Elvir Maloku

Elvir Maloku
Personal information
Full name Elvir Mehdi Maloku
Date of birth (1996-05-14) 14 May 1996
Place of birth Rijeka, Croatia
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current team
 AEK Larnaca
(on loan from Gimnàstic)
Number 22
Youth career
2004–2007 Lokomotiva Rijeka
2007–2011 Stari Grad Rijeka
2008–2010 → Mune (loan)
2010–2011 → Klana (loan)
2012–2013 Rijeka
2013–2014 Hajduk Split
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 Hajduk Split 48 (4)
2016– Gimnàstic 3 (0)
2017– → AEK Larnaca (loan) 14 (0)
National team‡
2013 Croatia U17 3 (0)
2013–2014 Croatia U18 6 (0)
2014–2015 Croatia U19 4 (1)
2016– Albania U21 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:40, 31 May 2017 (UTC).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 08:19, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

Elvir Mehdi Maloku (born 14 May 1996) is an Albanian footballer who plays as a winger for Cypriot club AEK Larnaca, on loan from Spanish club Gimnàstic de Tarragona and the Albania national under-21 football team.

Club career

Early career

Born in Rijeka, Maloku passed through various clubs in his native region where he had started his career with NK Lokomotiva Rijeka in 2004 and moved in 2007 at NK Stari Grad Rijeka, before moving to the youth setup of the local Prva HNL side HNK Rijeka in early 2012. In the 2012–13 season he was the top scorer of the club's under-17 team, scoring 13 goals in 26 appearances. In February 2013 Maloku had a successful trial at Italian giants Juventus F.C. but transfer wasn't made.[1]

Hajduk Split

In the summer of 2013, Maloku moved to HNK Hajduk Split along with his younger brother Trojan. He made his first team debut on 28 August 2013 in his team's 3-1 away win against NK Lokomotiva Zagreb, coming in the 83rd minute for Anton Maglica.[2]

During his first two seasons under coach Igor Tudor, Maloku was used mostly as a bench player. His pace would sometimes prove good in the last minutes of the game. When Damir Burić took over the club in 2015, Maloku made his way into the first lineup but after some bad performances, he was benched again and used as a substitute. Out of his 69 total caps for Hajduk, he made it only 13 times in the starting lineup and was used 35 times as a substitute. In only 4 matches during his Hajduk career, he managed to play the entire game for 90 minutes. After the end of the season, he was released by Hajduk and given the option to search for his new club.

Gimnàstic

On 18 July 2016, Maloku signed a four-year contract with Spanish Segunda División club Gimnàstic de Tarragona.[3] The following 7 January, after being rarely used in the league, he was loaned to AEK Larnaca until June.[4]

International career

Croatia

Maloku was a Croatian youth international, playing for the under-17 team in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the summer of 2013 and several matches for the under-19 team and the under-21 team.[5]

Albania

He was eligible to play for Albania at international level due to his parents origin.[6] He accepted the invitation from head coach Skënder Gega to play for Albania national under-21 football team in 2015, later stating that to play for Albania at senior international level should be a chance arise.[7] He was called up for the Friendly matches against Kazakhstan & Sweden on 12 & 16 June 2015, but however was unable to join the national side due to an injury.[8]

Following arrival of Alban Bushi as a head coach of Albania U21, Maloku was re-invited to Albania U21 for a gathering from 18–28 January 2017. In a press conference later, coach Alban Bushi declared that are proceeding to give Maloku the Albanian passport to make him eligible for Albania U21 in the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification.[9] On 18 March 2017 he was re-invited again at under-21 national side for a double Friendly match against Moldova U21 on 25 & 27 March 2017.[10] Two days later he received the Albanian citizenship by president Bujar Nishani among Taulant Seferi & Çlirim Shabani, to become eligible to play for Albania in competitive matches.[11]

2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

Maloku was called up for the Friendly match against France U21 on 5 June 2017 and the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification opening match against Estonia U21 on 12 June 2017.[12] On 7 June 2017 Maloku received the go ahead from FIFA to be eligible to play for Albania U21 in competitive matches.[13] Day before the opening match of the qualifiers against Estonia U21, Maloku suffered a late injury which made him miss the match.[14]

Career statistics

As of 15:26, 7 July 2017 (UTC) [15][16]
Club Season League country League League Cup Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Hajduk Split 2013–14 1. HNL 11021——131
2014–15 1523130—213
2015–16 2225180—353
Total 48410311000697
Gimnàstic 2016–17 Segunda División 3031——61
Total 3031000061
AEK Larnaca 2016–17 Cypriot First Division 14020——160
2017–18 ——20—20
Total 140202000180
Career total 65415413000938

Honours

Club

Hajduk Split
AEK Larnaca

References

  1. ↑ Elvir Maloku është blerja e fundit e Juventusit aSport.al
  2. ↑ "Video: Hajduk slavio na gostovanju kod Lokomotive i stigao na drugu poziciju na tablici" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "Elvir Maloku, nuevo jugador del Nàstic" [Elvir Maloku, new player of Nàstic] (in Spanish). Gimnàstic Tarragona. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Maloku marxa cedit a l’AEK Larnaca" [Maloku goes out on loan at AEK Larnaca] (in Catalan). Gimnàstic Tarragona. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  5. ↑ "Gudelj objavio sastav U17 reprezentacije za turnir u Japanu" (in Croatian). Slobodna Dalmacija. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Gati 80 futbollistë shqiptarë luajnë për shtetet e huaja" (in Albanian). Lajmi. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Elvir Maloku zgjedh Shqipërinë SuperSport Albania
  8. ↑ Skënder Gega zbardh listën e U21 Sportpress.al
  9. ↑ Bushi: Hedhim bazën e të ardhmes kuqezi SuperSport Albania
  10. ↑ Kombëtarja U-21, pak risi në miqësoret ndaj Moldavisë Panorama Sport
  11. ↑ Dekret për dhënie të shtetësisë shqiptare nr. 10090 President.al
  12. ↑ Alban Bushi shpall listën e U21 për Francën dhe Estoninë FSHF.org
  13. ↑ FIFA KONFIRMON: FUTBOLLISTI ELVIR MALOKU MUND TË LUAJË PËR SHQIPËRINË FSHF.org
  14. ↑ Alban Bushi i mërzitur pas barazimit: Nuk na deshi fati, do të vëzhgoj 80 futbollistë të rinj Newsport.al
  15. ↑ Elvir Maloku at Soccerway. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  16. ↑ Elvir Maloku – UEFA competition record
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