 2–1 deficit at Kukësi. In the 2013–14 season, Hoxhallari continued to get limited opportunities, as he made only nine league appearances, eight of them as starter.

Loan to Teuta

On 29 August 2014, Hoxhallari was transferred to

Teuta Teuta ( Illyrian: ''*Teutana'', 'mistress of the people, queen'; ; ) 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 Agron in 231 BC, she assumed ...

on a long season loan from

along with Ardit Peposhi. Initially Hoxhallari struggled to play as he did not leave the bench for the first four league matches. On 1 October, he made his debut by scoring the team's first goal of the 2–0 away win against Besëlidhja in the first leg 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 ...

first round. Four days later Hoxhallari made his league debut in a 1–0 away defeat to Kukësi, playing full-90 minutes. Following the debut, Hoxhallari established himself in the starting lineup, and went to play another 25 league matches until the end of the season as Teuta barely avoided the relegation to

Kategoria e Parë Kategoria e Parë is the second tier of professional football in 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 Se ...

2015–16 season

On 1 June 2015, he returned in training with

after the end of loan. He made his first appearance of the season on 29 August in team's second league match of the season against Laçi, where he entered in the pitch on the last 15 minutes as Tirana found the equalizer in the very last moments. With

Shkëlqim Muça Shkëlqim Muça (born 19 March 1960) is an Albanian football coach and former player. Playing career Club He created the attacking trio Muça- Minga-Kola at Nëntori Tirana that was probably the best and most prolific attacking trio in the Alb ...

in charge, Hoxhallari was used mostly as a substitute, and during his tenure at the club, Hoxhallari played only one league match as a starter, the 2–0 home win against his previous side Teuta on 26 September. With the arrival of the new coach

Ilir Daja Ilir Daja (born 20 October 1966) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Dinamo City. He has won the Albanian League as a coach with three clubs: Elbasani, Dinamo Tirana and Skënderbeu. He a ...

, Hoxhallari become an undisputed starter and went to play as a started in every league game until the end of the season, as Tirana remained out of European competitions for the fourth straight season. He was praised for his performances on the back and on 31 May was named one of the talents of the year.

2016–17 season

On 14 July 2016, Hoxhallari agreed a contract extension with the club, signing until June 2018. He scored his first league goal for Tirana on 6 November in the matchday 10 against his former side Teuta, contributing in a 3–1 home win. Later on 10 March 2017, he scored a free kick as Tirana denied

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 ...

the win. During the course of 2016–17 season, he made 34 league appearances, scoring twice, and Tirana was relegated for the first time in history, finishing 9th. He also scored once in 7 cup appearances in team's successful campaign, which saw them win the trophy for the 16th time, setting a new record.

2017–18 season

Hoxhallari kicked off 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, also making his European debut in the process, as Tirana was eliminated 5–0 on aggregate. Hoxhallari started the domestic season by playing in the 2017 Albanian Supercup against Kukësi on 6 September 2017, netting a 90th-minute winner via a shot outside the box as Tirana clinched their 11th Albanian Supercup trophy. Tirana also set a record by becoming 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 ...

side to win the Supercup. Later on 13 December, in the second 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 ...

second round versus Vllaznia, Hoxhallari was sent-off with a direct red card following a brawl with Ardit Krymi who was sent off as well. Tirana lost 0–1 but progressed to quarter-finals after having won the first leg 2–0. Two days later, he was suspended for the next two games by AFA. He concluded the season by making 21 league appearances as Tirana won the championship and gained promotion back to Kategoria Superiore.

2018–19 season

On 6 June 2018, Hoxhallari signed a new two-year contract with the club. Five days after signing the new contract with Tirana, Hoxhallari was sent on loan at Laçi for the two

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 ...

matches versus

Anorthosis Famagusta Anorthosis Famagusta (), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Famagusta multi-sport club founded in 1911 in Varosha, Famagusta.

. He took squad number 2, and made his debut in the first leg at

Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium The Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium () is a football stadium in Larnaca, Cyprus. It has a current seating capacity of 9230 and has been the home stadium of Anorthosis Famagusta since its completion in 1986. History The ground is the home of Anorth ...

on 12 July, netting a first-half header to make it 1–0 for Laçi but in an eventual 1–2 defeat. In the second leg, Hoxhallari earned praise for his performance as Laçi won 1–0 thanks to a late winner to ensure the progression to next round through away goal rule. On 22 July, Laçi reached the agreement with Tirana to keep Hoxhallari for the next two Europa League matches. He featured in both matches versus

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Molde Molde () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the seat of Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...

as Laçi was knocked out of the competition 5–0 on aggregate.

International career

He has been a former Albania youth international, playing with under-15, U-17, U-19, U-20 and U-21 levels.

Albania U15

Hoxhallari received his first international level call-up aged 14 by coach Sulejman Demollari of the Albania under-15 squad, which were just founded in 2009 for participating in the

2010 Summer Youth Olympics The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, ) officially known as the I Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Singapore 2010, were the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), an Olympic Games-based event for young athletes. Held ...

(

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

). He made his under-15 debut on 17 October by featuring full-90 minutes in the match against Liechtenstein which ended in a 2–0 win. Then the team advanced to the final where they faced Montenegro two days later, losing 1–2 as Hoxhallari played another full-90 minute match, missing their participation in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics finals.

Albania U20

Hoxhallari was called up at

Albania national under-20 football team The Albania national under-20 football team, also known as Albania U20(s), is the national under-20 Football (soccer), football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania. The under-20 squad is often cited as a Far ...

by coach Skënder Gega to participate in the 2013 Mediterranean Games football tournament which began on 19 June 2013 in

Mersin Mersin () is a large city and port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Mediterranean Region, Turkey, southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of the Mersin Province (formerly İçel). It is made up of four district governorates ...

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 ...

. Hoxhallari played in all 5 Albania U20s matches as full 90-minutes. Albania U20 was ranked in the last place out of 8 teams.

Albania U21

Hoxhallari was called up for the first time in under-21 squad by the coach

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 the qualifiers of the

2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2017) was the 21st edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, a biennial international youth association football, football championship organised by UEFA for ...

, where Albania was placed in the

Group 4 Group 4 may refer to: *Group 4 element Group 4 is the second group of transition metals in the periodic table. It contains only the four elements titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), and rutherfordium (Rf). The group is also called the t ...

. He made his competitive debut with the under-21 side on 28 March 2015 in team's first group match against

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

, playing in the second half in an eventual 2–0 away win. Hoxhallari was called up by a new appointed coach,

Redi Jupi Redi Bashkim Jupi (born 31 May 1974) is an Albanian retired footballer. He played in the central midfield for KS Dinamo Tirana and has 19 caps for the Albania national team since his debut in 1995. Jupi is currently the manager of Albania U21 ...

, for the next qualifying matches against

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

on 3 and 8 September 2015. He played full-90 minutes in the 1–1 home draw against Israel, and was benched in the 1–6 home defeat against Portugal. On 28 March 2016, during the match against

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, Hoxhallari made a high-profile error which resulted in Hungary's only goal of the match, but Albania bounced back and scored twice inside of 10 minutes for a 2–1 home win.

Albania national team

Hoxhallari made his international debut for

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 ...

on 11 November 2020 in a friendly match against

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

.Albania v Kosovo
/ref>

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Tirana *

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 ...

: 2019–20, 2021–22 *

: 2017–18 *

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 ...

: 2011–12, 2016–17 *

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 ...

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 ...

Individual *

Talent of the Season: 3rd in 2015–16 *

Team of the Season :

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 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoxhallari, Erion 1995 births Living people 21st-century Albanian sportsmen Albanian men's footballers Footballers from Korçë Albania men's international footballers Albania men's under-21 international footballers Albania men's youth international footballers Men's association football fullbacks KF Tirana players KF Teuta players KF Laçi players FC UTA Arad players Polonia Warsaw players Kategoria Superiore players Kategoria e Parë players Liga I players I liga players Competitors at the 2013 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games competitors for Albania Albanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Romania Expatriate men's footballers in Poland Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Poland