Fabio Sakaj

Fabio Sakaj

Personal information
Date of birth	(1998-02-02) 2 February 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth	Alatri, Frosinone, Italy
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Progresso
Youth career
	Virtus Pavullese
0000–2016	Modena
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2017	Modena	11	(0)
2017–2018	Racing Fondi	4	(0)
2018–2019	Pianese	17	(0)
2019–2020	Vis Artena	24	(0)
2021	Sestri Levante	11	(0)
2022	Cattolica	13	(0)
2023	Bagnolese	5	(0)
2023–	Progresso	3	(0)
International career
2016	Albania U19	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 October 2023

Fabio Sakaj (born 2 February 1998) is an Italian-born Albanian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie D club Progresso. He represented the Albania national under-19 team.

Early life and youth career

Sakaj was born in Alatri, a comune of province of Frosinone in the Italian region of the Lazio, to Albanian parents originally from Lezhë, Albania. ^[1] He started his football at the Virtus Pavullese, a small football team in the town of Pavullo Nel Frignano, in the Italian province of Modena. ^[2] He moved at Modena academy and in 2014 became part of the Primavera team under coach Simone Barone. ^[3]

Club career

Modena

Sakaj gained entry with the first team of Modena F.C. as he was included in the team by the coach Simone Pavan to participate in the match against Brescia on 3 March 2015. ^[4] Then he continued to participate regularly in 6 another matches, until he managed to make its debut against Virtus Entella on 11 April 2015 by coming on as a substitute in the stoppage time 90'+2 minute in place of Pablo Granoche. ^[5]

On 5 November 2017, Modena declared bankrupt after failing to pay player wages or stadium bills which brought about a player strike and a stadium lockout. ^[6] The club had not attended the previous three Serie C matches, including not attending the match against Santarcangelo Calcio; with a total of four matches not attended, the club were officially excluded from "Lega Pro" on 6 November. ^[7]

Fondi

On 11 December 2017, he signed with Racing Fondi as a free agent. ^[8]

International career

Sakaj received his first call up to the Albania national under-19 team by coach Arjan Bellaj for the friendly tournament Roma Caput Mundi from 29 February–4 March 2016. ^[9]

Sakaj received his first call up at Albania national under-21 football team by coach Alban Bushi for a gathering in Durrës, Albania from 18 to 25 January 2017. ^[10]

He received his first call up for the Albania under-20 side by coach Alban Bushi for the double friendly match against Azerbaijan U-21 on 21 & 26 January 2018. ^[11]

Career statistics

Club

As of 17 December 2017 ^[12]

Club statistics

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe [a]		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Modena	2014–15	Serie B	4	0	—		—		2	0	6	0
	2015–16		4	0	1	0	—		—		5	0
	2016–17	Serie C	1	0	1	0	—		—		2	0
	2017–18		—		—		—		—		0	0
Total		9	0	2	0	—		2	0	13	0
Racing Fondi	2017–18	Serie C	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
Career total			9	0	2	0	—		2	0	13	0

1. Including continental competitions, such as UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League

References

1. "Juve, në gjurmët e talentit shqiptar Sakaj" (in Albanian). SuperSport. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
2. "Talenti Fabio Sakaj, udhëhoqi Modenan në debutimin e tij të parë në Serie B" (in Albanian). Gazeta KNN. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
3. Anton Cicani (7 November 2017). ""Zhduket" Modena, talenti shqiptar mbetet në mes të rrugës!" (in Albanian). Sport Ekspres . Retrieved 8 November 2017. Dhe, pikërisht në Emilia nis aventura e Sakajt me topin, duke luajtur me Pavulezen, përpara se të kalojë te të rinjtë e Modenës, aty ku fërgohet nga Hernan Krespo, te Primavera, dhe më pas kalon te ekipi i parë.
4. "Brescia vs. Modena - 3 March 2015". int.soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
5. Fabio Sakaj matches Soccerway
6. "Modena declared bankrupt". football-italia.net. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
7. "Official: Modena excluded from Lega Pro". Football Italia. 6 November 2017.
8. "Arriva Fabio Sakaj" [Fabio Sakaj arrives] (in Italian). Racing Fondi. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
9. "Kombëtarja U-19, në turneun "Roma Caput Mundi"" [The U-19 national team, in the tournament “Roma Caput Mundi”] (in Albanian). FSHF.org. 28 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
10. "Alban Bushi: Ja emrat për grumbullimin e parë në Durrës" (in Albanian). FSHF. 17 January 2017. Archived from the original on 19 January 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
11. "KOMBËTARJA U-20, DY NDESHJE MIQËSORE ME AZERBAJXHANIN, TRAJNERI ALBAN BUSHI SHPALL LISTËN!" [U-20 NATIONAL TEAM, TWO FRIENDLIES WITH AZERBAIJAN, COACH ALBAN BUSHI ANNOUNCES THE LIST!] (in Albanian). FSHF.org. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
12. Fabio Sakaj at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 December 2017.

External links

• Fabio Sakaj at Soccerway