List of foreign Kategoria Superiore players

This is a list of foreign players in the Kategoria Superiore, which commenced play in 1930. The following players must meet both of the following two criteria:

  1. Have played at least one Kategoria Superiore game. Players who were signed by Kategoria Superiore clubs, but only played in lower league, cup and/or European games, or did not play in any competitive games at all, are not included.
  2. Are considered foreign, i.e., outside Kategoria Superiore determined by the following:
A player is considered foreign if his allegiance is not to play for the national team of Albania.

More specifically,

  • If a player has been capped on international level, the national team is used; if he has been capped by more than one country, the highest level (or the most recent) team is used. These include Albanian players with dual citizenship.
  • If a player has not been capped on international level, his country of birth is used, except those who were born abroad from Albanian parents or moved to Albania at a young age, and those who clearly indicated to have switched his nationality to another nation.

Clubs listed are those for which the player has played at least one Kategoria Superiore game — and seasons are those in which the player has played at least one Premier League game. Note that seasons, not calendar years, are used. For example, "1992–95" indicates that the player has played in every season from 1992–93 to 1994–95, but not necessarily every calendar year from 1992 to 1995. Therefore, a player should always have a listing under at least two years — for instance, a player making his debut in 2011, during the 2011–12 season, will have '2011–12' after his name. This follows general practice in expressing sporting seasons in Albania.

In bold: players who have played at least one Kategoria Superiore game in the current season (2023–24), and are still at a club for which they have played. This does not include current players of a Kategoria Superiore club who have not played a Kategoria Superiore game in the current season.

Details correct as of 22 January 2024

Andorra Andorra edit

Angola Angola edit

Argentina Argentina edit

 
1978 FIFA World Cup winner Mario Kempes joined Lushnja in 1996 as a player-manager

Australia Australia edit

Austria Austria edit

 
Ronald Gërçaliu was born in Tirana, Albania but represented Austria national football team at Euro 2008

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan edit

Bahamas The Bahamas edit

Bahrain Bahrain edit

Belgium Belgium edit

Benin Benin edit

Bolivia Bolivia edit

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina edit

 
Ivan Jolić (pictured) and Vlado Marković became the first players from Bosnia and Herzegovina to win the Kategoria Superiore when they won the 2010–11 Kategoria Superiore title with Skënderbeu

Botswana Botswana edit

Brazil Brazil edit

 
Elton Calé won the 2016–17 Kategoria Superiore with Kukësi, the club's first and only title

Bulgaria Bulgaria edit

 
Ventsislav Hristov played 4 games and scored once during the 2015–16 season with Skënderbeu

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso edit

Burundi Burundi edit

Cameroon Cameroon edit

 
Guy Madjo played for Bylis during the 2015–16 season, featuring in 15 games and scoring twice

Canada Canada edit

Cape Verde Cape Verde edit

Chile Chile edit

Colombia Colombia edit

Congo Republic of the Congo edit

Costa Rica Costa Rica edit

Croatia Croatia edit

 
Pero Pejić is the highest-scoring foreign player in the league's history with 141 goals in 208 appearances

Cuba Cuba edit

 
All 4 of Joel Apezteguía's goals in the Kategoria Superiore came in a single 6–2 win against Lushnja

Czech Republic Czech Republic edit

DR Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo edit

Egypt Egypt edit

El Salvador El Salvador edit

England England edit

 
Former Liverpool forward Michael Ngoo joined Tirana in 2017

Ethiopia Ethiopia edit

Finland Finland edit

France France edit

Gabon Gabon edit

Gambia The Gambia edit

 
Ali Sowe won the golden boot and the league title in his only season in Albania with Skënderbeu

Georgia Georgia (country) edit

Germany Germany edit

Ghana Ghana edit

 
Seth Ablade became the first Ghanaian to play in Albania with Elbasani in 2003

Greece Greece edit

 
Born in Greece to Albanian parents, Vasil Shkurtaj has played for Luftëtari and Kukësi in the Kategoria Superiore

Guinea Guinea edit

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau edit

Hong Kong Hong Kong edit

Hungary Hungary edit

 
Krisztián Adorján played 9 games for Partizani during the 2017–18 Kategoria Superiore season

Iran Iran edit

Iraq Iraq edit

Israel Israel edit

Italy Italy edit

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast edit

Jamaica Jamaica edit

Japan Japan edit

 
Masato Fukui became the first Japanese player in Albania in 2015, having since played for Tirana, Skënderbeu, Kukësi and Kamza

Jordan Jordan edit

Kenya Kenya edit

Kosovo Kosovo edit

 
Riza Lushta scored 39 goals in 69 games and won 3 league titles with Tirana between 1934 and 1939

Latvia Latvia edit

Lebanon Lebanon edit

Liberia Liberia edit

Lithuania Lithuania edit

Mali Mali edit

 
Bakary Nimaga played 97 times and scored 5 goals in the league with Skënderbeu between 2013 and 2018

Martinique Martinique edit

Mauritania Mauritania edit

Mexico Mexico edit

Moldova Moldova edit

 
Dmitri Stajila was the first Moldovan to play for an Albanian club

Montenegro Montenegro edit

Morocco Morocco edit

Mozambique Mozambique edit

Netherlands Netherlands edit

Nigeria Nigeria edit

 
Peter Olayinka won the 2014–15 Kategoria Superiore title with Skënderbeu

North Korea North Korea edit

North Macedonia North Macedonia edit

 
Artim Položani has played for Apolonia, Dinamo Tirana, Partizani, Flamurtari and Skënderbeu in the Kategoria Superiore

Norway Norway edit

Palestine State of Palestine edit

Paraguay Paraguay edit

Peru Peru edit

Poland Poland edit

Portugal Portugal edit

Romania Romania edit

Russia Russia edit

Rwanda Rwanda edit

Senegal Senegal edit

 
Malick Mané played 13 games for Laçi 2018–19 season

Serbia Serbia edit

 
Mladen Brkić scored 41 goals in 122 games for 5 different sides in the Kategoria Superiore between 2008 and 2014

Slovakia Slovakia edit

Slovenia Slovenia edit

 
Patrik Bordon played for both Partizani and Bylis during the 2013–14 season

Spain Spain edit

Sweden Sweden edit

Sudan Sudan edit

Switzerland Switzerland edit

Togo Togo edit

Turkey Turkey edit

Uganda Uganda edit

Ukraine Ukraine edit

United States United States edit

 
Dilly Duka scored 1 goal in 13 games for Partizani during the 2018–19 season

Uruguay Uruguay edit

Venezuela Venezuela edit

Zambia Zambia edit

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe edit

 
Noel Kaseke scored 4 goalS in 22 games for Erzeni during the 2002–03 season

References edit

  1. ^ Gjergj Kola (20 December 2011). "Mbërrin Sergi Moreno, lojtari i kombëtares së Andorës". Shkodra Sport (in Albanian). Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  2. ^ Olsi Karagjozi (20 January 2017). "Luftëtari zyrtarizon sulmuesin afrikan, Bengui" (in Albanian). SuperSport Albania. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  3. ^ Sotir Kora (28 July 2016). "Luftëtari vijon përgatitjet, afrohet Silas Daniel". SuperSport Albania (in Albanian). Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  4. ^ "U aktivizua 13 ndeshje me Bylisin, sulmuesi 27-vjeçar firmos në… Kili". Panorama Sport (in Albanian). 12 January 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Carrusca Alejandro". En Una Baldosa (in Spanish). 10 October 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  6. ^ Neil Billingham (29 December 2014). "Where have all the player-managers gone?". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  7. ^ Soccer : A Dangerous Game for the Boys of Brazil
  8. ^ Mario Kempes now in Albania...
  9. ^ Albanian 'financiers' fail to play the game
  10. ^ Superkupa/ Elbasani, dilemat e formacionit anti–Tirana at Info Arkiva, 19–8–2006, retrieved 2–8–2015

Notes edit

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    Born in Albania
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    Born in Austria
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    Born in Belgium
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    Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)
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    Born in Switzerland
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    Born in Brazil
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    Born in Cameroon
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    Born in Croatia
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    Born in Croatia (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)
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    Born in France
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    Born in Germany
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    Born in Greece
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    Born in Haiti
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    Born in Kosovo (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)
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    Born in Kosovo (then part of FR Yugoslavia)
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    Born in Montenegro (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)
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    Born in the Netherlands
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    Born in Nigeria
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    Born in North Macedonia (then called FYR Macedonia)
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    Born in North Macedonia (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)
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    Born in Norway
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    Born in Portugal
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    Born in Serbia (then part of SFR Yugoslavia)
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    Born in Serbia (then part of FR Yugoslavia)
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    Born in Sierra Leone
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    Born in Slovenia
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    Born in Uganda
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External links edit