Andi Lila


Andi Lila is an Albanian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He was a versatile player, having spent his early career as a full-back.
Lila began his career with local side Besa Kavajë, where he made his debut in 2002 as a 16-year-old and soon became a regular first-team player, earning a move to Greek club Iraklis in January 2007. He soon returned to Besa Kavajë after failing to settle at Iraklis, and shortly became the club captain, guiding them to a third-place finish in the 2007–08 Albanian Superliga before moving to KF Tirana after just one year back in Kavajë. He was a fan favourite at KF Tirana during his three years at the club, winning the Albanian Superliga title in his first season, as well as helping his side reach the 2009 [Albanian Cup final], which he missed and his side went on to lose. His last game with the club came in the 2011 Albanian Cup final, which ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat after extra time, before moving to Greece for a second stint, this time with PAS Giannina.
He quickly established himself in the first team at PAS Giannina and helped the club achieve a mid-table finish in his first season back in Greece, before reaching the Super League play-offs in his second season, followed by a bottom-half finish in his third. He joined struggling Serie A side Parma on loan for the second half of the 2014–15 campaign, but was unable to help the club avoid relegation and returned to PAS Giannina following Parma’s bankruptcy. Since his return, he struggled to recapture a regular first-team place and was largely limited to substitute appearances in the league.
Lila has represented Albania at under-17 football team|under-17], under-19 football team|under-19], under-21 football team|under-21] and senior levels. He made his senior international debut in 2007 against Romania and has since earned 59 caps but has yet to score a senior international goal. He became Albania's first choice right back in 2010 under Josip Kuže, and he also began to play in the defensive midfield position. Under Gianni De Biasi he has primarily played as a right midfielder or right winger since 2014, and he has helped Albania qualify for its first major international tournament as they reached Euro 2016. He was also heavily involved in the infamous Serbia v Albania (UEFA [Euro 2016 qualifying)|Serbia v Albania match] on 14 October 2014, which resulted in the match being abandoned and Albania eventually being awarded a walkover victory over Serbia.

Club career

Besa Kavajë

Lila started his career with his hometown club, Besa Kavajë, making his debut at age of 16 in the 2002–03 Albanian Superliga season on 14 December 2002 against Teuta Durrës, coming on as a substitute at half-time in a match ended in a 5–0 defeat. Lila became regular in the first team that season, making a total of 11 league appearances.
In the following season, Lila continued to feature for Besa Kavajë, making 10 appearances in the 2003–04 Albanian Superliga, as the club was relegated at the end of the season.
In the 2004–05 Kategoria e Parë season, Lila established himself as a regular starter, making 24 league appearances as Besa Kavajë won the championship and secured promotion back to the Albanian Superliga.
Following Besa’s return to the top flight, Lila scored his first goal on 21 January 2006 in a 2–1 home victory over Partizani Tirana|Partizani] during the 2005–06 Albanian Superliga. During the same season, Lila made a total of 29 league appearances, while Besa Kavajë finished fifth in the league standings.
He also started the 2006–07 Albanian Superliga season with Besa Kavajë, making nine league appearances during the first half of the campaign before leaving the club.

Iraklis

Lila’s performances at right-back led to his transfer to Super League Greece club Iraklis in January 2007, where he joined fellow Albanians Enea Koliçi, Ervis Kraja and Indrit Fortuzi. He made his debut on 11 March 2007 in an away match against Aris Saloniki, starting the match at right-back before being sent off at half-time after receiving a second yellow card. He made a total of three league appearances for Iraklis before leaving the club and returning to Besa Kavajë.

Return to Besa Kavajë

Following his return, he was made captain of the team. He played in the 2007 Albanian Supercup on 17 August 2007 against Tirana and the team was defeated 4–2. He made his first appearance in continental competition on 30 August 2007, playing against Litex Lovech in the 2007–08 [UEFA Cup qualifying rounds#Second qualifying round|2007–08 UEFA Cup Second qualifying round] 2nd leg, which finished in a 3–0 loss. During the 2007–08 Albanian Superliga, Lila made 29 appearances as Besa Kavajë finished third in the final standings.
Lila played his final match for Besa Kavajë on 12 July 2008 in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup Second Round 2nd leg against Grasshopper, which ended in a 3–0 loss.
Shortly after, he transferred to Tirana on 21 July 2008.

Tirana

He made his debut for Tirana on 24 August 2008 against Vllaznia Shkodër|Vllaznia], playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw. His first goal for the team came on 14 September in his third appearance in the capital derby against Partizani, scoring in a 2–1 victory. A week later, Lila scored again, in a 2–0 away win against Apolonia Fier|Apolonia]. During the 2008–09 Albanian Superliga season, Lila was a regular starter, making 28 appearances and scoring four goals. Tirana won the league title for the 24th time in their history, finishing four points ahead of Vllaznia. Tirana also went into the final of 2008–09 Albanian Cup, where "The White and Blues" were defeated 2–1 by Flamurtari Vlorë, in a match where Lila was an unused substitute.
Lila started his second season with Tirana on 15 July 2009 by making his European debut with Tirana against Stabæk in the first leg of 2009–10 [UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round|2009–10 UEFA Champions League]'s first round. He started in the return leg, as Tirana were defeated 4–0 and eliminated from the competition with a 5–1 aggregate loss. On 16 August 2009, Lila won his second trophy with Tirana, the 2009 Albanian Supercup, as the team defeated Flamurtari Vlorë 1–0. In the opening match of the 2009–10 Albanian Superliga on 23 August 2009, Lila conceded a penalty and was sent off in the 31st minute as Tirana were defeated 3–1 by Flamurtari Vlorë. In total he made 24 league appearances and scored one goal, as Tirana finished in third place.
In the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League qualifying in July 2010, Lila played every minute of the first two qualifying rounds, as Tirana advanced past Zalaegerszeg 1–0 after extra time in the first round, before being eliminated in the second round by Utrecht despite Lila scoring in the second leg, with a 5–1 aggregate defeat. Lila began the 2011–12 Albanian Superliga season on 22 August 2011 by scoring the equalising goal in a 1–1 draw against Elbasani. On 31 January 2011, Lila scored in a 2–1 away victory over Dinamo Tirana. He made a total of 26 league appearances and scored six goals, as Tirana finished the season in fifth place. On 23 May 2011, Lila featured in the 2011 Albanian Cup final, which Tirana won against Dinamo after penalty shoot-out, securing the club’s qualification for European competition.

PAS Giannina

Lila completed a transfer to Greek side PAS Giannina on 24 June 2011 by signing a three-year contract worth €200,000 plus bonuses.
He was given squad number 3 and made his competitive debut on 27 August by starting in the goalless draw against Aris in the opening week of 2011–12 Super League Greece. In his first full season at Ajax of Epirus Lila contributed with 21 league appearances, scoring no goals as the team finished 8th in championship. With 8 yellow cards, Lila had the second worst disciplinary record within the team.
Lila begun his second season on 25 August 2012 by playing in the 0–0 draw versus Platanias at Zosimades Stadium. He made his first Greek Cup appearance later on 29 November in the 1–0 win against Panserraikos in the first leg of third round. His first score-sheet contributions for the club came later on 8 December as he netted the opener of the 0–2 win at Kerkyra. His second of the season came on 24 January of the following year in the second leg of Greek Cup against Fostiras, leading his team into a 2–3 win and progression to quarter-finals. He concluded his second season in Greece by playing 35 matches between league and cup, as PAS Giannina finished 5th in championship and was eliminated by Olympiacos at the quarter-finals of cup. Once again he had the second worst disciplinary record within the team.
On 12 July 2014, Lila stated that his contract with PAS Giannina had expired and he was set to join Croatian side HNK Rijeka, however, he later chose to remain at PAS Giannina, signing a new three-year contract with the club.

Loan to Parma

On 28 December 2014, Lila was sent on loan at Serie A club Parma. The transfer was made official on 1 January 2015 when the transfer window reopened. During his presentation, Lila stated that moving to Serie A is a dream come true, adding that Serie A is the best league in the world. Eleven days later, the club announced that the deal was temporary with an option to purchase, due to ongoing financial difficulties of the club.
He made his debut for Parma on 14 January 2015, starting in the Coppa Italia match against Cagliari. After 13 minutes, Lila was forced off the field with a thigh muscle problem. In his first game back after returning from injury, Lila scored his first goal for Parma against Sassuolo Calcio|Sassuolo] on 15 March 2015; having played from the start, with the match ending as a 4–1 defeat for the Gialloblù.

Return to PAS Giannina

After his loan spell at Parma ended, Lila initially refused to return in an attempt to secure a move to another Serie A club. In early August 2015, he trained with Skënderbeu Korçë to maintain fitness, before returning to his parent club PAS Giannina for the new season, where he was assigned his former squad number 3.
He made his 100th Super League Greece on 24 January 2016 by playing 70th minutes in the 0–2 win against Atromitos.
Lila started the 2016–17 season by making his Europa League debut for the club on 14 July 2016 by starting in the first leg of 2016–17 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round against Odds BK as the team achieved a comfortable 3–0 win. He also played in the returning leg a week later as PAS Giannina won at extra-time after regular time ended 3–0. Lila ended his European campaign with 4 matches after the team was eliminated by AZ Alkmaar in the second qualifying round.
On 25 March 2017, Lila was involved in an incident while on international duty in which he was recorded making inappropriate remarks towards a Greek priest. Following the incident, PAS Giannina reportedly considered terminating his contract. Three days later, Lila issued a public apology, describing his behaviour as inappropriate. He later met the priest in person to apologise. On 1 April, Lila was an unused substitute in the 1–1 home draw against Xanthi. He returned to the starting lineup four days later, playing 64 minutes in a 3–0 away defeat to Veria. Later that month, Lila scored his first goal of the season, opening the scoring in a 1–1 home draw against AEK Athens on matchday 30. He concluded his sixth season with the club with 22 appearances in all competitions.
On 21 July 2017, Lila signed a new contract until June 2020. During the 2017–18 Super League Greece season, he made 21 league appearances as the team finished in ninth place.
In the 2018–19 Super League Greece season, he made 19 appearances, and PAS Giannina relegated after finishing in 14th place.
On 1 July 2019, Lila mutually terminated his contract with the club.

Return to Tirana

On 27 August 2019, Lila returned to KF Tirana after ten years, signing for the club for the 2019–20 season. Lila did not play any minutes for Tirana during the 2019–20 season due to a leg surgery and the interruption caused by the COVID‑19 pandemic.
In 2020, Lila decided to retire from professional football following a serious injury that required two surgical operations. He later confirmed that the decision marked the end of his playing career, which he described as difficult due to his strong attachment to the sport. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he began writing an autobiography titled Triumf, published in 2022, in which he reflects on his career and personal experiences in football.

International career

Lila represented Albania at youth levels, including the U17, U19, and U21 teams.
Lila was first called up to the Albania senior team in late 2007 by head coach Otto Barić while playing as a right back for Besa Kavajë in the Albanian Superliga. He made his senior debut on 21 November 2007 in the closing UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Romania in Bucharest, playing the full 90 minutes in a 6–1 defeat. Following the result, Barić resigned as head coach shortly after the final whistle.
The next manager, Arie Haan, included Lila in his first match in charge, a friendly against Poland on 27 May 2008. Lila started the match and was substituted at half-time as Albania lost 1–0. He went on to make two further appearances under Haan.
Lila was a regular member of Albania's UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. He played the final 15 minutes of the opening UEFA [Euro 2016 qualifying Group I|Group I] match against Portugal, which Albania won 1–0 at the Estádio Municipal, the first ever win against "Seleção das Quinas". Later in October 2014, Lila made his 50th international appearance in the match against Serbia; he played as a starter until 42nd minute where the match was postponed due to Serbian fans launching flares onto the pitch. He along with other Albanian players were attacked by Serbian hooligans who came onto the pitch with chairs and other objects. Initially, UEFA awarded Serbia with a 3–0 win, but were deducted three points, leading both Serbia and Albania appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who on 10 July 2015, awarded Albania with a 3–0 victory and Serbia were still deducted three points. After winning 0–3 at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium against Armenia on 11 October 2015, Albania's spot at UEFA Euro 2016 was confirmed as team finished second in Group I with 14 points.
On 21 May 2016, Lila was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for Euro 2016, and subsequently in the final 23-man squad announced on 31 May.
Lila was an unused substitute in the opening Group A match against Switzerland, which Albania lost 1–0. He made his first European Championship appearance on 16 June against France, with Albania losing 2–0 after late goals. Lila started the final group match against Romania, which Albania won 1–0, marking the country's first victory at a major international tournament. It was Albania's first win over Romania since 1948. Albania finished third in the group with three points and a goal difference of −2, and was ranked last among the third-placed teams, resulting in elimination from the tournament.

Personal life

Lila is married to Ornela Lila. The couple became parents for the first time on 20 March 2015, when his wife gave birth to their son, Ayan. On 16 July 2015, Lila was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of Kavaja" for his contribution to Albanian football and for protecting national symbols. In an interview, Lila stated that his favourite club while growing up was Italian side Internazionale. He is also a fan of the American heavy metal band Metallica and the English rock band The Beatles.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Tirana
Decoration