Andi Lila facts for kids
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Lila with Albania in March 2016.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 February 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Kavajë, Albania | ||
| Height | 1.85 m | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Besa Kavajë | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2007 | Besa Kavajë | 72 | (11) |
| 2007 | Iraklis | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Besa Kavajë | 29 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Tirana | 78 | |
| 2011–2019 | PAS Giannina | 167 | (8) |
| 2015 | → Parma (loan) | 13 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | Tirana | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 362 | (22) | |
| National team | |||
| 2002–2003 | Albania U17 | 9 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Albania U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Albania U21 | 9 | (0) |
| 2007–2019 | Albania | 70 | (0) |
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Andi Lila (born on February 12, 1986) is a former Albanian professional footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder. He was also a very flexible player. Early in his career, he played as a full-back.
Lila started his football journey with his local team, Besa Kavajë. He played his first game in 2002 when he was only 16 years old. He quickly became a regular player for the team. This led him to join the Greek club Iraklis in January 2007.
He soon returned to Besa Kavajë because he found it hard to settle in Greece. He became the team captain and helped them finish third in the Albanian Superliga. After just one year back, he moved to KF Tirana. Fans loved him at KF Tirana. In his first season, he helped them win the Albanian Superliga title. He also helped them reach the Albanian Cup final.
His last game with KF Tirana was the 2011 Albanian Cup final. His team lost on penalties. After this, he moved back to Greece for his second time, joining PAS Giannina.
Contents
Club Career
Early Career: Besa Kavajë
Lila began his football career with his hometown club, Besa Kavajë. He made his first team debut during the 2002–03 season. This was in the Albanian Superliga on December 14, 2002. It was an away match against Teuta Durrës. Lila came on as a substitute at half-time. However, the game ended in a tough 5–0 loss for his team.
Move to Iraklis
Lila's strong play as a right-back caught the attention of Greek club Iraklis. He moved there in January 2007. He joined other Albanian players at the club. But Lila found it difficult to get used to life in Greece. After only six months and three games, he decided to return to his first club, Besa Kavajë.
Back to Besa Kavajë
After returning to Besa Kavajë, Lila was made the team captain. During the 2007–08 season, he played 26 games but did not score any goals. His team also lost the 2007 Albanian Supercup to Tirana. Lila played his final match for Besa in the Intertoto Cup. They lost 0–3 to Grasshopper.
Time at Tirana
Lila joined Tirana on July 21, 2008. His first game for Tirana was the season's opening match. It was against Vllaznia Shkodër and ended in a 0–0 draw. He played the full 90 minutes. Lila scored his first goal for Tirana on September 14. This was in a local derby against Partizani Tirana. His late goal gave his team the win.
He scored again less than a week later, on September 20, 2008. This goal came against Apolonia Fier. During the 2008–09 season, he became the team's main right back. He played 29 games and showed his attacking skills by scoring 4 goals. Tirana won its 24th league title that season. They also reached the 2008–09 Albanian Cup final but lost 2–1. Lila was a substitute in that game.
Lila started his second season with Tirana on July 15, 2009. He made his European debut against Stabæk in the Champions League first round. He also played in the second game, which Tirana lost 4–0. On August 16, Lila won his second trophy with Tirana. This was the Albanian Supercup, where they beat Flamurtari Vlorë 1–0.
Joining PAS Giannina
Lila moved to the Greek team PAS Giannina on June 24, 2011. He signed a three-year contract. He was given the number 3 shirt. His first game was on August 27, a 0–0 draw against Aris Thessaloniki. In his first season, Lila played 21 league games. He did not score any goals. His team finished 8th in the league.
Lila started his second season on August 25, 2012. He played in a 0–0 draw against Platanias. He made his first Greek Football Cup appearance on November 29. This was in a 1–0 win against Panserraikos. He scored his first goal for the club on December 8 in a 2–0 win at Kerkyra. He scored again on January 24 in the Greek Football Cup. His team won 3–2 and moved to the quarter-finals. He played 35 matches that season. PAS Giannina finished 5th in the league.
On July 12, 2014, Lila said his contract with PAS Giannina had ended. He thought about joining a Croatian team. However, he decided to stay and signed a new three-year contract with PAS Giannina.
Loan to Parma
On December 28, 2014, Lila was loaned to the Serie A club Parma in Italy. The move became official on January 1, 2015. Lila said that moving to Serie A was a dream come true. He believed it was the best league in the world. He made his debut for Parma on January 14, 2015. This was in a Coppa Italia match against Cagliari. But he had to leave the game after 13 minutes due to a thigh injury.
After recovering, Lila scored his first goal for Parma on March 15, 2015. This was against Sassuolo. Parma lost the game 4–1.
Return to PAS Giannina
After his loan at Parma ended, Lila wanted to find another club in Serie A. He trained with Albanian team Skënderbeu Korçë in August 2015 to stay fit. Then, he returned to his original club, PAS Giannina. He got his old number 3 shirt back.
He played his 100th Superleague Greece game on January 24, 2016. This was in a 2–0 win against Atromitos.
Lila started the 2016–17 season by playing in the Europa League. On July 14, 2016, he started in the first qualifying round against Odds BK. His team won 3–0. He also played in the second game, which PAS Giannina won in extra time. Lila played 4 matches in Europe before his team was knocked out by AZ Alkmaar.
On March 25, 2017, Lila was involved in an incident while on international duty. He later apologized for his behavior. He even met the priest in person to say sorry and gave him a gift. On April 1, he was on the bench for a league game. He returned to the starting lineup four days later. He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw against AEK Athens. He played 22 games that season.
On July 21, 2017, Lila signed a new contract until June 2020. On July 1, 2019, he ended his contract with the club by agreement.
International Career
Andi Lila was first called up to the Albania national team in late 2007. His strong play as a right back for Besa Kavajë caught the coach's eye. He made his debut for the senior team on November 21, 2007. This was in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Romania. Lila played the whole game, but Albania lost 6–1. The coach resigned after this defeat.
The next national team manager also liked Lila's playing style. Lila was called up for a friendly game against Poland on May 27, 2008. He started the game but was replaced at half-time. Albania lost 1–0. Andi Lila played two more games under this coach. These were a friendly against Liechtenstein and a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Malta. In both matches, he came on as a substitute.
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Lila played regularly in Albania's successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. He played in the last 15 minutes of the first group match against Portugal. Albania won 1–0, which was a historic victory. In October 2014, Lila was part of the match against Serbia. This was his 50th international game. The match was stopped in the 42nd minute. Later, the Court of Arbitration for Sport decided that Albania won the match 3–0.
Albania's place at UEFA Euro 2016 was confirmed on October 11, 2015. They won 3–0 against Armenia. Albania finished second in their group. On May 21, 2016, Lila was chosen for Albania's team for Euro 2016.
Lila was a substitute in the first group match against Switzerland. Albania lost 0–1. His first game in the European Championship was on June 16 against France. France won 2–0. Lila also started in the last group match against Romania. Albania won 1–0, which was their first win in a major football tournament. Albania finished third in their group and was eliminated.
Personal Life
Andi Lila is married to Ornela Lila. They became parents for the first time on March 20, 2015. Their son was named Ayan. On July 16, 2015, Lila was given the "Honorary Citizen of Kavaja" award. This was for protecting national symbols and his contributions to Albanian football. Lila has said that his favorite club when he was growing up was the Italian team Internazionale. He also enjoys music from the American heavy metal band Metallica and the English rock band The Beatles.
Honours
Club
- Tirana
- Albanian Superliga: 2008–09, 2019–20
- Albanian Cup: 2010–11
Decoration
- Honorary citizen of Kavajë: 2015
See also
In Spanish: Andi Lila para niños
