Alban Meha facts for kids
Meha with SC Paderborn in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alban Sylë Meha | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 April 1986 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mitrovica, SFR Yugoslavia | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Hessen Kassel | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| TV Kemnat 1890 | ||||||||||||||||
| –1995 | SV 1845 Esslingen | |||||||||||||||
| 1995–2005 | Stuttgarter Kickers | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | Stuttgarter Kickers II | |||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | VfL Kirchheim/Teck | 54 | (16) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | SSV Reutlingen | 79 | (16) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Eintracht Trier | 33 | (15) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | SC Paderborn | 102 | (26) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Konyaspor | 39 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Al-Faisaly | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | SV Elversberg | 13 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2019-2021 | Hessen Kassel | 56 | (17) | |||||||||||||
| 2023- | Hessen Kassel | 30 | (10) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Albania | 7 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Kosovo | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 October 2016 |
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Alban Sylë Meha is a professional footballer from Kosovo. He was born on April 26, 1986. Alban plays as a midfielder, which means he helps both defend and attack on the field. Currently, he plays for the German club KSV Hessen Kassel.
Contents
- Alban Meha's Early Life and Family
- Alban's Club Football Journey
- Alban's International Career
- Career Achievements
Alban Meha's Early Life and Family
Alban Meha was born in Mitrovica, which was part of SFR Yugoslavia at the time. His parents were Kosovo Albanian. Alban comes from a family with a history of standing up for their rights. His grandfather, Tahir Meha, was an Albanian activist. Alban also has an older brother, Feriz Meha, who is also a semi-professional footballer. Feriz plays as a forward for the German club SV Bonlanden.
Alban's Club Football Journey
Starting His Youth Career
Alban Meha began playing football at a young age. He joined local teams like TV Kemnat 1890 and SV 1845 Esslingen. These were his first steps into the world of football.
Playing for Stuttgarter Kickers
When Alban was nine years old, he joined the Stuttgarter Kickers club. He stayed with their junior team for ten years, learning and improving his skills. At 19, he officially joined the senior team. However, he mostly played for the reserve squad and did not get to play for the main first team.
Moving to VfL Kirchheim
In December 2005, Alban Meha moved to VfL Kirchheim. He played there for about a year and a half. During this time, he played in 54 matches and scored 16 goals.
Time at SSV Reutlingen
After Kirchheim, Alban played for SSV Reutlingen for three seasons. He played in 82 matches and scored 16 goals for them. After his time at Reutlingen, he moved to Eintracht Trier.
Success with Eintracht Trier
Alban Meha played one season for Eintracht Trier. He had a great season, playing in 33 matches, scoring 15 goals, and helping his teammates score 16 times (these are called assists). He helped the club win the Rhineland Cup. He also helped them finish second in the 2010–11 season in the Regionalliga West league. After this successful season, he joined SC Paderborn.
Highlights with SC Paderborn
Alban Meha spent four seasons with SC Paderborn, from 2011 to 2015. He became a very important player for the team.
2012–13 Season at Paderborn
In August 2012, Paderborn's coach, Stephan Schmidt, said that Alban was "an extremely important player." Alban showed this by scoring key goals. For example, in February 2013, he scored a difficult goal in a 3–1 win against FC Ingolstadt. A week later, he scored a penalty kick in a 2–0 victory. He also helped set up other goals with his free kicks.
By the end of the 2012–13 season, Alban had played in 26 matches and scored six goals. Three of his goals were from penalties, and two were from free kicks. He also made five assists. Paderborn finished 12th in the league that season.
2013–14 Season and Promotion
The 2013–14 season was very exciting for Alban and Paderborn. He scored his first goal of the season in October 2013. In December, he scored two goals in a 4–2 win. He started 2014 strongly, scoring a free-kick goal in February that gave Paderborn a 1–0 win against Köln. He continued scoring in the next two games as well.
In February 2014, Alban scored two more goals in a 4–1 win. His amazing performance led to him being named "player of the month for February" for scoring five goals in four matches. He even captained the team for the first time in April 2014.
On the very last day of the season, Paderborn won 2–1 and earned a direct promotion to the Bundesliga. This was the first time in their history that Paderborn reached Germany's top football league! Alban played a huge part in this success, scoring 12 goals in 26 matches. He was voted the best player of the season for Paderborn.
2014–15 Season in the Bundesliga
Unfortunately, Alban got injured in August 2014 and missed the start of the 2014–15 season. He made his Bundesliga debut in September 2014. In November, he scored his first Bundesliga goal with a powerful shot. In December, he scored a penalty to help his team get a 1–1 draw against Wolfsburg. In February 2015, he scored a winning free-kick goal against Hannover 96.
Moving to Konyaspor in Turkey
After Paderborn was relegated (moved down a league), Alban Meha joined the Turkish club Konyaspor in June 2015. This was his first time playing football outside of Germany. He signed a one-year contract.
He made his debut in the Turkish Süper Lig in August 2015. He scored his first goal for Konyaspor later that month against Galatasaray with a free-kick. He scored again in September against Osmanlıspor.
Short Time at Al-Faisaly
In December 2017, Alban Meha joined Jordan Premier League side Al-Faisaly. He made his debut for them in January 2018 in a 2–0 win.
Alban's International Career
Alban Meha has played for two national football teams: Albania and Kosovo.
Playing for Albania
In 2012, Alban Meha wanted to play for the Albania team. He received Albanian citizenship to make this possible. He made his international debut for Albania in September 2012 in a 3–1 win against Cyprus, where he helped set up the first goal.
He scored his first goal for Albania in March 2013 in a 4–1 win against Lithuania. His second goal came a year later, in March 2014, when he scored a fantastic volley from about 40 meters (130 feet) in a 2–0 win against Malta.
Playing for Kosovo
In August 2016, Alban Meha was called up to play for the Kosovo team. He made his debut for Kosovo in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Finland.
Career Achievements
Konyaspor
- Turkish Cup: 2016–17
