Arben Minga
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arben Minga | ||
| Date of birth | 16 March 1959 | ||
| Place of birth | Tirana, Albania | ||
| Date of death | 31 January 2007 (aged 47) | ||
| Place of death | Windsor, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) |
Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1974–1975 | 17 Nëntori Tirana | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1991 | 17 Nëntori Tirana | 332 | (133) |
| 1991–1992 | FC Brașov | 17 | (1) |
| 1992–1993 |
Dacia Unirea Brăila | 25 | (3) |
| 1993–1994 | Acvila Giurgiu | ||
| 1994–1996 | Tirana | 55 | (3) |
| International career | |||
| Albania U21 | |||
| 1980–1989 | Albania | 28 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Arben Minga (16 March 1959 – 31 January 2007) was an Albanian professional footballer, who played as a striker and later in his final years as a centre-back.
He was known as Beni i modh (Big Ben).[1]
Club career
Born in
In the following years, Minga was also named team captain.[1] In the 1980' Minga would be part of Tirana's golden generation along with players such as Agustin Kola, Mirel Josa, Sulejman Mema, Shkëlqim Muça, Bedri Omuri and Millan Baçi, winning four championships and three cups.[2] He also received offers from Dinamo and Partizani to join them, and also friends and colleagues tried to convince him.[1] Dinamo also offered him a very lucrative house which Minga turned down, saying: Thank you for evaluating me, but I cannot leave 17 Nëntori.[1]
Minga was on top of his game during the
In the early 1990s, Minga moved abroad to play in
In April 2020, Minga was voted by the fans as KF Tirana Player of the Century as part of their celebrations for the club's 100th anniversary.[7]
International career
Minga had a successful youth international career, winning Balkan Youth Championship twice in 1978 and 1981.[8]
Minga has been capped 28 times by Albania senior squad,[9] earning his first cap on 3 September 1980 in the 2–0 home win versus Finland valid for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.[10] He played 20 games in European competitions and 12 FIFA World Cup qualification matches [11] He played and scored in the famous December 1984 home win over Belgium and his final international was a March 1989 European Championship qualification match against England.[12]
Personal life
After returning to Albania in 1994, and despite still a professional footballer, Minga begun working as a representative of Gillette in Albania.[13] The business eventually collapsed due to the 1997 Albanian civil unrest.[13] Following that, Minga worked for a short time as a security employee at Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza.[13]
Canadian years and death
Minga subsequently went to
Legacy
His friend and fellow footballer Mirel Josa remembered that he had his Tirana debut in 1981 because Minga was suspended. Josa discovered he had no boots to play in, but recalled that "Beni gave me his boots and said 'put them on and be careful because they never stop running'."[15]
Shyqyri Rreli, his coach at KF Tirana called Minga: "The best captain and leader I ever had."[15] Team-mate Millan Baçi added: "His shot was like a bullet."[15] Meanwhile, his former colleague on the national side, Skënder Gega, labelled him "the hardest forward to defend against and the best person to have in your team". His one-time youth coach Fatmir Frashëri said: "I never heard him say 'I'm tired'. He would always be the first in for training and would give everything he had in every game."[15]
A street in Tirana is named after him.[16] Minga has also won several accolades and awards, such as "Merited Master of Sport", Honor of the city of Tirana" and "Honor of Albanian Sport".[6]
Career statistics
Goals in Albanian Championship
| Season | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
1976–77 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 1 |
1977–78 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 1 |
1978–79 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 3 |
1979–80 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 1 |
1980–81 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 7 |
1981–82 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 3 |
1982–83 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 4 |
1983–84 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 8 |
1984–85 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 13 |
1985–86 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 16 |
1986–87 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 11 |
1987–88 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 16 |
1988–89 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 9 |
1989–90 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 6 |
1990–91 |
17 Nëntori Tirana | 3 |
| 1990–91 | FC Brașov | 1 |
| 1992–93 | Dacia Unirea Brăila |
3 |
| 1993–94 | ASA Acvila Giurgiu | |
1994–95 |
KF Tirana | 2 |
1995–96 |
KF Tirana | 1 |
| Career total | 109 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first.[9]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 December 1984 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Belgium |
2–0 | 2–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 18 January 1989 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Greece |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly match
|
Honours
Club
KF Tirana
- 1995–96[17]
- Albanian Cup: 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1995–96
- Albanian Supercup: 1994 ;
Dacia Unirea Brăila
- 1992–93
International
Albania U21
- Balkan Youth Championship: 1978, 1981
Individual
- 1984–85 season (shared with Faslli Fakja)
Orders
- Naim Frasheri Order: Second class[6]
- KF Tirana Player of the Century[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Në kujtim të legjendës Arben Minga/ Një dekadë pa "Benin e modh"" [In memoriam of legend Arben Minga/ A decade without “Big Ben”] (in Albanian). Sport Ekspres. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "17 Nëntori i Tiranës, ndeshja e paharruar që tronditi Bukureshtin dhe turpëroi Dinamon" [17 Nëntori Tirana, the unforgettable match that shocked Bucharest and humiliated Dinamo]. Sporti Shqiptar (in Albanian). sktirana.com. 3 May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "Albanian Football Season 1985-86". RSSSF.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "Arben Minga, gjiganti që tronditi Byronë Politike në legjendaren "7-3" të 1985-s" [Arben Minga, the giant who shaked the political bureau in the legendary "7-3" of 1985]. Gazeta Tema (in Albanian). 7 July 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ Nora Goxha: Ju tregoj jetën me Arben Mingën - Panorama (in Albanian)
- ^ a b c "Arben MINGA – "Beni Modh", "Gjigandi Minga", "Pesembedhjetkatci Minga"" [Arben MINGA – “Big Ben”, “The giant Minga”, “15 floor Minga”] (in Albanian). tirona.website. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Në prag të festës së 100 vjetorit të themelimit, KF Tirana zgjedh lojtarin e shekullit" [On the eve of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding, KF Tirana chooses the player of the century] (in Albanian). Gazeta Blic. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "Balkan Youth Championship 1968-1981". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Arbën Minga – national football team player". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ "Football MATCH: 03.09.1980 Albania v Finland". EU-Football.info. 3 September 1980. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ Arben Minga – FIFA competition record (archived)
- ^ "Arbën Minga - national football team player". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ a b c d Ergis Tafalla (16 March 2016). "Rrëfimi i fundit i Arben Mingës" [The last confession of Arben Minga] (in Albanian). Telesport.al. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "INTERVISTA/ Ish-basketbollistja Nora Goxha tregon për jetën me Arben Mingën: Ikëm në Kanada në 97', Benin e trajtuan si hero" [Interview/ Ex-basketball player Nora Goxha tells for her life with Arben Minga: We fly off to Canada in 97', Beni was treted like a hero] (in Albanian). Gazeta Panorama. 18 July 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Arben Minga". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "Rruga Arben Minga" [Arben Minga street]. Placesmap.net. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ Arbën Minga Archived 6 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine - RSSSF
External links
- Arben Minga at National-Football-Teams.com