Bledi Shkëmbi (born 13 August 1979) is an Albanian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach and former player. A former Albanian international, he has previously played for

Ethnikos Asteras Ethnikos Asteras F.C. ( el, Γ.Α.Ο. Εθνικός Aστέρας, the ''National Star'') is a professional football club based in Kaisariani, Athens, Greece. History The club, originally named ''Ethnikos Astir,'' was founded in 1927 from the m ...

in Greece,

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

and Kamen Ingrad in Croatia,

Metalurh Zaporizhzhia MFC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Футбо́льний клуб «Металу́рг» Запорі́жжя ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Zaporizhzhia. Reestablished in 2017, it is a "phoenix club" of the original Soviet ...

and

Kryvbas :''Kryvbas'' ''may also refer to the FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, the football team in Kryvyi Rih. See also Kryvbas (disambiguation)'' Kryvbas (, full name Kryvorizkyi Iron Ore Basin, ) is an important economic and historical region in central Ukraine ...

in Ukraine as well as

Teuta Durrës Teuta ( Illyrian: *''Teutana'', 'mistress of the people, queen'; grc, Τεύτα; lat, Teuta) was the queen regent of the Ardiaei tribe in Illyria, who reigned approximately from 231 BC to 228/227 BC. Following the death of her spouse Agro ...

Partizani Tirana Futboll Klub Partizani, or FK Partizani for short, is an Albanian professional football club based in Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore. Founded in 1946, the club was historically affiliated to the Albanian army. Partizani's curren ...

and

Besa Kavajë Besa or BESA may refer to: Arts & entertainment * ''Besa'' (newspaper), a newspaper published in Albania * ''Besa'' (TV series), a Serbian-British television series produced by Adrenalin and Red Planet Pictures * ''The Besa'', a novel by Albanian ...

in Albania.

Club career

Early career

Shkëmbi joined his local side

Skënderbeu Korçë , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

as an 11-year-old and progressed through the youth ranks before eventually being promoted to the senior side ahead of the 1997–98 season. He immediately became a first team player as an 18-year-old, featuring in 31 league games out of a possible 34, and scoring one goal in the process to help his side finish 11th in the league out of 18 teams. The following season was similar for Shkëmbi as he was an important player in the club's midfield as they finished just 2 points above the relegation zone as he played 24 league games and scored twice. He then made 25 appearances out of a possible 26 in the league during the 1999–00 season and scored once in a 7–0 thrashing of

Apolonia Fier KF Apolonia is an Albanian football club based in Fier. The club was founded on 17 June 1925 and took its name from the nearby ruins of the ancient city of Apollonia. The club currently compete in the Kategoria e Parë and they play their home ...

. He was then allowed to search for a new club and leave on a free transfer. He joined

ahead of the 2000–01 season, and his first game for the club was the

2000 Albanian Supercup The 2000 Albanian Supercup is the seventh edition of the Albanian Supercup since its establishment in 1989. The match was contested between the Albanian Cup 2000 winners KS Teuta and the 1999–2000 Albanian Superliga champions KF Tirana. Match ...

against

KF Tirana Klubi i Futbollit Tirana (KF Tirana) is an Albanian football club based in the country's capital city, Tirana. The men's football club is part of the multi-disciplinary sports club SK Tirana, and is the most successful in Albania, having won 54 ...

, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 loss. In the league he made 21 appearances and scored once, against

Tomori Berat KF Tomori is an Albanian football club based in the city of Berat. The club's home ground is the Tomori Stadium and they currently participate in the Kategoria e Parë. History The sport of football was introduced to the city of Berat in the ear ...

, as his side finished 6th with his former side Skënderbeu Korçë finishing bottom and being relegated to the

Albanian First Division Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language ** Albanian culture ** Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the count ...

. He was part of the Teuta Durrës side that reached the final of the

Albanian Cup The Albanian Cup ( sq, Kupa e Shqipërisë) is the main "knockout" competition in Albanian football. The competition started in 1939 as Kupa e Mbretit (English:"The King's Cup"). Just after a year the cup was suspended as the Second World War st ...

during the 2000–01 season, as he scored against Naftëtari Kuçovë in the first round, before starting the final against

who beat Teuta Durrës as they had done before the season started in the Albanian Supercup, this time 5–0. He made his European debut with Teuta Durrës on 10 August 2001 in a

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

second qualifying round game against

Rapid Vienna Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

, starting in the 2–0 loss as he was substituted in the 82nd minute for Erion Matraku. He also started the return leg but his side lost 4–0. He then left the club following their short lived UEFA Cup run, as his contract ran out.

Besa Kavajë

In January 2010, Shkembi signed with

on an 18 months contract with an option to renew for another year after the expiration of it. During the second part of 2009–10 season, he played 12 matches, scoring twice in the process. He left the club after the end of the season, he and

Alban Dragusha Alban Dragusha (born 11 December 1981) is a Kosovar football retired defender. Playing career Club Born in Pristina (formerly in SFR Yugoslavia, now Kosovo), during his career he represented Kosovar clubs such as KF KEK, KF Kosova Prishtinë ...

were excluded by the coach

Shpëtim Duro Shpëtim Duro (born 24 December 1959) is an Albanian professional football coach. Managerial career Duro was named the manager of Macedonian First League side FK Shkëndija on 24 November 2013, just 15 hours after the sacking of Gjore Jovanovski. ...

ahead of the European clash against

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

Skënderbeu Korçë

In July 2010, he and Alban Dragusha were signed by

. His return was strongly required by the club's fans. At the end of 2011–12 season, in which Shkëmbi contributed with 36 appearances and 10 goals in all competitions, he was presented Fair Play Award. On 19 August 2015, in the first leg of

play-off round The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

2015–16 UEFA Champions League The 2015–16 UEFA Champions League was the 61st season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 24th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona were t ...

against

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...

Elbasan Arena Elbasan Arena ( sq, Elbasan Arena, formerly known as Ruzhdi Bizhuta) is a multi-purpose stadium in Elbasan, Albania. The stadium was completed in 1967 and has been the home ground of KF Elbasani ever since. The stadium was under reconstruction a ...

, Shkëmbi scored the opener in the 37th minute with a free kick, but it was not enough as Dinamo Zagreb reacted and won the match 2–1. On 18 May, Shkëmbi officially retired from professional football at the age of 36, ending his nineteen-year career by lifting the club's six consecutive league title.

International career

He has been a former international player of

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 ...

from 2001 to 2006, during which he collected 14 matches without scoring a goal. He was called by the coach of that time

Sulejman Demollari Sulejman Demollari (born 15 May 1964 in Tirana) also known as Sul Demollari is an Albanian former football player and coach. Playing career Early life Demollari was born in Albania's capital Tirana, where he was raised as a child and where he ...

to participate at Tournament Bahrain where he made 3 appearances, all of them as a substitute.

Managerial career

Liria

On 16 June 2017, Shkëmbi begun his managerial career as he was appointed manager of

Football Superleague of Kosovo The Football Superleague of Kosovo ( sq, Superliga e Futbollit të Kosovës), also known as the ALBI MALL Superleague of Kosovo ( sq, ALBI MALL Superliga e Kosovës) for sponsorship reasons with Albi Mall, is the top level of the Kosovar football ...

outfit Liria. He signed a contract for the 2017–18 season. Later on 2 March 2018, he handed a resignation request due to presidency change in the club. Following the 1–0 win over Feronikeli that day, Shkëmbi stated that the club is in financial crisis and the presidency seek to put hands on the lineup. Shkëmbi eventually resigned on 19 May after guiding the team to a 5th-place finish.

Teuta Durrës

On 3 June 2018, Shkëmbi was announced as the new manager of

for the 2018–19 season.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

;Besa Kavajë *

: 2009–10 ;Skënderbeu Korçë *

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 ...

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 2011–12,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 *

Albanian Supercup The Albanian Supercup is a single match usually at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Kategoria Superiore and Albanian Cup. Supercup final was not played in the occasions when the champion team won the Double (association foot ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Individual

* Albanian Superliga Fair Play Award: 2011–12 *

Albanian Superliga Player of the Month The Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Kategoria Superiore player each month of the season. It is presented by association "Sporti Na Bashkon". This award was established in the 2010–11 season. Winne ...

: December 2013

References

External links

*
FSHF profileProfile and Stats
at WhoScored.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shkembi, Bledi 1979 births Living people Footballers from Korçë Albanian footballers Association football midfielders Albania international footballers Albania under-21 international footballers Albania youth international footballers KF Skënderbeu Korçë players KF Teuta Durrës players Ethnikos Asteras F.C. players HNK Rijeka players NK Kamen Ingrad players FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia players FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih players FK Partizani Tirana players Besa Kavajë players Kategoria Superiore players Croatian Football League players Ukrainian Premier League players Albanian expatriate footballers Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Expatriate footballers in Greece Expatriate footballers in Croatia Expatriate footballers in Ukraine KF Liria managers KF Teuta Durrës managers FK Dinamo Tirana managers Kategoria Superiore managers Albanian expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Kosovo Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Kosovo