Hamdi Bakalli


Hamdi Bakalli was an Albanian footballer who played for Vllaznia Shkodër, Ylli I Kuq Shkodër, Partizani Tirana and Dinamo Tirana. He was born on 1 January 1923 in Shkodër and died on the same date of 1991, day of his 68th birthday, in the same city. He was also a member of the Albania national team between 1950 and 1953.

Club career

A native of Shkodër, Bakalli played for hometown club Vllaznia but also had successful spells at capital clubs Partizani and Dinamo Tirana with whom he won a total of 7 league titles. On 20 March 1947, he scored the first ever goal of the KF Tirana–Partizani Tirana rivalry.

International career

He made his debut for Albania in a September 1950 friendly match against Czechoslovakia and earned a total of 4 caps, scoring no goals. His final international was a November 1953 friendly match against Poland.

Personal life

He was part of a footballing family, as all of his four brothers, Xhabir, Alush, Xhevat and Rifat were also footballers during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s in Albania.

Honours