Andi Lila facts for kids
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Lila with Albania in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 February 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Kavajë, Albania | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Besa Kavajë | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2007 | Besa Kavajë | 72 | (1) |
| 2007 | Iraklis | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Besa Kavajë | 29 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Tirana | 78 | (11) |
| 2011–2019 | PAS Giannina | 167 | (8) |
| 2015 | → Parma (loan) | 13 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | Tirana | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 362 | (22) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002–2003 | Albania U17 | 9 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Albania U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Albania U21 | 9 | (0) |
| 2007–2019 | Albania | 70 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Andi Lila (born 12 February 1986) is a former professional footballer from Albania. He mostly played as a defensive midfielder. However, he was a very flexible player and started his career as a full-back.
Lila began his football journey with his local team, Besa Kavajë. He made his first team debut in 2002 when he was just 16 years old. He quickly became an important player for the team. This led to him moving to the Greek club Iraklis in January 2007.
He soon returned to Besa Kavajë because he found it hard to settle in Greece. Back at Besa, he became the team captain. He helped them finish third in the Albanian Superliga. After only one year, 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 his team reach the Albanian Cup final. His last game for the club was the 2011 Albanian Cup final. After that, he moved back to Greece to play for PAS Giannina.
At PAS Giannina, he quickly became a key player. He helped his team finish in the middle of the league table in his first season. Later, he joined Serie A team Parma on loan in 2015. However, he could not help Parma avoid being relegated. He returned to PAS Giannina after Parma faced financial problems.
Lila played for Albania at different age levels: under-17, under-19, under-21, and the senior team. He played his first senior international game in 2007 against Romania. He played 70 games for his country. He became Albania's main right-back in 2010. He also played as a defensive midfielder. From 2014, he often played as a right midfielder or winger. He helped Albania qualify for its first major international tournament, Euro 2016. He was also involved in the famous Serbia v Albania match in 2014. This game was stopped early, and Albania was later given a 3–0 win.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Besa Kavajë
Lila began his career with his hometown club, Besa Kavajë. He played his first game for the club in the Albanian Superliga on 14 December 2002. This was an away match against Teuta Durrës. Lila came on as a substitute during the game. However, his team lost the match 5–0.
Time in Greece with Iraklis
Lila's strong performances as a right-back led to him moving to the Greek club Iraklis in January 2007. He joined other Albanian players there. But Lila found it hard to settle in Greece. After only six months and three games, he went back to his first club, Besa Kavajë.
Returning to Besa Kavajë
After coming back to Besa, he was made the team captain. In the 2007–08 season, he played 26 games. The team also lost the 2007 Albanian Supercup to Tirana. Lila played his last game for Besa in the Intertoto Cup.
Playing for Tirana
Lila joined Tirana on 21 July 2008. His first game for Tirana was the opening match of the season. It was a goalless draw against Vllaznia Shkodër. His first goal for the team came on 14 September. He scored a late winning goal against Partizani Tirana.
He scored again less than a week later against Apolonia Fier. During the 2008–09 season, he was the team's main right back. He played 29 games and scored 4 goals. Tirana won its 24th league title that season. Tirana also reached the final of the 2008–09 Albanian Cup. However, they lost 2–1 to Flamurtari Vlorë.
Lila started his second season with Tirana on 15 July 2009. He made his European debut against Stabæk in the Champions League first round. Tirana lost the game and was knocked out. On 16 August, Lila won his second trophy with Tirana. They beat Flamurtari Vlorë 1–0 in the Albanian Supercup.
Moving to PAS Giannina
Lila moved to the Greek team PAS Giannina on 24 June 2011. He signed a three-year contract. He made his first game for them on 27 August. It was a goalless draw against Aris Thessaloniki. In his first season, Lila played 21 league games. The team finished 8th in the league.
Lila started his second season on 25 August 2012. He played in a 0–0 draw against Platanias. His first goal for the club came on 8 December. He scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against Kerkyra. He played 35 games that season. PAS Giannina finished 5th in the league.
On 12 July 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 28 December 2014, Lila was loaned to the Serie A club Parma in Italy. He said that moving to Serie A was a dream come true. He believed Serie A was the best league in the world.
He played his first game for Parma on 14 January 2015. It was a Coppa Italia match against Cagliari. However, he had to leave the game early due to a muscle injury. In his first game back from injury, Lila scored his first goal for Parma. This was against Sassuolo on 15 March 2015. Parma lost that game 4–1.
Back to PAS Giannina
After his loan at Parma ended, Lila wanted to find another club in Serie A. He trained with the Albanian team Skënderbeu Korçë to stay fit. Then, he returned to his original club, PAS Giannina. He played his 100th Superleague Greece game on 24 January 2016.
Lila started the 2016–17 season by playing in the Europa League for PAS Giannina. He played on 14 July 2016 against Odds BK. His team won 3–0. He played 4 matches in the European competition. His team was later knocked out by AZ Alkmaar.
On 25 March 2017, Lila made a joke that caused some trouble. The club asked to end his contract. Three days later, he apologized for his behavior. He even met the person he joked about to apologize in person. On 1 April, he was on the bench for a game. He returned to the starting team four days later. He scored his first goal of the season later that month. On 21 July 2017, Lila signed a new contract until June 2020. On 1 July 2019, Lila and the club ended his contract.
International Career
Lila was first called to the Albania national team in late 2007. His good play as a right back caught the coach's eye. He played his first game for the senior team on 21 November 2007. This was a Euro 2008 qualifier against Romania. Lila played the whole game, but Albania lost 6–1.
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The next national team coach also liked Lila's playing style. Lila played in a friendly against Poland in May 2008. He also played in two more games under that coach. Lila was a regular player in Albania's successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. He played in the last 15 minutes of the first game against Portugal. Albania won 1–0, which was a historic victory.
In October 2014, Lila was part of the controversial match against Serbia. This was his 50th international game. The match was stopped because Serbian fans threw objects onto the field. Albanian players were attacked by fans. At first, UEFA gave Serbia a 3–0 win. But later, the Court of Arbitration for Sport changed the decision. On 10 July 2015, Albania was awarded a 3–0 victory.
After winning 3–0 against Armenia on 11 October 2015, Albania qualified for UEFA Euro 2016. This was the first time the team reached a major international tournament. On 21 May 2016, Lila was chosen for Albania's Euro 2016 squad. He was a substitute in the first game against Switzerland. His first Euro Championship game was on 16 June against France. He also started in the last group game against Romania. Albania won 1–0, their first win in a major 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 20 March 2015. Their son is named Ayan. On 16 July 2015, Lila received the "Honorary Citizen of Kavaja" award. This was for 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 the music of the American heavy metal band Metallica and the English rock band The Beatles.
Honours
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
