Sindrit Guri (born 23 October 1993) is 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 le ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

club

İstanbulspor İstanbulspor is a Turkish football and sports club founded by Istanbul High School students in 1926. In 2004–05 they were relegated from the Turkish Süper Lig (Super League) to TFF 1. Lig. For many decades it was the fourth most famous and ...

and the Albania national team.

Club career

Early career

Guri first joined local side Vllaznia in 2005 at the age of 12, where he played for the academy side at different age groups before being promoted to the first team during the 2011–12 season, where he made his professional debut in an

Kategoria Superiore 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 ...

match against Apolonia on 19 November 2011, coming on as a late substitute for

Xhevahir Sukaj Xhevahir Sukaj (born 5 October 1987) is an Albanian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Flamurtari Vlorë in Albanian Superliga. He has played for Vllaznia Shkodër and KF Elb ...

in the 4–1 away win. He went on to make 9 league and 2 cup appearances under

Rudi Vata Rudi Vata (born 13 February 1969) is an Albanian former professional footballer who played as a defender, and had also a short stint as a manager of Albanian team KF Vllaznia Shkodër. Club career Early life Vata was born in the northern city ...

during his debut season, as his side finished mid table in the league and reached the quarter-finals 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 ...

Kukësi

On 7 June 2016, Guri joined Kukësi on a free transfer, returning in

after one season absence. He was presented on the same day where he officially signed the contract. On 7 July, in the second leg of 2016–17 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round against

Rudar Pljevlja FK Rudar Pljevlja, commonly known as Rudar Pljevlja or simply Rudar, is a football club based in Pljevlja, Montenegro. It currently plays in the Montenegrin First League, the country's highest tier. Rudar have played in the First League since it ...

, Guri made his Kukësi debut as well as his European debut by coming on as a second-half substitute and scored the winner in the 79th minute, helping the team to win 1–0 and to progress to the second round with the aggregate 2–1. Guri become Kukësi's first striker for the 2017–18 season following the departure of

Pero Pejić Pero Pejić (born 28 November 1982) is a Croatian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. With over 100 goals to his name, he is the highest scoring foreign player in Albanian football history. In 2015, Pero Pejić was one of ...

and

Izair Emini Izair Emini (Izo) (Macedonian Cyrillic: Изаир Емини; born 4 October 1985) is Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for KF Besa Dobërdoll. Career Renova During the 2014–15 season, Emini was the top goalscorer ...

. He made his

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

debut on 12 July in the first leg of

second qualifying round The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

versus

Sheriff Tiraspol Fotbal Club Sheriff (russian: ФК Шериф Тирасполь), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a Moldovan professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnist ...

as Kukësi lost 0–1. He also played in the returning leg at

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 ...

as Kukësi won 2–1 but was eliminated on away goal rule. Guri begun the domestic season on 6 September by playing in the

2017 Albanian Supercup The 2017 Albanian Supercup was the 24th edition of the Albanian Supercup, an annual Albanian football match. The teams were decided by taking the winner of the previous season's Albanian Superliga and the winner of the Albanian Cup. The match was ...

against

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

as Kukësi lost 0–1 at

Selman Stërmasi Stadium The Selman Stërmasi Stadium ( sq, Stadiumi Selman Stërmasi) is a multi-purpose stadium in Tirana, Albania. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of KF Tirana. The stadium holds 9,500 people (all seated). It i ...

. He scored his first goals of the season in form of a brace in the 4–0 home win over Egnatia in the first leg of

2017–18 Albanian Cup 2017–18 Albanian Cup () was the sixty-sixth season of Albania's annual cup competition. Tirana are the defending champions. Skënderbeu won the title for the first time in their history. Ties are played in a two-legged format similar to tho ...

first round. Guri's first league goal came on matchday 5 at newbie Lushnja, netting the opener with a shot from 25 yards as Kukësi won 2–0. He added another two at cup as Kukësi won 4–1 at Erzeni in the first leg of

second round The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...

. Guri enjoyed a fine form in 2018, notably netting in each leg of cup's quarter-final as Kukësi saw off Tirana to progress to semi-finals; he reached double-figures in the process. This was followed by a brace in the league encounter versus Partizani, including one in the 96th minute as Kukësi won 3–1 to continue their battle for the second position. His performances were rewarded as he was named

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 ...

for February 2018. On 8 April, Guri confirmed that he would leave Kukësi at the end of 2017–18 season with the aim of playing with a top league club. Six days later, he scored three goals, including a free-kick, in the 4–0 home win over third-placed team Partizani, recording his first top flight hat-trick. He also reached the 20-goal landmark and also become the first player to score a hat-trick versus capital club since

Skerdi Bejzade Skerdi Bejzade (born 30 November 1974) is an Albanian football coach and former player who is head coach of Erzeni in the Kategoria Superiore. Managerial career On 3 December 2010, Bejzade became the manager of Albanian First Division side KS K ...

in 2004. Later that month, he scored a second-half winner against

Skënderbeu , 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 ...

to give Kukësi the first win at the opposition turf since September 2013. His performances earned him another Player of the Month award, becoming the first player in history to win in twice in a season. On the final day of the season, Guri scored a free-kick in the 2–2 home draw versus

Flamurtari 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 on ...

to finish the season with 21 goals from 34 appearances, one goal short from winning the Golden Boot. He also scored 7 goals in Albanian Cup, finishing it as top scorer jointly with Laçi's Redon Xhixha.

Oostende

On 15 May 2018, it was announced that Guri would join

K.V. Oostende Koninklijke Voetbalclub Oostende, also called KV Oostende () or KVO, is a Belgian football club from the city of Ostend, West Flanders in Belgium. The team was founded in 1904 as ''VG Oostende'' and has the matricule No. 31. History In 1911, an ...

Belgian First Division A The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 team ...

, on a three-year contract starting from 1 July. Kukësi earned €710,000 from the transfer and also retained part ownership. Guri however joined the team in mid-June and scored a brace in his first match for his new side. He made his official debut for the team on 28 July in the opening match of championship versus

Royal Excel Mouscron Royal Excel Mouscron (, ), commonly known as Mouscron or familiarly as REM, was a Belgian professional football club based in Mouscron. The team was formed as ''Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz'' in the spring of 2010 as a result of the merging between ...

, setting up the first goal in an eventual 2–1 home win. Guri's first goal came in his second appearance for the club on 5 August, netting in the second half of the 5–2 loss to

Anderlecht Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...

Shkëndija

On 4 September 2021, he joined Shkëndija in the

Macedonian First Football League The Macedonian First Football League ( mk, Прва македонска фудбалска лига, ''Prva Мakedonska Fudbalska Liga''), also called Macedonian First League, 1. MFL, and Prva Liga, is the highest professional football competitio ...

on a one-year deal.

International career

Guri was called up to the Albania U19 side for the

2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship (qualifying round) was the first round of qualifications for the Final Tournament of 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. The 48 teams were divided into 12 groups of four teams, with each group being c ...

. He made his debut on 5 October 2011 in the 1–0 defeat to

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, where he played for 57 minutes. He went on to play the remaining two matches as Albania finished the Group 12 in the third position, failing to secure a spot for

2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship The 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship was the 61st edition of UEFA's European Under-19 Championship (the eleventh since the age competition change to an Under-19 level) and took place in Estonia from 3 to 15 July. Spain are the title hol ...

. On 21 May 2018, following a good run on club level, Guri received his first senior call-up by manager

Christian Panucci Christian Panucci (; born 12 April 1973) is an Italian former association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager. In his playing career he played as a Defender (association football), defender. A versatile footballer, he ...

for the friendlies against

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. He started the game against Kosovo, thus earning his first senior cap, making a good overall performance for around 70 minutes before making place for defender

Mërgim Mavraj Mërgim Mustafë Mavraj (born 9 June 1986) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Born in Germany, he represented the Albania national team from 2012 until 2020. Mavraj previously played for Germany U21 team, as well ...

Style of play

Guri is an elegant striker, who is known for having an eye for goal. A technically good footballer, he is also strong in aerial duels, possessing a powerful header.

Personal life

Guri currently resideis in

; he is married and has a child, born in 2016. He stated that his favourite footballer is Argentine international

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

;Kukësi *

: 2016–17 *

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 ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Individual

: February 2018, April 2018 *

top goalscorer: 2017–18

References

External links

FSHF profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guri, Sindrit 1993 births Footballers from Shkodër Living people Albanian men's footballers Albania men's youth international footballers Albania men's international footballers Men's association football forwards KF Vllaznia Shkodër players KF Besa Kavajë players KS Kastrioti players KF Korabi Peshkopi players FK Kukësi players K.V. Oostende players KF Shkëndija players İstanbulspor footballers Kategoria Superiore players Kategoria e Parë players Belgian Pro League players Macedonian First Football League players Süper Lig players Albanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in North Macedonia Albanian expatriate sportspeople in North Macedonia Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey