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Arjan Beqaj

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Arjan Beqaj
Personal information
Full name Arjan Nexhat Beqaj
Date of birth (1975-08-25) 25 August 1975 (age 49)
Place of birth Prizren, SFR Yugoslavia (modern Kosovo)
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Liria Prizren
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1995 Liria Prizren
1995–1997 Partizani 37 (0)
1997–2003 OFI Crete 129 (1)
2003–2006 Ionikos 83 (0)
2006–2010 Anorthosis Famagusta 94 (0)
2010–2011 Olympiakos Nicosia 5 (0)
2011 Ermis Aradippou 0 (0)
International career
1998–2011 Albania 43 (0)
Managerial career
2011–2016 Anorthosis (goalkeeping coach)
2016–2022 Cyprus (goalkeeping coach)
2023- AEK Larnaca FC (goalkeeping coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Arjan Beqaj (born 25 August 1975 in Prizren) is a former Albanian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is now the goalkeeping coach at Anorthosis Famagusta.

In a career spanning 19 years he played for seven clubs in four countries. He is also a former Albanian international, earning 43 caps from 1998 to 2011.

Club career

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Early career

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Beqaj began his profession career in Kosovo with local side Liria Prizren in 1992. He then moved to Tirana, Albania at the start of 1995 to attend university, where he was to play for Partizani Tirana. He played in Albania for two and a half years as he left in 1997 to join OFI Crete after being spotted playing for Albania U-21s.[1]

Greece

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He spent six seasons at OFI Crete where he played 129 league games for the Greek side and even scoring a goal in the 2000–01 season.[2] Beqaj then signed for Ionikos where he made 83 league appearances in three seasons before ending his nine-year stint in Greece.

Anorthosis Famagusta

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Beqaj was one of the most important players that helped Anorthosis reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in history in the 2008–09 season.[3]

The team started their campaign in the first qualifying round where they faced Armenia's Pyunik. It was an easy task for Anorthosis who won both matches with Beqaj keeping two clean sheets.[4][5] In the next round against Rapid Wien, Beqaj kept a clean-sheet in the first leg but was beaten three times in the second leg but nevertheless Anorthosis progressed 4–3 on aggregate.[6][7]

Beqaj was named man of the match in the second leg of third qualifying round against Olympiacos,[8] making several vital saves in a 1–0 narrow loss which was enough to clinch to qualification to group stage after a 3–0 win in the first leg.[9] By doing so, Anorthosis made history by becoming the first Cypriot team to ever qualify for the Champions League group stages.

International career

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Beqaj was born in Prizren, SFR Yugoslavia (in present-day Kosovo), but is an Albanian international and has become Albania's first choice goalkeeper since legendary Albanian goalkeeper Foto Strakosha, who retired from both club and international football in early 2005.[10]

Career statistics

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Club

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Source:[11]

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Albania League Albanian Cup Europe Total
1994-95 Partizani Tirana Superliga 2 0 2 0
1995-96 18 0 18 0
1996-97 17 0 17 0
Greece League Greek Cup Europe Total
1997-98 OFI Crete Alpha Ethniki 4 0 4 0
1998-99 32 0 32 0
1999-00 27 0 27 0
2000-01 28 1 28 1
2001-02 20 0 20 0
2002-03 18 0 20 0
2003-04 Ionikos 28 0 28 0
2004-05 27 0 27 0
2005-06 28 0 28 0
Cyprus League Cypriot Cup Europe Total
2006-07 Anorthosis Famagusta First Division 26 0 26 0
2007-08 27 0 5 0 32 0
2008-09 10 0 11 0 21 0
2009-10 19 0 19 0
2010-11 Olympiakos Nicosia 5 0 5 0
2010-11 Ermis Aradippou 0 0 0 0
Total Albania 37 0 37 0
Greece 212 1 212 1
Cyprus 88 0 88 0
Career total m n m n m n m n

International

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Source:[12]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Albania 1998 2 0
1999 2 0
2000 4 0
2001 2 0
2002 3 0
2003 4 0
2004 0 0
2005 0 0
2006 3 0
2007 11 0
2008 5 0
2009 0 0
2010 5 0
2011 2 0
Total 43 0

Honours

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Club

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Partizani Tirana
Anorthosis Famagusta

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ "Beqaj, Lamtumire Futboll" (in Albanian). FSHF. 16 August 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  2. ^ (Video). "Beqaj Scores". Youtube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  3. ^ Andreas Vassiliades (28 August 2008). "Anorthosis: A Club Without A Home Finds A Place To Play". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Anorthosis 1-0 Puynik". UEFA.com. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Puynik 0-2 Anorthosis". UEFA.com. 23 July 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Anorthosis 3-0 Rapid Wien". UEFA.com. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Rapid Wien 3-1 Anorthosis". UEFA.com. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Olympiacos 1-0 Anorthosis". UEFA.com. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Anorthosis 3-0 Olympiacos". UEFA.com. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  10. ^ Strakosha retirement
  11. ^ "Arjan Beqaj". Scoresway. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Arjan Beqaj - national football team player". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Dhjetë sportistët më të mirë shqiptarë të vitit 2008" [The ten best Albanian sportspersons of 2008] (in Albanian). Telegrafi.com. 25 December 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
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