Thomas Strakosha

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Thomas Strakosha
FC Salzburg versus S.S. Lazio Rom Euroleague-Viertelfinale (12. April 2018) 12.jpg
Strakosha playing for Lazio in 2018
Personal information
Full name Thomas Strakosha [1]
Date of birth (1995-03-19) 19 March 1995 (age 30) [2]
Place of birth Athens, Greece
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) [3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 AEK Athens
Number 1
Youth career
2011–2012 Panionios
2012–2014 Lazio
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2013–2022 Lazio 164 (0)
2015–2016 → Salernitana (loan) 11 (0)
2022–2024 Brentford 2 (0)
2024– AEK Athens 25 (0)
International career‡
2012–2013 Albania U19 6 (0)
2013–2016 Albania U21 11 (0)
2017– Albania 43 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:09, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 11 October 2025

Thomas Strakosha (born 19 March 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Super League Greece club AEK Athens and the Albania national team.

Contents

Born in Athens To an Albanian father & Greek mother, he began his career at Panionios before joining Lazio in 2012, where he made over 200 appearances and won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana twice each. After a two-year spell at Brentford in which he played six matches in all competitions, he moved to AEK Athens in 2023, becoming the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.

At international level, Strakosha represented Albania at under-19 and under-21 level before making his senior debut in 2017. He was part of the squad that qualified for and played at UEFA Euro 2024.

Club career

Early career

Born in Greece to Albanian parents, Strakosha began his youth career in 2011 at Panionios, before joining Lazio the following year for a transfer fee of €75,000. [4] [5] He became a regular starter for the Primavera team and was a key player with the Primavera team that won the 2012–13 Campionato Nazionale Primavera after defeating Atalanta Primavera in the final, 3–0. [6]

Lazio

Following the departure of Lazio first-team starting goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo to Inter Milan, in the second half of the 2012–13 season, Strakosha gained entry with the first team as third-choice goalkeeper, behind Federico Marchetti and Albano Bizzarri. He was member of the team that won 2012–13 Coppa Italia after defeating city rivals Roma 0–1 in the final on 26 May 2013. [7] [8] On 18 August 2013, Strakosha was again on the substitutes' bench as Lazio lost 4–0 to Juventus in the 2013 Supercoppa Italiana. [9]

On 2 September 2013, Lazio sold Bizzarri to Genoa and at the same time purchased fellow Albanian goalkeeper Etrit Berisha from Kalmar. This made Strakosha to stand still as a third choice and being only an unused substitute for the 2013–14 season behind the strong challenge for the starting place between Berisha and Marchetti. [10]

On 11 July 2014, Igli Tare, Lazio's sports director, announced that Strakosha's contract was extended until 2019. [11] Strakosha was on the bench for the 2014–15 Coppa Italia final against Juventus on 21 May 2015 where Lazio lost 2–1 in extra-time following a 97th-minute goal by Alessandro Matri. [12]

Loan to Salernitana

In July 2015, Lazio agreed to loan Strakosha to newly promoted Serie B side Salernitana. [13] He was allocated squad number 12, and made his professional debut on 9 August 2015 in the 1–0 win against Pisa for the 2015–16 Coppa Italia second round. [14] A week after his debut, Strakosha played another Coppa Italia match, making several decisive saves and keeping his goal intact for 120 minutes as Salernitana won 1–0 against Chievo Verona to progress to the next round. [15]

Strakosha made his league debut for Salernitana on 6 September in the opening 2015–16 Serie B match against Avellino where he managed to play the full 90-minutes match and his side won 3–1. [16] He was an unused substitute in the next Coppa Italia game on 1 December 2015 against Spezia as the coach Vincenzo Torrente gave the starting place to Pietro Terracciano as Salernitana was eliminated from Coppa Italia, losing the game by 2–0. [17]

Return to Lazio and breakthrough into first-team

Strakosha playing for Lazio in 2018. Match <<Dinamo>> - <<Latsio>> 0-2. 15 marta 2018 goda -- 848871.jpg
Strakosha playing for Lazio in 2018.

In July 2016, following the loan's end, Strakosha returned to Lazio. [18] With the injury of Marchetti and the departure of Berisha to Atalanta, Strakosha was able to make his Lazio debut on 20 September in the league match against Milan. [19] Despite the 2–0 defeat, Strakosha's performance was considered positive, being man of the match for Lazio. [20] Five days later, Strakosha collected his first Serie A clean-sheet only in his second appearance in the 2–0 home win against Empoli, which led the 1982 FIFA World Cup-winner Dino Zoff to praise him by saying: "I can not judge him with only two matches played, but, according to me, he performed well in both matches." [21]

On 22 February 2017, Strakosha renewed his contract with Lazio until 2022. [22] He went on to play as starter until the end of the season, collecting 1844 minutes on field, as Lazio finished the championship in 5th position. He also contributed with 4 matches in the Coppa Italia, including the final, as Lazio was defeated by Juventus 2–0. [23]

Strakosha started the 2017–18 season on 13 August 2017 by playing in the 2017 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus, winning his maiden trophy as Lazio won 3–2 after a last-minute goal. [24] Against the same opponent on 14 October, Strakosha saved Paulo Dybala's penalty in the 97th minute to rescue a 2–1 win for his team and to put Lazio in third position. [25] It was Strakosha's first Serie A penalty save and Juventus' first Serie A home defeat since August 2015. [25] A week later, he agreed a contract extension, signing until June 2022. Later, he was named as the best young goalkeeper of the 2017–18 season. [26]

Brentford

On 14 July 2022, Strakosha signed a three-year contract with Premier League club Brentford. [27]

On 7 October 2023, he made his Premier League debut for Brentford in a 2–1 loss against Manchester United at Old Trafford. [28]

AEK Athens

In July 2024, Strakosha moved to Super League Greece club AEK Athens on a free transfer. [29] He signed a contract running until the summer of 2029, with an annual salary in the excess of €1.2 million per year. [30]

International career

Under-17

Strakosha was called up for the first time to Albania's U17 squad by coach Džemal Mustedanagić to participate in the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round. He was an unused substitute for all three matches, serving as second choice goalkeeper behind Aldo Teqja. [31]

Under-19

Strakosha was called up to the Albania national under-19 football team to participate in the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification, coached by his father, Foto Strakosha. [32] Thomas played every minute of all three matches of the Group 7. Albania finished in the 4th place, with Strakosha conceding in total six goals, despite Albania beating top of the table Belgium 3–1 with goals from Enis Gavazaj, Elvis Kabashi and Lorenc Shehaj. [33] [34] [35] [36]

In the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification, Strakosha again played every minute in all three matches of the Group 6, leaving behind youth Juventus goalkeeper, Entonjo Elezaj. [37]

Under-20

Strakosha was called up to the U20 team by coach Skënder Gega for the 2013 Mediterranean Games football tournament, which began on 19 June, in Mersin, Turkey. However, Strakosha didn't participate in any match of the tournament. [38]

Under-21

Strakosha playing for Albania U-21 in 2014 Thomas Strakosha01.jpg
Strakosha playing for Albania U-21 in 2014

Strakosha was selected for the Albania U21 side that took part in the 2015 UEFA Euro Under-21 qualification. He played in half of all Group 4 matches (four of eight), as the four other matches were played by fellow goalkeepers, Aldo Teqja and Orestis Menka, who each played two matches. [39]

In the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification he retained his starting place playing overall 7 out 10 games for full 90 minutes under coach Redi Jupi. He missed out the opening match due to the injury, the closing match due to engagement with Albania senior team and was left on the bench for 1 game against Portugal U21 as Jupi wanted to test Teqja. Following the engagement of Amir Rrahmani with Albania senior team and then his departure to Kosovo national team in September 2016, Strakosha became the under-21 team's captain playing for his six last games. [40]

Senior

Strakosha received his first call-up to the senior Albania squad in August 2016 by coach Gianni De Biasi for a friendly match against Morocco on 31 August 2016, as well as for the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification against Macedonia on 5 September 2016. Considered the fourth-choice goalkeeper behind Etrit Berisha, Orges Shehi, and Alban Hoxha, he was not included in the match protocols and did not make an appearance in either game. [41] Strakosha continued to be part of the national team during the second half of the 2016–17 season. Following Etrit Berisha's two-match suspension from the previous qualification's match, Strakosha, who had established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at Lazio, was selected ahead of Orges Shehi and Alban Hoxha to start in Albania's match against Italy on 24 March 2017, which ended in a 2–0 defeat. [42] He retained his place in the following match, helping Albania secure a 3–0 victory over Israel on 11 June 2017. [43] After Berisha returned from suspension and following the appointment of Christian Panucci as the new Albania head coach, Strakosha returned to the bench for the remainder of the campaign, with Albania finishing in third place with 13 points. [44]

In the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League, Strakosha played in Albania's first three matches League C. He kept a clean sheet in the 1–0 victory over Israel on 7 September 2018, but then conceded twice in consecutive 0–2 defeats to Scotland and Israel. [43] In the final group match against Scotland, Strakosha was left on the bench as Albania suffered a 4–0 defeat, finishing bottom of Group 1. [45]

In the Euro 2020 qualifiers, Strakosha missed the opening matches due to Achilles heel problems. He returned under a new coach Edoardo Reja, playing four full matches between September and October 2019, in which Albania achieved two notable wins, 4–2 against Iceland and 4–0 against Moldova, but also suffered defeats to France (1–4) and Turkey (0–1). [43] In the final two matches Strakosha was left on the bench, as Albania finished fourth in the group with 13 points, failing to advance to the play-offs. [46]

In the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C, Strakosha featured only in the opening fixtures of September 2020. He played in the 2–0 away victory against Belarus and the 0–1 home defeat to Lithuania. [47] Albania went on to top the group and earned promotion to League B. [48]

During the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Strakosha played in three of Albania's eight group matches, keeping clean sheets in the 5–0 win over San Marino and 1–0 win against Andorra, but conceding five goals in a 5–0 defeat to England. [47] Albania ultimately finished third in the group, two points behind Poland, and did not qualify for the play-offs. [49]

In the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B, after his rival Etrit Berisha had played in the first two matches of the campaign, Strakosha played in the return fixtures against Israel and Iceland, with Albania suffering a 2–1 defeat and a 1–1 draw and finished bottom of the group. [50]

In the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group E, Strakosha played in three of Albania's eight matches under new coach Sylvinho, managing two clean sheets, most notably in the 2–0 victory over Poland on 10 September 2023. On 17 October 2023 he was named captain for the first time in the friendly against Bulgaria, leading the team to a 2–0 win. [47] Albania finished top of the group for the first time in its history, collecting 15 points—equal to the Czech Republic but ahead on head-to-head record—and qualified for the final tournament of a European Championship for the second time in history. [51] He was included in Albania’s 26-man squad for the final tournament in Germany. [52]

Personal life and influences

Strakosha was born in Athens, Greece, to Albanian parents and holds dual citizenship for Greece and Albania. [53] His father, Foto Strakosha, was also a goalkeeper who played for clubs in Albania and Greece and represented the Albania national team between 1990 and 2005. [54]

In a 2017 interview, Thomas stated that his main influence and idol as a goalkeeper was his father, whom he has tried to emulate. [55]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 11 September 2025 [43]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] Europe OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lazio 2012–13 Serie A 0000—00—00
2013–14 0000—000000
2014–15 0000———00
2016–17 21040———250
2017–18 38040—10 [c] 01 [d] 0530
2018–19 35050—4 [c] 0—440
2019–20 38010—4 [c] 01 [d] 0440
2020–21 9010—1 [e] 0—110
2021–22 23000—8 [c] 0—310
Total1640150—270202080
Salernitana (loan) 2015–16 Serie B 11020———130
Brentford 2022–23 Premier League 001010——20
2023–24 202000——40
Total203010——60
AEK Athens 2024–25 Superleague Greece 23020—4 [f] 0—290
2025–26 2000—6 [f] 0—80
Total250000010000370
Career total184022010370202460

International

As of match played 11 October 2025 [56] [47]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Albania 201740
201840
201940
202020
202140
202230
202340
2024120
202560
Total430

Honours

Lazio [43]

References

  1. ↑ "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Thomas Strakosha: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Θωμας Στρακοσια" [Thomas Strakosia]. www.aekfc.gr (in Greek).
  4. ↑ "Zyrtare: T. Strakosha te Lazio" [Official: T. Strakosha at Lazio] (in Albanian). Korneri.net. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Lazio sign Thomas Strakosha from Panionios". Soccerfame. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Un poker per la storia, la Coppa Italia Primavera torna a tingersi di biancoceleste dopo 35 anni!" [A poker for history, the Coppa Italia Primavera is dying of white-collar after 35 years!] (in Italian). lalaziosiamonoi.it. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Roma vs. Lazio 0 – 1". Soccerway. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Lulic scrive la storia del calcio: a Roma c'è SOLO LA LAZIO!" [Lulic writes the story of football: in Rome there is ONLY LA LAZIO!] (in Albanian). lalaziosiamonoi.it. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Juventus vs. Lazio 4 – 0". Soccerway. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  10. ↑ "Strakosha: 'Voglio diventare il primo portiere della Lazio'" [Strakosha: 'I want to become the first goalkeeper of Lazio'] (in Italian). Calciomercato.com. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Strakosha edhe 5 vjet te Lacio" [Strakosha for 5 years at Lazio] (in Albanian). aSport.al. 11 July 2014. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "Juventus, in bacheca la decima Coppa Italia! Lazio freddata da mitra Matri" [Juventus, in the tenth cup of Coppa Italia! Lazio cold-blooded by Matri]. tuttomercatoweb. 30 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Sotir Kora (9 July 2015). "Thomas Strakosha zyrtarisht te Salernitana" [Thomas Strakosha officially at Salernitana] (in Albanian). SuperSport Albania. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "Salernitana vs. Pisa 1 – 0". Soccerway. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Strakosha vendimtar, Salernitana kualifikohet" [Strakosha decisive, Salernitana qualifies] (in Albanian). minuta90.com. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Salernitana vs. Avellino 3 – 1". Soccerway. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "Spezia vs. Salernitana 2 – 0". Soccerway. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  18. ↑ "Strakosha rikthehet te Lazio: Të kënaqur me Inzaghin" [Strakosha returns to Lazio: Pleased with Inzaghi] (in Albanian). Gazeta Express. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  19. ↑ "Milan 2-0 Lazio: On-form Bacca scores again in Rossoneri victory". Goal.com. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  20. ↑ "Strakosha rrëfen emocionet në debutimin ndaj Milanit" [Strakosha confesses the emotions in his debut against Milan] (in Albanian). Durrës Lajm. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  21. ↑ "Elozhe nga Dino Xof: Strakosha, debutim pozitiv" [Praise from Dino Zoff: Strakosha, a positive debut] (in Albanian). Press Reader. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  22. ↑ "Zyrtare, Strakosha rinovon me Lacion" [Official, Strakosha renew with Lazio] (in Albanian). Sport Ekspres. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  23. ↑ "Cristiano Ronaldo Scoreless in Juventus' 2-0 Win over Lazio". Bleacher Report .
  24. ↑ Gianni Verschueren (13 August 2017). "Lazio Stun Juventus in 3-2 Thriller to Win Italian Super Cup". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  25. 1 2 "Juventus-Lazio 1-2: Immobile e Strakosha violano lo "Stadium"". 14 October 2017.
  26. ↑ "Comunicato 21.10.17" [Communication 21.10.17] (in Italian). ss.lazio.it. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  27. ↑ "THOMAS STRAKOSHA SIGNS FOR BRENTFORD". Brentford. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  28. ↑ "Manchester United 2-1 Brentford". BBC Sport. 7 October 2023.
  29. ↑ "Strakosha joins AEK Athens". brentfordfc.com. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  30. ↑ "Θωμάς Στρακόσα: Αυτό είναι το χρυσό συμβόλαιο του Αλβανού γκολκίπερ με την ΑΕΚ" (in Greek). www.sport24.gr. 8 July 2024.
  31. ↑ "Under-17 Matches". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  32. ↑ U-19/ Foto Strakosha shpall listen per ndeshjet eleminatore te Europianit AlbaniaSoccer
  33. ↑ "Under-19 - 2013 - Italy vs Albania". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  34. ↑ "Under-19 - 2013 - Belgium vs Albania". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  35. ↑ "Under-19 - 2013 - Albania vs Belarus". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  36. ↑ "Summary - UEFA U19 Championship - Europe - Results, fixtures, tables and news". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  37. ↑ "Summary - UEFA U19 Championship - Europe - Results, fixtures, tables and news". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  38. ↑ "Lojërat Mesdhetare: Shqipëria merr pjesë me 75 sportistë (Lista e plotë)" (in Albanian). aSport.al. 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  39. ↑ "Summary - UEFA U21 Championship - Europe - Results, fixtures, tables and news". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  40. ↑ "Thomas Strakosha matches". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  41. ↑ "De Biasi: Duhet të japim 101 % të mundësive tona" [De Biasi: We have to give 101% of our chances] (in Albanian). FSHF.org. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  42. ↑ "Italy 2-0 Albania: Gianluigi Buffon's 1,000th career appearance nearly cut short by fan trouble". Mirror.co.uk. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 Thomas Strakosha at Soccerway . Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  44. ↑ "Group G". FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  45. ↑ "UEFA Nations League standings". UEFA. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  46. ↑ "UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying group and play-off results". UEFA. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  47. 1 2 3 4 Thomas Strakosha at EU-Football.info
  48. ↑ "UEFA Nations League 2020/21 standings". UEFA. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  49. ↑ "World Cup 2022 Qualifying – UEFA Group I". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  50. ↑ "UEFA Nations League 2022/23 standings". UEFA. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  51. ↑ "UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group E standings". UEFA. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  52. ↑ "Trajneri Silvinjo publikon listën e Kombëtares me emrat e 26 lojtarëve për Kampionatin Europian, Gjermani 2024" (in Albanian). FSHF. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  53. ↑ "Η ΑΕΚ έκλεισε το deal για Στρακόσια, ανακοινώνει και Μπρινιόλι". amna. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  54. ↑ Dritan Ikonomi (6 April 2013). "Foto Strakosha: Krenar për djalin tim" [Foto Strakosha: Proud for my son] (in Albanian). Gazeta Dita. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  55. ↑ Jeton Stamolla (13 October 2017). "Karbonara dhe kartonë të animuar japonezë, Thomas Strakosha sfidon Bufonin" [Carbonara and Japanese anime, Thomas Strakosha challenges Buffon] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  56. ↑ "Thomas Strakosha". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
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