Jetmir Sefa
Encyclopedia
Jetmir Sefa is an Albania
n football player. The attacking midfielder
plays for Skenderbeu
in the Albanian Superliga. His main position is in the centre of midfield but he can also play in a more advanced role as well, he has also played as a left and right midfielder during his time at KF Tirana. He is also part of the Albanian national team
and has been since 2009 after being included in the squad by Croatian
coach Josip Kuže
for the record breaking 6-1 destruction of Cyprus
on 12 August 2009 at the Qemal Stafa Stadium
.
setup and was at the club for a number of years before turning professional in 2005. He joined the senior team in the summer of 2005 when the Italian Leonardo Menichini
was manager at the club. He joined the senior team with players such as Hamdi Salihi
, Altin Rraklli
, Klodian Duro
, Ervin Bulku
, Isli Hidi
and Blendi Nallbani
. Sefa faced competition for a place in the team from Ervin Bulku, Sajmir Patushi
, Devi Muka, Klodian Duro and Italian midfielder Cristiano Muzzachi
.
. He was 18 years old when he made his debut in a KF Tirana shirt, a debut in which he started and played the full 90 minutes of in midfield alongside Devi Muka, Ervin Bulku and Egert Bakalli. The match ended in a 1-1 draw as a ten man Tirana struggled against Shkumbini, Sefa was also one of 4 players to be cautioned with a yellow card throughout the course of a fiery encounter which saw Tirana's Arjan Pisha receive a straight red card. During the entire Kategoria superiore 2005-06
season, Sefa featured in a total of 14 league games, starting 8 of them and playing the full 90 minutes on four occasions. Tirana finished 2nd in the table to KF Elbasani who won the Kategoria superiore
for the first time since the 1983-84 season. He was also part of the team that won the 2005-06 Kupa e shqipërisë
(Albanian Cup) which was Sefa's first ever trophy since turning professional.
preliminary round against Croatia
n side NK Varteks. Sefa travelled with the squad to Varaždin
but only managed to debut in a European tournament with a cameo appearance after coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute for striker Vioresin Sinani
. His first taste of Europe was successful as the club went back to Tirana with an away goalthrough Devi Muka in the 1-1 draw. Despite featuring in the 1st leg of the preliminary round, Sefa didn't play in the home leg in Tirana in which his team secured a place in the next round of the competition with a comfortable 2-0 victory. Tirana's next opponents in the competition were Turkish
side Kayserispor
. Once again Sefa didn't play in the home 2-0 loss.
He had more luck during the next campaign as he played 21 times in the league and even twice in the UEFA Cup
against Kayserispor
and NK Varteks. Following the departure of one of KF Tirana's greatest ever players, Ervin Bulku
to FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
in the summer of 2007 Sefa was given the number 8 shirt. This was a great privilege for the young midfielder
as he would be following in the footsteps of one of the all-time greats of Albania
n football. More high profile players like Albanian
international Endrit Vrapi
also wanted the shirt. however he started every game that he played and finished them on all but two occasions. He found the net three times, the first coming on 1 September 2007.
|2005-06
||rowspan="1"|KF Tirana||rowspan="1"|Superliga||14||0||?||?||0||0||14||0
|-
|2006-07
||rowspan="1"|KF Tirana||rowspan="1"|Superliga||21||0||?||?||2||0||23||0
|-
|2007-08
||rowspan="1"|KF Tirana||rowspan="1"|Superliga||13||3||?||?||2||0||15||3
|-
|2008-09||rowspan="1"|KF Tirana||rowspan="1"|Superliga||26||3||5||1||0||0||31||4
|-
and hinted that clubs in Germany
have shown interests in him. When asked who was his idol, he pointed out that without a doubt that his favourite foreign player is Francesco Totti
and he would like to some day like to play like the Italian
star.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n football player. The attacking midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
plays for Skenderbeu
KS Skënderbeu Korçë
K.F. Skënderbeu Korçë is a football club based in Korçë, a city in southeastern Albania . They play in the Albanian Superliga, which is the top tier in the country and are currently reigning champions. The club is named after Albania's greatest hero of all time, Skanderbeg...
in the Albanian Superliga. His main position is in the centre of midfield but he can also play in a more advanced role as well, he has also played as a left and right midfielder during his time at KF Tirana. He is also part of the Albanian national team
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
and has been since 2009 after being included in the squad by Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
coach Josip Kuže
Josip Kuže
Josip Kuže is a Croatian football coach and former player. He was a player and later coach of Dinamo Zagreb where he played from 1971-1981 making a total of 384 appearances and scoring 14 goals.-Playing career:...
for the record breaking 6-1 destruction of Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
on 12 August 2009 at the Qemal Stafa Stadium
Qemal Stafa (stadium)
The Qemal Stafa Stadium , named after Qemal Stafa a World War II hero, is a national stadium and the largest football stadium in Tirana, Albania. Construction started in 1939 and the stadium was inaugurated in 1946 for the Balkan Cup, which was won by the Albania national football team...
.
KF Tirana
Sefa is a product of the KF Tirana youthKF Tirana Reserves and Academy
Klubi i Futbollit Tirana Reserves are the reserve team of KF Tirana, They play in the North section of the Albanian U-19 Superliga and Albanian U-17 Superliga.- Under 19s Squad :**** Also in the first team- Under 17s Squad :...
setup and was at the club for a number of years before turning professional in 2005. He joined the senior team in the summer of 2005 when the Italian Leonardo Menichini
Leonardo Menichini
Leonardo Menichini is an Italian football manager and former player, currently in charge as head coach of Crotone.-Playing:...
was manager at the club. He joined the senior team with players such as Hamdi Salihi
Hamdi Salihi
Hamdi Salihi nicknamed The Bomber is an Albanian football player. He plays as a striker for Albania national football team and for Rapid Wien of Austria at club level. He first started his football career at his hometown club Vllaznia, where he shone as the number one goalscorer for the Albanian...
, Altin Rraklli
Altin Rraklli
Altin Rraklli is a retired Albanian footballer who played as a forward.Most of his professional career was spent in Germany, where he played for five clubs in both major levels of football, namely SC Freiburg and SpVgg Unterhaching, totalling 282 games as a professional in that nation.-Football...
, Klodian Duro
Klodian Duro
Klodian Duro is an Albanian footballer who plays for KF Tirana in the Albanian Superliga as well as the Albania national team since making his debut in 1999.He is a versatile midfielder who usually plays in an attacking role....
, Ervin Bulku
Ervin Bulku
Ervin Bulku is an Albanian football player who plays for Azerbaijan Premier League club AZAL Baku and Albanian national team as a midfielder. He is also the younger brother of former SK Tirana and Partizani Tirana player Sokol Bulku....
, Isli Hidi
Isli Hidi
Isli Hidi is an Albanian goalkeeper who plays for AEL Limassol in the Cyprus First Division and the Albanian national team.-Club career:...
and Blendi Nallbani
Blendi Nallbani
Blendi Nallbani also known as Tata is an Albanian goalkeeper who currently for KF Tirana in the Albanian Superliga. He is the club's vice captain under Devis Mukaj...
. Sefa faced competition for a place in the team from Ervin Bulku, Sajmir Patushi
Sajmir Patushi
Sajmir Patushi is an Albanian former football player. The left midfielder last played for KS Kamza.-References:* at Playerhistory....
, Devi Muka, Klodian Duro and Italian midfielder Cristiano Muzzachi
Cristiano Muzzachi
Cristiano Muzzachi is an Italian football player. The midfielder played for KF Tirana in the Albanian Superliga during the 2005-2006 season.- References :...
.
2005-2006
Sefa's league debut came on 7 September 2005 in an away match against KS Shkumbini PeqinKS Shkumbini Peqin
Klubi Sportiv Shkumbini is an Albanian football club based in Peqin. They play in the Albanian Superliga, the top division in Albanian football. They play at the Fusha Sportive Peqin.-Supporters:...
. He was 18 years old when he made his debut in a KF Tirana shirt, a debut in which he started and played the full 90 minutes of in midfield alongside Devi Muka, Ervin Bulku and Egert Bakalli. The match ended in a 1-1 draw as a ten man Tirana struggled against Shkumbini, Sefa was also one of 4 players to be cautioned with a yellow card throughout the course of a fiery encounter which saw Tirana's Arjan Pisha receive a straight red card. During the entire Kategoria superiore 2005-06
Kategoria superiore 2005-06
-League standings:-References:*...
season, Sefa featured in a total of 14 league games, starting 8 of them and playing the full 90 minutes on four occasions. Tirana finished 2nd in the table to KF Elbasani who won the Kategoria superiore
Kategoria superiore
The Albanian Superliga , the highest level of association football in Albania, was founded in 1930 under the name Kategoria e Parë ....
for the first time since the 1983-84 season. He was also part of the team that won the 2005-06 Kupa e shqipërisë
Kupa e shqipërisë
The Albanian football Cup is the main "knockout" competition in Albanian football. The competition started in 1939 as "Kupa e Mbretit" . Just after a year the cup was suspended as the Second World War started. It started again in 1948 as "Kupa e Republikes"...
(Albanian Cup) which was Sefa's first ever trophy since turning professional.
2006-2007
He started the 2006-07 season with KF Tirana in the UEFA CupUEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
preliminary round against Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n side NK Varteks. Sefa travelled with the squad to Varaždin
Varaždin
Varaždin is a city in north Croatia, north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 47,055, with 38,746 on of the city settlement itself . The centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at...
but only managed to debut in a European tournament with a cameo appearance after coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute for striker Vioresin Sinani
Vioresin Sinani
Vioresin Sinani is an Albanian professional football striker who currently plays for Vllaznia Shkodër in the Albanian Superliga.- Career :...
. His first taste of Europe was successful as the club went back to Tirana with an away goalthrough Devi Muka in the 1-1 draw. Despite featuring in the 1st leg of the preliminary round, Sefa didn't play in the home leg in Tirana in which his team secured a place in the next round of the competition with a comfortable 2-0 victory. Tirana's next opponents in the competition were Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
side Kayserispor
Kayserispor
Kayserispor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Kayseri. Formed in 1966, Kayserispor are nicknamed Anadolu Yıldızı . The club colours are red and yellow, and the club play their home matches at Kadir Has Stadium.The club have won one Türkiye Kupası, in 2008...
. Once again Sefa didn't play in the home 2-0 loss.
He had more luck during the next campaign as he played 21 times in the league and even twice in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
against Kayserispor
Kayserispor
Kayserispor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Kayseri. Formed in 1966, Kayserispor are nicknamed Anadolu Yıldızı . The club colours are red and yellow, and the club play their home matches at Kadir Has Stadium.The club have won one Türkiye Kupası, in 2008...
and NK Varteks. Following the departure of one of KF Tirana's greatest ever players, Ervin Bulku
Ervin Bulku
Ervin Bulku is an Albanian football player who plays for Azerbaijan Premier League club AZAL Baku and Albanian national team as a midfielder. He is also the younger brother of former SK Tirana and Partizani Tirana player Sokol Bulku....
to FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Kryvyi Rih. The club currently plays in Ukrainian Premier League and is based in the Metalurh Stadium, which seats 29,734....
in the summer of 2007 Sefa was given the number 8 shirt. This was a great privilege for the young midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
as he would be following in the footsteps of one of the all-time greats of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n football. More high profile players like Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
international Endrit Vrapi
Endrit Vrapi
Endrit Vrapi is an Albanian football player who plays for Skënderbeu Korçë in the Albanian Superliga ad for the Albanian National Football Team.-Career:...
also wanted the shirt. however he started every game that he played and finished them on all but two occasions. He found the net three times, the first coming on 1 September 2007.
Career statistics
|-|2005-06
Kategoria superiore 2005-06
-League standings:-References:*...
||rowspan="1"|KF Tirana||rowspan="1"|Superliga||14||0||?||?||0||0||14||0
|-
|2006-07
Kategoria superiore 2006-07
-League standings:-References:*...
||rowspan="1"|KF Tirana||rowspan="1"|Superliga||21||0||?||?||2||0||23||0
|-
|2007-08
Kategoria superiore 2007-08
The 2007–08 Kategoria superiore season was the sixty-ninth since its establishment. The first matches of the season were played on 25 August 2007...
||rowspan="1"|KF Tirana||rowspan="1"|Superliga||13||3||?||?||2||0||15||3
|-
|2008-09||rowspan="1"|KF Tirana||rowspan="1"|Superliga||26||3||5||1||0||0||31||4
|-
Personal life
Sefa stated in an interview with www.Albanian-sport.com that his dream is to play in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and hinted that clubs in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
have shown interests in him. When asked who was his idol, he pointed out that without a doubt that his favourite foreign player is Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
and he would like to some day like to play like the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
star.