Osman Mema (2 July 1939 – 25 September 2023) was an Albanian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He is one of the most decorated players in the history of Albanian football, having won the Albanian National Championship seven times.

Club career

Mema, like the rest of his siblings, was a product of 17 Nëntori Academy, earning his promotion in 1958 after winning two consecutive championships. Soon after that, he was called for the military service and joined the country's army team Partizani. Mema enjoyed great success there, playing with footballers such as Refik Resmja and Panajot Pano, winning the championship three times and the Republic Cup twice. In 1965, at his father's request, Mema, who at that time was Partizani's most paid player, made a sensational return to 17 Nëntori winning four championships, where he stayed until 1971, the year in which he decided to end his career. He was able to play with his brother Ali in his second spell, helping the club to win three more league titles.

Style of play

In his prime, Mema was noted for his acceleration, speed, stamina and work rate. He played as a

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...

, but nevertheless he also tended to make runs forward, which also made him an attacking threat.

Personal life

Osman was part of Mema dynasty, a family which has produced several footballers throughout the years. His brothers Haxhi and

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...

were both footballers, as well as his nephew and Haxhi's son Sulejman, and Ali's son Ardian, who was also a footballer who played mostly for Tirana and is currently its coach. Osman Mema died on 25 September 2023, at the age of 84.

References

External links

* 1939 births 2023 deaths Albanian men's footballers Footballers from Tirana Men's association football midfielders Kategoria Superiore players KF Tirana players FK Partizani Tirana players {{Albania-bio-stub