Quick Facts
Biography
Alban Bekim Hoxha (Albanian pronunciation: [alban hɔdʒa]; born 23 November 1987) is an Albanian footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper for Albanian club Partizani Tirana and the Albania national team.
Club career
Dinamo Tirana
He was raised through the ranks at his hometown team Turbina Cërrik before joining the youth team of Dinamo Tirana in 2004. He was loaned back out to Turbina Cërrik for the 2005–06 campaign, where he played in the Albanian First Division. He returned the following season and joined the first team at Dinamo as Ilion Lika understudy. He made his top flight debut with Dinamo on 10 March 2007 in a home game against KF Elbasani. He featured in 11 league games between March and the end of the season due to first choice keeper Lika being sidelined with injury.
The following season, he became second choice to Elvis Kotorri following the departure of Ilion Lika, and he made 2 league appearances as Dinamo were crowned Albanian Superliga champions for the first time since 2002. During the first half of the 2008–09 season he only made one league and one cup appearance before being loaned out to fellow Superliga side Apolonia Fier in January for the remainder of the season. He made 8 appearances while on loan at Apolonia Fier and kept 3 clean sheets, helping the team avoid the relegation play off places by a single point.
He returned to his parent club Dinamo ahead of the 2009–10 season and made 6 league appearances as he won his second Superliga title with Dinamo. The following season, he competed with Albanian international Isli Hidi for the first choice spot in the team, and following Hidi's departure to Olympiakos Nicosia in January 2011 he became Dinamo's first choice keeper for the first time and eventually featured in 24 league games as Dinamo narrowly avoided relegation after beating Besëlidhja Lezhë in the relegation play off.
At the time with Dinamo, he had a short spell with Kosova Vushtrri in the Kosovo Superleague.
Kastrioti Krujë
Hoxha left Dinamo Tirana in the summer transfer window of 2011 and joined another Superliga side Kastrioti Krujë, where he competed with Argjent Halili for the starting lineup, ultimately losing out as he only made 6 league appearances, and was used mainly in the Albanian Cup, where he featured 10 times. He left the club at the end of the season along with Halili, and was in talks with FK Kukësi regarding a possible transfer, but a move never materialised as an agreement could not be reached.
Besa Kavajë
He joined Besa Kavajë ahead of the 2012–13 campaign and was immediately made the first choice goalkeeper ahead of Ibrahim Bejte. Throughout the season Hoxha made 23 league and 2 cup appearances, helping Besa to a 9th-place finish, avoiding the relegation play off places.
Partizani Tirana
He joined newly promoted Partizani Tirana in the summer of 2013 and was given the number 1 shirt as well being named captain for the 2013–14 season.
Hoxha went 1,084 minutes without conceding a goal during 2014–15 Albanian Superliga season and got the all-time Albanian Superliga record as he broke the 30-year-old record set by the goalkeeper of KS Labinoti Elbasan (modern day called KF Elbasani), Bujar Gogunja, who kept intact net goal for 1037 minutes. He was chosen as the Footballer of the Year for 2014 by the Albanian Football Association.
At the end of 2014, Hoxha was named Albanian Player of the Year for his performances throughout the season.
On 1 November 2015, during the league match against Teuta Durrës, Hoxha suffered a jaw-injury after a clash with his team-mate Gëzim Krasniqi in the 76th minute of the match, being taken off the field by an ambulance.
On 20 July 2016, in the returning leg of Champions League second qualifying round at Groupama Arena, Hoxha was the main protagonist of the game. After the regular and extra time had finished in a 1–1 draw, then the game was decided in a penalty shootout where Hoxha saved three penalties after himself having scored a 'Panenka'. It was the first time that Partizani Tirana successfully progress to the Champions League third qualifying round.
Hoxha made his 100th Albanian Superliga appearance for Partizani Tirana on 17 October 2016 in the 4–0 win over Flamurtari Vlorë at Elbasan Arena.
International career
Youth team
Hoxha played three matches for the youth's Albania national under-19 football team in the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification - Group 9 between 23–27 October 2005.
Senior team
After the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, the second choice goalkeeper Samir Ujkani left the team to play for the Kosovo. Albania were looking forward for a third choice behind Etrit Berisha, which was a starter choice and Orges Shehi, which became second choice after leaving of Ujkani.
For the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying second round matches against Denmark and Serbia in October 2014, Hoxha received his first senior team call-up by the Albania coach Gianni De Biasi as a third choice goalkeeper. He remained as an unused substitute with for both matches. For the friendly matches against France and Italy in November 2014, Hoxha had some issue family problems and he replaced as a third choice with the fellow Albanian Superliga goalkeeper of Tirana, Stivi Frashëri.
On 16 November 2015, Hoxha made his official debut with Albania by replacing Berisha during the friendly match against Georgia which ended in a 2–2 draw at Qemal Stafa Stadium. On 21 May 2016, Hoxha was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016, and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro squad on 31 May. He remained as an unused substitute during the tournament, as Albania was eliminated in the group stage.
On 12 November 2016, in the matchday 4 of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification against Israel, Hoxha made his competitive debut by coming on as a 57th minute substitute to save a penalty kick from Eran Zahavi with Albania already 0–1 down, however, he conceded two more goals as "Red and Blacks" were defeated 0–3 at Elbasan Arena.
Euro 2016
On 21 May 2016, Hoxha was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016, and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro 2016 squad on 31 May.
Hoxha didn't managed to play any minute of all Group A matches as Albania were eliminated by ranking in the 3rd place behind hosts France against which they lost 2–0 and Switzerland against which they also lost 1–0 in the opening match and ahead of Romania by beating them 1–0 in the closing match with a goal by Armando Sadiku. Albania finished the group in the third position with three points and with a goal difference –2, and was ranked last in the third-placed teams, which eventually eliminated them.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Tirana | 2004–05 | Albanian Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2007–08 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2008–09 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| Total | 46 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 0 | ||
| Turbina Cërrik | 2005–06 | Albanian First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Apolonia Fier | 2008–09 | Albanian Superliga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Kastrioti Krujë | 2011–12 | Albanian Superliga | 6 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | ||||
| Besa Kavajë | 2012–13 | Albanian Superliga | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| Total | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
| Partizani Tirana | 2013–14 | Albanian Superliga | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| Total | 110 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 126 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 193 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 233 | 0 | ||
International
| Albania national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 |
Honours
Club
- Albanian Superliga: 2007–08, 2009–10
- Albanian Cup Runner-up: 2010–11
- Albanian Supercup Runner-up: 2010
Individual
- Albanian Player of the Year: 2014
- Albanian Superliga Player of the Month: March 2015