Bekim Balaj
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 11 January 1991 | ||
Place of birth | Shkodër, Albania | ||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Vllaznia Shkodër | ||
Number | 9 | ||
Youth career | |||
2002–2009 | Vllaznia Shkodër | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2009–2010 | Vllaznia Shkodër | 38 | (9) |
2010–2011 | Gençlerbirliği | 1 | (0) |
2011–2012 | Tirana | 37 | (15) |
2012–2014 | Sparta Prague | 12 | (3) |
2013–2014 | → Jagiellonia Białystok (loan) | 31 | (7) |
2014–2015 | Slavia Prague | 13 | (3) |
2015–2016 | Rijeka | 46 | (18) |
2016–2019 | Akhmat Grozny | 61 | (12) |
2019–2021 | Sturm Graz | 57 | (9) |
2021 |
Nizhny Novgorod | 15 | (0) |
2022 | Boluspor | 14 | (4) |
2022–2023 | Ankara Keçiörengücü | 14 | (1) |
2023– | Vllaznia Shkodër | 48 | (20) |
International career‡ | |||
2008–2010 | Albania U19 | 6 | (3) |
2010–2012 | Albania U21 | 8 | (3) |
2012–2022 | Albania | 48 | (9) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 March 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 31 March 2024 |
Bekim Balaj (born 11 January 1991) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Albanian club Vllaznia Shkodër and the Albania national team.
Balaj started his football career with his hometown club
During his time at Sparta Prague he was loaned out to Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok for the entire 2013–14 campaign where he scored 9 goals in 36 games in all competition before return to his parent club for the first half of the following season. He joined Croatian club HNK Rijeka in January 2015 for a fee of €600,000.[3]
Balaj begun his international career with under-19 squad in 2008, and two years later also represented the under-21 squad. He made his international senior debut in 2012 and played an important role in Albania's successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, notably scoring the winner with a volley in the opening day against Portugal. He was selected in the 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016,[4] making his debut against Romania in the final group match.[5]
Club career
Vllaznia
Balaj joined his hometown club Vllaznia as an 11-year-old in 2002, and his father had told the youth team coach Astrit Premçi to initially test the player as a goalkeeper as he was tall for his age. However, after only a few training sessions with Balaj, the coach Premçi realised the player was an able outfield player as he was good with his feet, so he then played him as a centre forward.[6]
He was invited to train with the first team by the coach
With the departures of Xhevahir Sukaj and James Boadu ahead of the 2009–10 season, Balaj became the club's main striker alongside Vioresin Sinani. He made his European debut on 2 July 2009 against Irish club Sligo Rovers, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute for Vioresin Sinani in the 2–1 away win.[8]
In April 2010 he went on trial with PSG alongside fellow Albanian youth international Odise Roshi, but neither players' trial was successful.[9] In June, he went on another trial, this time in Turkey with Gençlerbirliği and he was immediately offered a contract to join the club.
Gençlerbirliği
A top Turkish club had been tracking the young forward for most of the 2009–2010 season whilst he was at Vllaznia; the club was not identified in January 2010 as they did not make a bid,[10] however following the huge interest shown by Gençlerbirliği S.K. in May and June, it became clear who the unnamed Turkish club was. Balaj signed a four-year contract with Gençlerbirliği on 17 June 2010.[1] The transfer fee was reported to be around €200,000 to €300,000, which was all given to his previous club Vllaznia in Albania.[11] Balaj's manager Dritan Gjyrezi had only been a licensed FIFA agent for a year before managing this deal; this was his first deal in his career as an agent and he hoped to be able to send more Albanian players to Turkey.[12] Balaj signed the contract earning him €150,000 for the first year, making the deal to be worth around €600,000 for the full four years.[13]
KF Tirana
In January Balaj received offers from both Tirana and his former club Vllaznia for a return to Albania.[14] But after meeting with Refik Halili he signed a two-year contract for Tirana on 20 January 2011, earning €70,000 a season, which was a higher offer than Vllaznia's €50,000.[2][15][16]
He made his debut for his new club on 3 February in a home match against
He scored the winning goal in the
Sparta Prague
Balaj joined
On 4 October 2012, Balaj scored an historical goal in his career at UEFA Europa League against Athletic Bilbao, a match valid for group stage finished in the victory 3–1.[31]
Loan to Jagiellonia
On 8 July 2013 he moved on loan for a year to Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok in the Ekstraklasa. He scored his 3rd goal on 9 August 2013 against Wisła Kraków in the 90'+3 to give his team the 1–1 draw.[32] Balaj scored twice against Ruch Chorzów on 15 September 2013 and Jagiellonia won 6–0 with Balaj scoring two last goals to send in 5 number of goals scored in the season.[33] Balaj scored his 5th goal on 4 November 2013 against Piast Gliwice to open the score in the 56th minute but it wasn't enough as Jagiellonia got overturned 2–1.[34][35]
Return to Slavia Prague
After being returned to Sparta Prague from Jagiellonia where he was loaned for a year, he signed for the city's rivals
HNK Rijeka
On 7 January 2015 Balaj signed a 2+1⁄2-year contract (with a 2-year extension option) with
On 11 February 2015 Balaj made his competitive début in Rijeka's 4–1 win against
Balaj started a new season with Rijeka retaining his starting place on 10 July 2015 in a goalless draw against
Akhmat Grozny
On 8 June 2016, Balaj completed a move to
Balaj started the 2017–18 season by providing an assist for the 1–0 winning goal against FC Amkar Perm on 16 July 2017 scored by Léo Jabá. On 27 May 2019, Akhmat confirmed that Balaj left the club as a free agent upon the expiration of his contract.[59]
Sturm Graz
On 26 July 2019, he signed a contract with Austrian club Sturm Graz for the term of 2 years with a 1-year extension option.[60]
Nizhny Novgorod
On 21 July 2021, he returned to
Boluspor
On 30 January 2022, Balaj returned to Turkey and signed with Boluspor.[63]
Vllaznia return
On 18 January 2023, Vllaznia announced to have signed Balaj on a three-year contract, with the striker returning to his hometown club after thirteen years.[64][65] Vllaznia reportedly beat the competition of Tirana and Partizani, who where also interested in signing the player.[66] He was presented on the same day and reportedly became the highest paid player of the Kategoria Superiore, earning €12,000 a month.[67]
International career
Youth teams
Balaj was part of the Albania U-19 squad for the qualifying stage of the 2009 European Championship, where he made his debut on 8 October 2008 against England at Ballymena Showgrounds, Northern Ireland by replacing Guido Tepshi at half time and where the match finished in the 3–0 loss for Albania.[68] He scored his first and also Albania's only goal of the qualifying campaign, against Northern Ireland on 13 October 2008 at The Oval, Belfast in a 2–1 loss.[69]
Balaj was called up at Albania national under-20 side by coach Artan Bushati to participate in the 2009 Mediterranean Games football tournament, which began on 25 June in Pescara, Italy.[70] However he didn't feature in the tournament.
He was part of the under-21 side in their 2011 and the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification campaigns, scoring four goals in 13 matches.[71]
Senior team
Balaj made his debut for Albania national football team on 17 February 2010 in the unofficial match against Kosovo, where he scored a goal.[72] He received his first official call up by coach Gianni De Biasi for the friendly match against Cameroon on 14 November 2012.[73]
Balaj was called up for the first time in competitive matches for Albania for the
UEFA Euro 2016 campaign
He scored his first competitive goal for Albania on 7 September 2014 against Portugal in the opening match of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier, which Albania won 1–0.[76][77] Odise Roshi swung in a cross from the right which was behind Balaj, but on the turn he managed to get his foot to the ball and his right-footed volley found the bottom corner from 15 yards.[78] Balaj described his goal as a "striker" goal.[79]
On 21 May 2016, Balaj was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016,[80] and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro 2016 squad on 31 May.[4]
Balaj was an unused substitute in two first matches against Switzerland in a 0–1 loss and hosts France where they lost 2–0, then played as a substitute in the next match against Romania for Armando Sadiku which scored the goal for the historical 1–0 Albania's win.[5] Albania finished the group in the third position with three points and with a goal difference –2, and was ranked last in the third-placed teams, which eventually eliminated them.[81]
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
In the
Personal life
Bekim Balaj spent and helped to build houses for the families of fallen National Liberation Army soldiers.
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Vllaznia | 2007–08 | Kategoria Superiore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
2008–09 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
2009–10 | 30 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 4[a] | 0 | — | 40 | 12 | |||
Total | 38 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | 53 | 13 | |||
Gençlerbirliği | 2010–11 | Süper Lig | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
Tirana | 2010–11 | Kategoria Superiore | 13 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 3 | ||
2011–12 | 24 | 13 | 14 | 8 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 40 | 21 | |||
2012–13 | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 1[b] | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||
Total | 37 | 15 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 60 | 25 | ||
Sparta Prague | 2012–13 | Czech First League | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5[a] | 1 | — | 20 | 4 | |
Jagiellonia | 2013–14 | Ekstraklasa | 31 | 7 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 37 | 9 | ||
Slavia Prague | 2014–15 | Czech First League | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 3 | ||
Rijeka | 2014–15 | MAXtv Prva Liga
|
15 | 9 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 10 | ||
2015–16 | 31 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 37 | 10 | |||
Total | 46 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 55 | 20 | |||
Akhmat Grozny | 2016–17 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 9 | ||
2017–18 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
2018–19 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 4 | ||||
Total | 61 | 12 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 64 | 13 | ||||
Sturm Graz | 2019–20 | Austrian Bundesliga | 28 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 31 | 7 | ||
2020–21 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 33 | 7 | ||||
Total | 57 | 9 | 7 | 5 | — | — | 64 | 14 | ||||
Nizhny Novgorod
|
2021–22 | Russian Premier League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||
Career total | 311 | 76 | 56 | 23 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 383 | 101 |
- ^ a b c d e All appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Appearance in Albanian Supercup
International
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Albania | 2012 | 1 | 0 |
2013 | 3 | 0 | |
2014 | 5 | 1 | |
2015 | 3 | 0 | |
2016 | 8 | 2 | |
2017 | 1 | 1 | |
2018 | 9 | 1 | |
2019 | 5 | 1 | |
Total | 35 | 6 |
International goals
- As of 18 November 2009. Albania U19 score listed first, score column indicates score after each Balaj's goal.[84]
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1[87] | 13 October 2008 | The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 3 | Northern Ireland | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification |
2 | 18 November 2009 | Serravalle, San Marino |
6 | San Marino | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification |
3 | 3–0 |
- As of 6 June 2012. Albania U21 score listed first, score column indicates score after each Balaj's goal.[84]
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 September 2010 | Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan |
4 | Azerbaijan | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification |
2 | 11 October 2011 | 5 | Poland | 2–3 | 3–4 | 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification | |
3 | 6 June 2012 | Estádio Municipal da Marinha Grande, Marinha Grande, Portugal | 7 | Portugal | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification |
- As of 25 March 2019. Albania score listed first, score column indicates score after each Balaj's goal.[86]
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 September 2014 | Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal | 5 | Portugal | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
2 | 5 September 2016 | Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkodër, Albania | 17 | Macedonia | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
3 | 6 October 2016 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | 18 | Liechtenstein | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
4 | 28 March 2017 | Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania | 21 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
5 | 20 November 2018 | Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania | 30 | Wales | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
6 | 25 March 2019 | Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra | 31 | Andorra | 2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
7 | 14 November 2019 | Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania | 36 | Andorra | 1–0 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
8 | 11 November 2020 | Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania | 39 | Kosovo | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
9 | 26 October 2022 | Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 45 | Saudi Arabia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
- Vllaznia
- Albanian Cup: 2007–08; Runner-up: 2009–10
- Kategoria Superiore Runner-up: 2008–09
- Tirana[84]
- Sparta Prague[84]
- Czech First League Runner-up: 2012–13
- Rijeka[84]
Individual
References
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- ^ uefa.com - UEFA European U-19 C'ship - Fixtures & Results - Match specific archive.is - Webpage archive
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External links
- Bekim Balaj at 90minut.pl(in Polish)
- Bekim Balaj at Soccerway
- Bekim Balaj at Croatian Football Statistics (archived) (in Croatian)
- Bekim Balaj – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Bekim Balaj at National-Football-Teams.com
- Bekim Balaj – Euro 2016 profile at FSHF.org