Elvir Gigolaj

Elvir Gigolaj

Gigolaj in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Elvir Gigolaj
Date of birth	(1992-06-30) 30 June 1992 (age 33)
Place of birth	Croatia
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Waterloo United
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2011	Saint Mary's	26	(11)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011	London City
2012–2013	FC Edmonton	6	(1)
2016–2017	FC London	39	(40)
2021	St. Catharines Hrvat
2024	Hamilton City
2025	Waterloo United	9	(3)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 July 2025

Elvir Gigolaj (Albanian : Elvir Gegollaj; born 30 June 1992) is a Bosnian footballer who plays with Waterloo United in League1 Ontario.

Early life

Gigolaj was born in Croatia to a Kosovar Albanian father and Bosniak mother from Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was raised in London, Ontario, where his father owns a bakery that carries the family name. ^[1]

Club career

Early career

He, at one point, played for London City's soccer side who participated in the Canadian Soccer League and with whom he had a good relationship with his coach, Luka Shaqiri. ^{[1] [2]}

Gigolaj attended St. Mary's University for two years from 2010 to 2012, playing for the Huskies in the 2010 and 2011 varsity seasons, scoring 11 goals in 26 appearances. ^{[3] [4]}

FC Edmonton

In January 2012, after training with the team, Gigolaj officially joined FC Edmonton of the North American Soccer League. ^[1] Gigolaj then made his debut for FC Edmonton in the NASL on 3 June 2012 in which he came on as an 85th-minute substitute for Yashir Pinto as FC Edmonton went on to lose the match 2–1. ^[5]

He then scored his first professional goal of his career on 23 September 2012 against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in which he found the net in the 90th minute to start a late comeback for Edmonton as they went from 2–0 down to finishing the match drawing 2–2. ^[6]

On 30 June 2013, it was announced that Gigolaj was released by FC Edmonton. ^[7]

Germany

After being released by FC Edmonton, Gigolaj attempted to join the reserve team of German Bundesliga side, Hertha BSC but he had hit paperwork problems. ^[8]

FC London

Gigolaj spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons with League1 Ontario club FC London. ^{[9] [10]}

CSL

In 2021, he returned to the Canadian Soccer League to play with St. Catharines Hrvat. ^[11] Gigolaj signed with league rivals Hamilton City in 2024. ^[12]

Waterloo United

In 2025, he returned to League1 Ontario with Waterloo United, reuniting him with his old coach, Michael Marcoccia.

Honours

FC London

• League1 Ontario First Team All Star: 2016 ^[13]
• League1 Ontario Third Team All Star: 2017 ^[14]

Career statistics

As of 1 October 2017 ^[15]

Club	League	Season	League		Playoffs		Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
FC Edmonton	NASL	2012	6	1	0	0	0	0	6	1
		2013	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FC Edmonton total			6	1	0	0	0	0	6	1
FC London	League1 Ontario	2016 [16]	20	23	1	1	1	1	22	25
		2017 [17]	19	17	0	0	1	0	20	17
	Total		39	40	1	1	2	0	42	42
Career total			45	40	1	1	2	1	48	42

References

1. Sandor, Steve (17 January 2012). "Confident Gigolaj wants to be a starter for FC Edmonton". The 11. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013.
2. "Canadian Soccer League". 2 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
3. "St. Mary's men's soccer 2010 stats". AUS. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
4. "St. Mary's men's soccer 2011 stats". AUS. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
5. "FC EDMONTON VS. ATLANTA SILVERBACKS 1 – 2". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
6. "FC EDMONTON VS. FORT LAUDERDALE STRIKERS 2 – 2". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
7. Sandor, Steve. "LeRoy, Gigolaj cut loose by FC Edmonton". The 11. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
8. Sandor, Steve. "Canadian striker Gigolaj waiting on DFB clearance before he can play with Hertha Berlin's reserves". The 11. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
9. "Elvir Gigolaj 2016". League1 Ontario. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
10. "Elvir Gigolaj 2017". League1 Ontario. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
11. "Canadian Soccer League | Player Stats". cslregistration.ca. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
12. Adamson, Stan (12 August 2024). "Unity Hold Scarborough in Rough and Tumble - Wins for Falcons, Serbian White Eagles". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
13. "League1 Ontario Announces 2016 Men's First And Second Team All-Stars". League1 Ontario. 17 November 2016.
14. "League1 Ontario Announces 2017 Men's First, Second and Third Team All-Stars". League1 Ontario. 10 November 2017.
15. Elvir Gigolaj at Soccerway
16. "Elvir Gigolaj 2016 profile".
17. "Elvir Gigolaj 2017 profile".

External links

• Elvir Gigolaj at Soccerway