Doni Arifi
 Arifi with Ilves in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 April 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Finland | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ilves | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Honka II | 31 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Honka | 0 | (0) |
| 2020 | Ilves II | 1 | (0) |
| 2020– | Ilves | 89 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Finland U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2019 | Finland U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2021 | Finland U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2023 | Kosovo U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | Finland U21 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024 | |||
Doni Arifi (born 11 April 2002) is a professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Ilves in Veikkausliiga, Finnish premier division.[1][2]
Club career
[edit]Arifi started to play football in FC Honka organisation, debuting in senior level with the club's reserve team in the third-tier Kakkonen in 2018.
In the early 2020, Arifi moved to Tampere and joined a fellow Veikkausliiga side Ilves. On 7 August 2021, he extended his contract with Ilves, on a deal until the end of 2024.[3][4][5] He missed most of the 2023 season due to injury.
International career
[edit]Born and raised in Finland, Arifi is a former youth international for the country, before switching his allegiance to Kosovo at under-21 level in 2023.[6] In August 2024, Arifi stated in an interview that he is still open to represent the country from which he receives the first full international call-up. He said he respects Finland where he was born and raised and educated as a player, and Kosovo as his parents' home country.[7]
On 28 August 2024, Arifi was called-up by head coach Mika Lehkosuo to the Finland U21 squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Armenia and Romania.[8]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of 19 October 2024
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Honka Akatemia | 2018 | Kakkonen | 14 | 0 | – | – | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | Kakkonen | 16 | 0 | – | – | – | 16 | 0 | ||||
| 2020 | Kakkonen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 1 | |||
| Total | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| Honka | 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | Veikkausliiga | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Ilves II | 2020 | Kakkonen | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Ilves | 2020 | Veikkausliiga | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Veikkausliiga | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | Veikkausliiga | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Veikkausliiga | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| Total | 89 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 119 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 121 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 157 | 4 | ||
- ^ Includes Suomen Cup
- ^ Includes Finnish League Cup
- ^ Includes UEFA Europa League
- ^ Includes UEFA Conference League
Honours
[edit]Ilves
- Veikkausliiga runner-up: 2024[9]
- Finnish Cup: 2023
References
[edit]- ^ Doni Arifi at Soccerway
- ^ "Profile at Veikkausliiga's website". Veikkausliiga. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ Doni Arifi ja Ilves jatkosopimukseen - "Kohta on aika paljastaa salainen ase", Veikkausliiga, 7 August 2021
- ^ DONI ARIFI JATKAA ILVEKSESSÄ PITKÄN JATKOSOPIMUKSEN TURVIN, ilvesedustus.fi, 7 August 2021
- ^ Video: Rikkeestä suuttunut Ilveksen pelaaja kosti rumalla tempulla – raivo repesi: ”Ihan järkyttävää toimintaa”, Ilta-Sanomat, 26 September 2021
- ^ D.Arifi, worldfootball
- ^ Ilves-tähti Doni Arifi sisuuntui pelikaverien ja opettajien reaktioista – Jarkko Wissin esittämä kysymys sai napakan vastauksen, Aamulehti, 15 August 2024
- ^ Pikkuhuuhkajat nimetty syyskuun otteluihin, Finnish FA, 28 August 2024
- ^ Ilveksen päävalmentaja hopeasta: ”Voitettu mitali”, Yle, 19 October 2024
- 2002 births
- Living people
- Finnish men's footballers
- Finnish people of Kosovan descent
- Men's association football midfielders
- FC Honka players
- Pallohonka players
- Ilves (football) players
- Kakkonen players
- Veikkausliiga players
- Finland men's under-21 international footballers
- Finland men's youth international footballers
- Kosovo men's under-21 international footballers