Sokol Kushta

Last updated

Sokol Kushta
Personal information
Full name Sokol Kushta
Date of birth (1964-04-17) 17 April 1964 (age 59)
Place of birth Vlorë, Albania
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1981–1984 Flamurtari 40 (14)
1984–1987 Partizani 70 (31)
1987–1991 Flamurtari 81 (41)
1991–1993 Iraklis 36 (2)
1993–1994 Apollon Kalamarias 24 (10)
1994–1995 Olympiakos Nicosia 26 (13)
1995–1996 Ethnikos Achna 19 (3)
Total296(114)
International career‡
1987–1996 Albania 31 (10)
Managerial career
2000–2001 Flamurtari
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 October 2009
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 October 2009

Sokol Kushta (born 17 April 1964) is an Albanian retired football player, who was arguably one of his country's best players in the latter half of the 1980s and the early 1990s and one of the first to be allowed by the communist party to play abroad.

Contents

Kushta was a striker and was ranked 30th in the 1987 European Footballer of the Year, matching in the ranking players such as Alessandro Altobelli, Glenn Hoddle, and Rudi Völler. [1]

Club career

Born in Vlorë, Kushta spent the large part of his Albanian league career with hometown club Flamurtari during the 1980s, the club's golden years alongside fellow international players like Alfred Zijai, Kreshnik Çipi, Petro Ruçi, Alfred Ferko and Rrapo Taho. [2] In the 1987–88 season, he and his Flamurtari teammates managed to knock out Partizan Belgrade and Wismut Aue, before losing for a second successive year to Spanish giants FC Barcelona in the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup. [3] He also had three seasons with army club Partizani Tirana.

One of the most high-profile Albanian players at the time, Kushta moved abroad following the fall of communism and joined Greek side Iraklis Saloniki alongside fellow international and Flamurtari goalkeeper Anesti Arapi and later played for Apollon Kalamarias and in Cyprus for Ethnikos Achnas and Olympiakos Nicosia.

Kushta is the current joint-top goalscorer of Albanian Supercup along with KF Tirana's Mahir Halili, having scored a hat-trick in the 1990 edition against Dinamo Tirana. [4] [5]

International career

Kushta made his debut for Albania in a March 1987 European Championship qualification match away at Romania and earned a total of 31 caps, scoring a then national record 10 goals. [6] His final international was an October 1996 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Portugal. [7]

Honours

Partizani [8]
Flamurtari

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flamurtari FC</span> Albanian football club

Flamurtari FC is a professional football club based in Vlorë, Albania. The club plays in the Kategoria e Parë, which is the second tier of football in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arben Minga</span> Albanian footballer

Arben Minga was an Albanian professional footballer, who played as a striker and later in his final years as a centre-back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Albania</span> Overview of football in Albania

Football is the most popular sport in Albania, both at a participatory and spectator level. The sport is governed by the Football Association of Albania (FSHF).

Alban Tafaj is an Albanian former professional football manager and retired player. He played for both Albanian city rivals Partizani Tirana and Tirana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pero Pejić</span> Croatian footballer

Pero Pejić is a Croatian retired professional footballer who played as a striker.

Xhevahir Sukaj is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Flamurtari Vlorë in Albanian Superliga.

Daniel Xhafaj is an Albanian retired professional footballer. Mainly as a striker, he could also play as second striker.

Rrapo Taho is an Albanian retired footballer who played as a central defender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerhard Progni</span> Albanian footballer

Gerhard Nik Progni is an Albanian professional footballer plays as a striker for Valbona.

Arbër Abilaliaj is an Albanian football coach and a former player who played as a forward.

Shkëlqim Muça is an Albanian football coach and former player.

Gjergji Dëma is a retired Albanian international football player.

Kreshnik Çipi is an Albanian retired footballer who played for Flamurtari and the Albania national team. He later became a member of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania for the Democratic Party of Albania.

Leonidha Çuri is a former Albanian footballer and manager. He played for KS Flamurtari Vlorë from 1975–1981 as a left back and managed the club.

The 1990 Albanian Supercup was the second edition of the Albanian Supercup, an annual Albanian football match. The match was contested by Dinamo Tirana, champions of the 1989–90 Albanian Superliga and 1989–90 Albanian Cup, and Flamurtari Vlorë, which was the runner-up in cup. It was held at the Qemal Stafa Stadium on 11 January 1991.

The 1991 Albanian Supercup was the third edition of the Albanian Supercup, an annual Albanian football match. The match was contested by Flamurtari Vlorë, champions of the 1990–91 Albanian Superliga, and Partizani Tirana, winners of the 1990–91 Albanian Cup. It was held at the Qemal Stafa Stadium on 11 January 1992.

Alfred Zijai was an Albanian footballer who played as a midfielder.

Anesti Arapi is an Albanian retired footballer, who played the majority of his career as a goalkeeper for Flamurtari Vlorë. He also played for the Albania national team.

Latif Gjondeda is an Albanian retired football defender, who played for Flamurtari and the Albania national team.

Arian Hametaj is an Albanian retired footballer, who played as a defender for Partizani Tirana football club.

References

  1. ↑ "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1987". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  2. ↑ Rrapo Taho: Jam me rregulloren, por FSHF e di se pa Flamurtarin nuk ka kampionat – Sot News (in Albanian)
  3. ↑ Alfrd Zijai: “Ishim një brez i artë” – Telegraf (in Albanian)
  4. ↑ "Albania – List of Super Cup Finals". RSSSF . Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Supekupa, tripleta e famshme e Sokol Kushtës" [Supercup, the famous hat-trick of Sokol Kushta]. Arkiva Lajmeve. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Hoxha, Florent (16 July 2009). "Albania – Record International Players". RSSSF . Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  7. ↑ "Sokol Kushta – national football team player". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  8. ↑ "Albania – Championship Winning Teams". RSSSF . Retrieved 27 October 2018.


Flag of Albania.svg Soccerball mask.svg

This biographical article related to a football forward from Albania is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.