Anesti Arapi (born 6 July 1963) is an

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

n retired footballer, who played the majority of his career as a goalkeeper for

Flamurtari Vlorë 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. Founded in 1923, the club is one of the oldest in Albania, and it is also one ...

. He also played for the

national team.

Club career

A soon as Albanians were free to leave the country after the end of the communist era, Arapi moved abroad to play alongside Flamurtari teammate and compatriot

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

in neighboring Greece for Iraklis Saloniki. He returned to Flamurtari however after just one season in Saloniki.

UEFA Cup matches against Barcelona

As Flamurtari's reserve goalkeeper, Arapi was deemed too young and inexperienced to play in the

1986–87 UEFA Cup The 1986–87 UEFA Cup was the 16th season of the UEFA Cup, a football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for clubs affiliated to its member associations. The competition was won by IFK Göteborg of Sweden, ...

against Spanish giants

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

after their first goalkeeper Luan Birçe was not allowed to travel so the football federation ordered Lokomotiva Durrës keeper

Artur Lekbello Artur Lekbello (born 23 February 1966) is an Albanian retired football midfielder. His nickname, ''Tushe'', is a short form of his first name. Playing career Club Lekbello played for Nëntori Tirana and left communist Albania in 1991, joining ...

to stand in at the club for a season.Artur Lekbello, oficeri i Brigadës së Tankeve që ndali Barcelonën
- Panorama Arapi did however play when they met Barcelona again in the

1987–88 UEFA Cup The 1987–88 UEFA Cup was won by Bayer Leverkusen on penalty kicks over Español. It was the third season of English clubs being barred from this and indeed all European competitions as the sequel of the Heysel disaster of May 1985. The English ...

International career

He made his debut for

in a November 1990 European Championship qualification match against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and earned his second and final cap in a 0-9 defeat by

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in December in the same year.

Honours

Albanian Superliga The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...

: 1 ::

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

Albania - Championship Winning Teams
- RSSSF

References

External links

* 1963 births Living people Men's association football goalkeepers Albanian men's footballers Albania men's international footballers Flamurtari FC players Iraklis F.C. (Thessaloniki) players Kategoria Superiore players Super League Greece players Albanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Greece {{Albania-footy-goalkeeper-stub