Niko Dovana was a former

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 football player who played for

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 ...

during the 1930s and 1940s. He is considered one of

's most important players and was the main financier of the club until his death in 1949. The club's stadium was renamed to the

Niko Dovana Stadium The Niko Dovana Stadium, officially Stadiumi "Niko Dovana", is a multi-use stadium located in Durrës, Albania. It is the home ground of Teuta. The capacity is 12,040, making it the fifth largest ground in the country. It was renamed in 1991 in h ...

in the early 1990s in honour of the goalkeeper. He lived in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

for the latter stages of his life where he was a prominent trader.

Personal life

He was born in

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

as the oldest of five children to Vlash and Mellani Dovana (née Terka). His father Vlash was a trader who along with Niko's uncle Laz owned the Dovana Brothers trading company. His mother was born into a prominent family in Durrës and her father Pavlo Terka was the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

of Albania between 1914 and 1916. His only brother Alfons was a poet and writer, whose main area of expertise was the reform of the Albanian language.

Club career

Dovana was an integral part of Teuta's early history as he was a key player and financier, helping the club reach the championship playoff finals in 1931 and remain in the top tier division throughout the 1930s. At the time of his playing career he was living in

where he was working as a trader, and he would travel to Albania during the playing season to live and play there for Teuta. He is regarded as one of Teuta's best ever goalkeepers and one of their most important ever figures and he is also remembered for his goal against

SK Tirana Sport Klub Tirana, is an Albanian sports club based in the country's capital Tirana, most notable for its association football department. The club also consists of various other departments including basketball, volleyball, futsal Futsal is a ...

in the first tie of the championship playoff on 29 June 1931. His side were losing the game 1-0 when Dovana instructed one of the forwards to cover for him in goal as he went to play as a forward, and with a shot on goal he scored and equalised, which led to mass media coverage, with many Albanian football fans fascinated by the sight of the goalkeeper playing as a forward and scoring. SK Tirana complained to the

Albanian Football Association The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the Fir ...

on the grounds that a registered goalkeeper cannot play as an outfield player, but these complaints were not heard and SK Tirana went on to win the second leg of the tie 0–3 in Durrës and win their second consecutive championship.Dovana, portieri që shënoi në Tiranë
/ref>

References

Year of birth missing 1949 deaths Footballers from Durrës Albanian footballers Association football goalkeepers KF Teuta Durrës players Kategoria Superiore players Albanian expatriates in Italy {{Albania-footy-goalkeeper-stub