Bledar Kola
Bledar Kola (born 1 August 1972) is an Albanian retired football player.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bledar Kola | ||
| Date of birth | 1 August 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Mirditë, Albania | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1989 | Besëlidhja | ||
| 1989–1990 | Partizani | 35 | (6) |
| 1990–1991 | Elbasani | 21 | (1) |
| 1991–1994 | Panargiakos | 77 | (13) |
| 1994–1996 | Apollon Smyrnis | 63 | (10) |
| 1996–2000 | Panathinaikos | 106 | (10) |
| 2001–2002 | AEK Athens | 11 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Kallithea | 16 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | Apollon Smyrnis | 19 | (2) |
| Total | 348 | (43) | |
| National team | |||
| 1990–2001 | Albania | 39 | (6) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2010 | AEK Athens (caretaker) | ||
| 2012 | Apollon Smyrnis | ||
| 2014 | Panargiakos | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Early life
Kola comes from Mirdita, but grew up in the city of Lezhë. He was an exemplary student. He started his career at Besëlidhja Lezhë, and then moved to Partizani Tirana. Later he moved to Greece where his playing career took off.
Playing career
Club
Kola spent most of his career playing for various clubs in the Greek Super League, including Panathinaikos, Apollon Smyrnis, Panargiakos and AEK Athens .[1] In January 2003, Kola was sacked by Kallithea after failing a doping test.[2]
International
He made his debut for Albania in a December 1990 European Championship qualification match away against Spain and earned a total of 39 caps, scoring 6 goals.[3] His final international was a March 2001 FIFA World Cup qualification against England in Tirana.[4]
National team statistics
| Albania national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1990 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 4 | 0 |
| 1995 | 3 | 0 |
| 1996 | 4 | 0 |
| 1997 | 5 | 2 |
| 1998 | 7 | 2 |
| 1999 | 6 | 1 |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 39 | 6 |
Managerial career
Kola took temporary charge at AEK Athens in August 2010 and was named full-time manager of Apollon Smyrni in July 2012.[5] He also coached Panargiakos and was assistant at Panathinaikos and later to AEK manager Marinos Ouzounidis until they were both dismissed in 2019.[6]
References
- "Foreign Players in Greece since 1959/60". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- Drie 'Grieken' ook na tweede test positief – Voetbal International (in Dutch)
- "Albania – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- "Player Database". eu-football.info. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- Bledar Kola, trajneri i Apollon Smirnit – Panorama (in Albanian)
- Refuzoi ofertën për Kombëtaren shqiptare, Bledar Kola mbetet “pa punë” në Greqi – Panorama (in Albanian)
External links
- Bledar Kola at National-Football-Teams.com