Erjon Bogdani

At 47 years old, Erjon Bogdani has this physical status:

Erjon Bogdani (born 14 April 1977) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player who is currently the current head of Albania's under-19 team.

Bogdani began his career at Partizani Tirana in 1994, where he debuted at the age of 16. He is regarded as one of the most popular Albanian players of all time.

In January 1998, he left the club to join Gençlerbirligi.

Bogdani travelled from Croatia to Zagreb in the summer of his career before heading to Italy, where he spent time in Serie A and B representing Reggina, Salernitana, Verona, Chievo, Livorno, and Cesena.

After his time with Siena ran out and retired from the sport in February 2014, Bogdani made his debut in 1996 and scored his first goal three years later.

He is Albania's all-time top goalscorer, scoring his 15th goal and overtaking his former colleague Alban Bushi in 2011.

Bogdani was first promoted by Albanian Football Association as the best striker to play for the Red and Black in September 2014, with most goals as substitute and oldest goalscoring in history.

In August 2016, he began his managerial career by being appointed Gianni De Biasi assistant.

He was appointed manager of Albania's under-19 team in December 2016.

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Club career

Bogdani was discovered by local side Partizani Tirana at the age of ten in a school team competition held in Tirana, where he scored 11 goals in just four games. The young Bogdani completed his education at Partizani Tirana's academy, where he competed in different age groups and finally signed his first professional contract with the club in 1994.

Bogdani made his professional debut with Partizani Tirana in the Albanian Superliga, playing seven games in the second half of the 1993–94 season. He scored his first goal in a season in which he appeared in 13 games and scored 2 goals. The 1997–98 campaign in Albanian football would be his most fruitful in Albanian football, with 13 goals in 15 games before the winter break.

Several foreign clubs were attracted by his appearance at Partizani Tirana. Bogdani decided to join Gençlerbirli in the Süper Lig's second half of the 1997-1998 season, playing in 11 games and scoring 1 goal.

Bogdani and Josip Kue (also future coach of Bogdani at the Albania national team in 2009) were moved to Croatia and gave them a vital support joining the Prva HNL club NK Zagreb. He appeared in 14 games scoring 9 goals in his first season with NK Zagreb, 1998–99. He scored 6 goals in 12 games in the first half of the 1999-2000 season.

Bogdani was transferred to Italy during the winter break and joined Reggina on a three-year deal in January 2000. He was in charge of the first half of the 1999-2000 Prva HNL season. He made his Serie A debut against Bologna on February 6, 2000. He appeared in ten Serie A games and scored 1 goal in his first season at Reggina. In the 2000-2001 season, he appeared in 19 matches scoring 1 goal and Reggina were relegated to Reggina in Serie B. Bogdani scored 7 goals in 31 games during his 2001–02 Serie B season, helping Reggina finish third in the Serie A rankings, placing him in third place for promotion. In the 2002-03 Serie A, he played in all 11 games and scored one goal. He was loaned to Salernitana in the Serie B during the 2003–04 season.

Bogdani was signed by Verona in the 2004–05 season. Massimo Ficcadenti Bogdani, a coach, appeared in all 38 games where he appeared as a starter, clocking 33 full 90 minutes and being the team's top scorer in the Serie B with 17 goals scored. He came in 4th place in the overall goalscorers classification, with 3 goals behind top-scorer Gionatha Spinesi and 2 goals behind Diego Milito and Francesco Tavano. The 2004–05 season had the most goals scored in a single season.

Bogdani returned to Italy's top-flight in 2005, but not for A.C. Siena. He made it his debut against Cagliari on August 28, 2005, winning by a score of 2–1. Bogdani scored his first goal against Ascoli on September 21, 2005, in a match decided in a 1–1 draw where his goal was scored in the 45th minute.

Bogdani scored a hat trick of three goals against Palermo on January 28, 2006, when the match ended in a 1–3 away victory. He appeared in a total of 34 league appearances, scoring in total 11 goals in 2005-06 season.

He began playing with Siena in the first match against Chievo on September 10, 2006, where the match ended in a 1–2 draw. He appeared in the 2006–07 season's first half, where he made 15 appearances and scored two goals.

ChievoVerona's struggling A.C. ChievoVerona has signed 29-year-old Albanian international striker Bogdani from Serie A rivals AC Siena for an undisclosed sum on January 11, 2007.

He made his debut against Catania on January 14, 2007, against whom he was playing as a starter for Chievo. In a match decided in a 3–0 victory, he scored twice against Torino on February 24, 2007. He established himself as a starter in 16 out 19 games, scoring in total 5 goals but was unable to prevent relegation to Serie B.

Bogdani stayed in Serie A as he was loaned out to Livorno to replace the "goal machine" Cristiano Lucarelli. He made his Livorno debut against Palermo on September 2, 2007, losing by 2–4 at the end of the game, where he came in as a replacement in the 36th minute in lieu of Francesco Tavano. Bogdani scored two goals in the second half of his season, first against Juventus on January 27, 2008 in a 1–3 loss, and against Reggina on March 19, 2008 in a 1–1 draw. Livorno was relegated to Serie B at the end of the season as they were ranked in last place of the table. Bogdani had 28 appearances and only two goals for the entire season.

For the 2008-2009 season, he returned to Chievo. He had a rough season in which he wasn't even played in 9 matches and played 12 matches as a starter and nine as a replacement. In a match that ended in 0–3 victory, with Bogdani coming in as a replacement after an injury to Stephen Makinwa in the 20th minute and scoring the first goal in the 27th minute, he scored only 1 goal for the entire season against Lazio on March 15, 2009.

The 2009–2010 season was pretty similar. He appeared in 32 games as a starter and nine as a substitute, scoring 2 goals and giving 1 assist. On September 20, 2009, I played as a starter and made a big difference in the first minutes, winning a penalty by Michele Marcolini and scoring a goal himself 2 minutes later. Chievo won by 3–1. He was not selected in the four penultimate matches of the season due to a misunderstanding with coach Domenico Di Carlo.

Bogdani signed Cesena, a newly promoted Serie A side, for an undisclosed fee as a free agent on July 22, 2010. He has been working with a renewed date until the 2010–11 season, with the possibility of a new season. Bogdani, the team's 70th anniversary of playing in the goalless draw versus Roma on August 28th, made his debut on his debut. In his second appearance in the 2–0 home win over Milan two weeks later, he scored the opener and then set up Emanuele Giaccherini for the second. He was named "Man of the match" for his appearance, and he followed it by netting the winner versus Lecce the next week. He had a blast in 35 league appearances in his first season with Cavallucci Marini, finishing second, with only one goal less than Luis Jiménez. It was his highest number since the 2005–06 season.

Bogdani lost his spot in the upcoming season after being restricted to only playing in cup games. In the third round match of Coppa Italia's Section 8, the winner defeated Ascoli in the 119th minute and the replacement in the 106th minute. He scored his first goal of the season on August 21. Bogdani's second goal in the next cup match against Gubbio was netting the opener with a penalty kick in a 3–0 home win that allowed Cesena to progress to round 16. He left the team in January 2012 during the winter transfer window after being used only in league for the first half of the season.

Bogdani returned to AC Siena on the last day of the winter transfer window by signing a two-year deal. In the home loss to Catania, he made his Tuscan debut on February 22, 2012. In the 4–1 victory over Palermo, he scored his first goal in the league 26 February 2012. In the two weeks against Cagliari and Cesena, his former team, scored again. Bogdani ended the season with 11 appearances and four goals.

He began in the first minute of Siena-Vicenza (4–2), the third round of the Italian Cup, but instead of Michele Paolucci, he began to recover from the first minute. On August 26, he made his Premiership debut against Torino (0–0), and scored his first goal of the season on October 31 in Cagliari-Siena (4–2). Bogdani scored his second goal against Sampdoria on January 20, 2013. In the 63rd minute, he came as a replacement and scored in the match's only goal, which gave Siena the 1–0 victory.

Bogdani didn't move to any club in the 2013 summer transfer window after his deal with Siena came to an end. Bogdani said on February 11th that he had resigned from football.

International career

Bogdani joined the Albania U21 team in 1996, where he scored on his first appearance in a 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification match against Portugal on October 9, 1996. He was suspended following his goal but only 4 minutes after scoring his first red card of his career, but Albania lost 4–2. Albania finished Group 9 in 5th place with 7 official appearances and 1 goal.

Bogdani was called up by coach Sulejman Mema to Albania under the age of 23 to compete in the 1997 Mediterranean Games football tournament, which began in Southern Italy on June 8th. In Group B of Yugoslavia and Italy, Albania's U2323 were shorted. Bogdani was a half-time replacement for Mahir Halili against Yugoslavia U23, scoring in the 60th minute, Albania's only goal in a 4–1 loss. He was an unused substitute in Italy's second game against Italy U23.

Bogdani was first introduced to the Albania senior squad by manager Neptun Bajko in April 1996 for the friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the game coming to an end in a goalless draw, he came at the last minutes as a substitute. Bogdani was called up again for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Northern Ireland, in which Bogdani was a new substitute. At Windsor Park, Albania defeated 2–0. On 19 August 1998, his second appearance in another friendly against Cyprus, where he returned as a substitute.

In a 2–0 friendly victory over Macedonia on February 10, Bogdani scored his first international goal. In the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, where Albania was placed in Group 2 despite his participation in Astrit Hafizi's leadership, he continued to play for the team under Astrit Hafizi's leadership. He made six appearances during the qualifying process, one as a starter, as Albania finished fifth place with 7 points.

Bogdani did not have more space in the upcoming qualifying tournament, 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification, in which he played just four matches. He was not seen as a starter by manager Medin Zhega until players such as Igli Tare, Alban Bushi, and Altin Rraklli were selected. In the 3–0 home victory over Malta on November 15, 2000, he scored his next international goals in the form of a brace.

Bogdani was forced to miss almost entire UEFA Euro 2004 qualifier due to injuries while at club level, but he appeared only once against the Republic of Ireland, where he was an uninhibited substitute under coach Hans-Peter Briegel.

Bogdani returned to the team in February 2005 for matchday 5 of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification against Ukraine, in which he served as a second-half replacement for fellow striker Tare. Since a good run on club level, including scoring in the loss to Denmark and victory over Kazakhstan, then was thrown in the next matches. As Albania finished Group 2 in 5th place after leaving behind Georgia and Kazakhstan, then scored a brace in the 2–2 draw against Ukraine, giving him four goals for the season and making him the team's top goalscorer.

Bogdani, the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying team, continued to lead Albania's attacking force in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier, playing 11 matches, one of them as starter, and with Altin Haxhi, the most used player. He scored just once during the qualifiers, the temporary equalizer in an eventual 4–2 home loss to Belarus on November 17th, 2007 in Albania's penultimate matchday, who finished Group G in 5th place with 11 points from 12 matches.

Bogdani won his first 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Malta, his ninth international goal, in an eventual 3–0 victory at Qemal Stafa Stadium in Group 2. Bogdani scored his 10th international goal against Portugal on June 6, 2009, becoming only the fifth player to achieve the feat. His goal, on the other hand, was only the temporary equalizer the minute after Portugal's opener, as Albania lost 1–2 at injury time. Bogdani scored in his 50th international appearance in the friendly against Cyprus in August 2009, scoring his third goal in a 6–1 home win, Albania's biggest ever victory. He beat Igli Tare and Sokol Kushta to become Albania's fourth goalscorer of all time with this goal. Bogdani scored his second goal in Albania's next qualifying match against Denmark, resulting in a 1-1 draw. It was the first time Bogdani had scored in three consecutive matches. Albania finished Group 1 in 5th place with only 7 points and six goals scored, with Bogdani netting half of them.

In the opening Group D match against Romania, Bogdani started his UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying by playing as a starter. The Albanians lost 1–1 at Stadionul Ceahlului, but not Romania. After 9 consecutive losses, it was also Albania's first draw versus Tricolorii since 1949. Bogdani played in the 1–2 friendly loss to Slovenia on February 9, 2011, putting him in Albania's top ten appearance maker list. Albania defeated Belarus 1–0 at Qemal Stafa Stadium on March 26, 2011, the first match against them ever. Bogdani assisted Hamdi Salihi's victor against Belarus on a header. It was also Bogdani's 60th international appearance, defeating Rudi Vata in the process.

Bogdani scored his first goal in the qualifiers against France on September 2nd, 2011. Bogdani boosted Alban Bushi to become Albania's top goalscorer with 14 goals. In the next qualifying match, a 2–1 loss against Luxembourg, he tied the record four days later. Bogdani said in the post-match interview that he was considering retirement from the national team but that after a talk with Albanian Football Association president Armand Duka, he'd decide that if the Albanian national team needs him and that if the Albania national team needs him, he'd stay for another qualification campaign, and of course if he was in good running form. He also rated 2011 as one of his career's best years.

Bogdani, a veteran, continued to play for the national team long after the appointment of manager Gianni De Biasi, who was known for his love for youth players. In a 2–1 friendly victory over Qatar over De Biasi on May 22, he scored his first goal under De Biasi, his 16th with a penalty, in a 2–1 victory over De Biasi.

De Biasi had recruited young forwards to the team in order to make more competition for the starting eleven. Edgar ani, Armando Sadiku, and Bekim Balaj all played for the established and mature internationals, including Bogdani and Hamdi Salihi. He appeared as a replacement in the first Group E match against Cyprus, but Emiljano Vila was defeated in the 72nd minute by a 30-yard kick into the net, resulting in a 3–1 victory and his highest international goal of his career. It was his 69th match for Albania, making him the fifth player with the most appearances, overtaking Igli Tare and Alban Bushi. He was playing in the second match against Switzerland but was forced to leave in the 55th minute after Albania lost 0–2.

In the friendly loss to Georgia on February 6, Bogdani began 2013 by scoring his 18th international goal, a first-half header. Albania defeated Norway 2-0 in a qualifying match against Norway, as Albania won their first ever victory over the nation thanks to Hamdi Salihi's champion. This was his last competitive match. For the first time in his career, Bogdani captained Albania against Lithuania in his 74th international appearance, playing for 70 minutes before preparing for Lorik Cana.

Bogdani resigned from playing football on February 11, 2014, putting an end to his 17-year international career. At the time, he was Albania's fourth player with the most appearances. He currently has the most goalscorers with 18 goals. At FIFA World Cup qualification (8), he also holds records for the most goals scored for Albania, and the majority of goals scored as a replacement (4). In addition, Bogdani is Albania's oldest player at 35 years, ten month, 23 days to score a goal.

Managerial career

Bogdani, the principal, began working as a youth talents Scouter for Albania's national football team, where he was recalled by FSHF on August 12, 2014.

He was named Albania's national team assistant manager by Gianni De Biasi on August 29, 2015, for replacing the departed Altin Lala.

Following the appointment of Paolo Tramezzani, fellow assistant manager of De Biasi at Albania's national team as the Albania national under-19 football team's manager, Bogdani was appointed as the Albania national under-19 football team's manager on December 9, 2016.

He attended his first gathering with Albania U19 in February 2017, where he competed in the Roma Caput Mundi Tournament, which ran from 27 February to March 2017. He won his first tournament in which he competed, defeating Romania U19 2–0 in the Final. He did win the first match against Malta U19 2–1, winning by 2–0 against England's national under-19 squad and defeating Italy's national under-19 team 4–2 by Penalty shoot-out, before the final match. Did you know the best talent Sadik ela of PAOK under 20 who scored three goals?

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