Gjergji Muzaka

Early career

Muzaka began his playing career with local side Partizani Tirana when he was just a teenager. He played for the Partizani U17s where he attracted the interest of several foreign clubs with his performances on the right hand side of midfield. One of these foreign clubs was French giants Paris Saint-Germain, who in 2000 offered Muzaka a contract at the club. Muzaka accepted and left Partizani at the age of just 16, joining the PSG youth team. However, after just one year in France, Muzaka moved back to Albania and back to Partizani before the beginning of the 2001–02 season.

Partizani Tirana

After returning to Albania Muzaka was placed into the Partizani first team.

Tirana

The president of Tirana, Refik Halili paid a total of €70,000 to buy the player from their fierce rivals Partizani in the summer of 2008.

Dinamo Tirana

Muzaka signed a three-year contract with the 2009–10 champions Dinamo Tirana on 16 June 2010. The transfer was managed by the FIFA licensed agent Elton Marini, of 'M&M Management Agency'. The contact was worth a total of €210,000, with Muzaka earning €70,000 a season with Dinamo.

Muzaka was named in Dinamo UEFA Champions League squad, and made his competitive debut on 14 July 2010 in the first leg of second qualifying round against FC Sheriff Tiraspol ended in a 3–1 away defeat. Six days later, in the returning leg, despite losing his father and attenting his funeral early that day, Muzaka decided to play and assisted Emiljano Vila's header via e set piece in an eventual 1–0 win which was not enough as Dinamo got eliminated 2–3 on aggregate. For this he received "Fair Play" Award at the end of the season by association "Sporti na Bashkon".

He started the domestic season on 16 August in the Albanian Supercup against Besa Kavajë which finished in a 1–3 home defeat. His first league appearance came on 21 August in the opening league match against Flamurtari Vlorë which finished in a 0–1 home defeat. His maiden goal arrived on 13 November in the match against Skënderbeu Korçë, netting the opener in an eventual 3–2 away loss. During the first half of the season, Muzaka appeared on 15 matches, including 14 as starter, scoring once before going on loan at Skënderbeu Korçë for the rest of the season.

Skënderbeu Korçë

In January 2011 Muzaka joined a half-season loan at Skënderbeu Korçë. As part of the transfer, Serbian striker Mladen Brkić went to the opposite direction. He was presented and was given squad number 11, stating: "I'm at Skënderbeu to win the championship."

Flamurtari Vlorë

On 8 August 2012, Muzaka completed a transfer to fellow top flight side Flamurtari Vlorë for an undislosed fee. Despite being the target of many Superliga teams, including his former side Tirana, Muzaka choose Flamurtari and signed a contract worth a reported fee €75,000 per season. During the 2012–13 season, Muzaka netted 18 goals across all competitions, setting a new personal best. He made 24 league appearances and scored 12, with a ratio of one goal in two games. He was also named Albanian Superliga Player of the Month in March 2013. Muazaka was also an important instrument in the 2012–13 Albanian Cup, scoring 6 times in 9 matches as Flamurtari was eliminated in Group B.

Return to Skënderbeu Korçë

In August 2013, Muzaka joined Skënderbeu Korçë on a free transfer, returning in Korçë after one season abstence.

Return to Flamurtari Vlorë

After becoming a free agent following the expiration of his one-year contract with Skënderbeu Korçë, Muzaka re-joined Flamurtari Vlorë, where we had played between 2012 and 2013. He officially signed a two-year contract with Flamurtari on 10 June 2014. However, he left the club in January 2015 after a massive exodus, terminating his contract by mutual consent.

Return to Tirana

Muzaka left Flamurtari Vlorë during a mass exodus at the club in January 2015, after terminating his contract through mutual consent. He then returned to KF Tirana, signing a contract until the end of the 2014–15 campaign, reportedly worth €5,500 a month. On 7 January he was officially unveiled as a KF Tirana player to the media, holding a press conference alongside the club's president Refik Halili and newly appointed director Devi Muka.

He made his return debut on 24 January by playing full-90 minutes in the 2–0 home win against Apolonia Fier in the matchday 19. On 8 March 2015, during the league match against the title rivals Kukësi, Muzaka assised the Tomislav Bušić goal in the 72th minute, and scored himself six minutes later to seal the 2–0 win at neutral ground Niko Dovana Stadium.

On 22 April 2015, during the 2014–15 Albanian Cup semi-final second leg match against Laçi, Muzaka snapped his knee's ligament after a collision with Olsi Teqja and was stretched off the field in the 46th minute. He underwent surgery on his knee on 11 May in Rome and was ruled out of action for 6 months. He finished second part of 2014–15 season by playing 15 matches between league and club, including 12 in league, scoring once in the process.

On 19 November 2015, Muzaka returned to pitch after about six months as he appeared in the last 15 minutes of the goalless draw against Laçi. He had to wait until 30 January of the following year to make his first start since the injury, as he played 75 minutes and scored a goal in the 1–3 away win at Tërbuni Pukë. He followed up the goal by scoring another one in the 3–0 win at Laçi, helping Tirana to win the first match at Laçi Stadium since 5 May 2012. Muzaka continued with his solid performances as he converted a penalty-kick in Tirana's 2–0 home defeat of Bylis Ballsh, helping Tirana to gain its first win at the newly renovated Selman Stërmasi Stadium. It was his third goal of the season in the last three matches.

On 17 April, during the league match at Bylis Ballsh, Muzaka suffered another injury, an fracture in shoulder which forced him to end of the season with six weeks remaining. He finished the season by making 22 appearances, including 19 in league, and scoring four goals, and Tirana once again remained out of European competitions.

Following his shoulder injury, Muzaka returned in training in September 2016. He made his first appearance of the season in the second leg of Albanian Cup first round against Sopoti Librazhd, playing in the second half as Tirana recorded an empathic 7–0 home win, progressing to the next round with the aggregate 8–1. Later on 12 October, Muzaka made his first league appearance of the season in the matchday 6 against Korabi Peshkopi, scoring a 91st-minute winner with a diving header to give Tirana its second consecutive league win.

Third spell at Skënderbeu Korçë

On 30 January 2017, Muzaka joined Skënderbeu Korçë on a free transfer for a third time, taking the vacant number 17 for the second part of 2016–17 season. During an interview, Muzaka said that he strongly considered to quit football, but Skënderbeu motivated him to change his mind. Manager Ilir Daja who worked with him during his time at Tirana called Muzaka a "valuable player", adding that "he has experience and speed". After two games as an unused substitute, Muzaka made his return debut on 19 February against Luftëtari Gjirokastër, scoring in the first half in an eventual 3–0 home win. It was his third Skënderbeu Korçë debut inaugurated with a goal. On 6 May, Muzaka netted his third goal of the season, second for Skënderbeu, a 91th-minute equalizer in an eventual 4–3 home win against Vllaznia Shkodër. The match was heavily contested and was considered as fixed by Federbet, the anti match fixing organisation. On 31 May, he played in the Albanian Cup final against his former side Tirana in a 3–1 defeat at Elbasan Arena. On 25 June, Muzaka extended his contract with the club for another season, lasting until June 2018. Two days later, he was named in Ilir Daja's team for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. Muzaka played mostly as a substitute, collecting 7 appearances as Skënderbeu become the first Albanian club to pass four rounds. In the returning leg of second qualifying round against Kairat, Muzaka came off the bench and assisted Sebino Plaku's goal as the team progressed passed 3–1 on aggregate. He started the domestic season by scoring a brace in the first leg of 2017–18 Albanian Cup first round against Adriatiku Mamurras. Three days later, Skënderbeu opened the championship with a 2–0 home win over Flamurtari Vlorë, with Muzaka coming on again as a substitute to score the second. In Europa League, Skënderbeu was placed in Group B, and in the opening matchday away against Dynamo Kyiv, Muzaka scored his team's only after an individual effort in an eventual 1–3 defeat. His performances recently were praised by club president Ardjan Takaj, who said that Muzaka is an "example".

International career

Muzaka made his senior debut on 19 November 2008 in the friendly against Azerbaijan by appearing in the last moments of a 1–1 away draw. After appearing in numerous friendlies, Muzaka was called up by coach Josip Kuže for the first two UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Romania and Luxembourg in September 2010. His competitive debut occurred on 3 September away against Romania where he came on the field in the 81st minute, just one minute after Romania had taken the lead. He made an immediate impact and in the 87th minute he managed to find a head onto Ansi Agolli's free kick which he guided past the Romanian goalkeeper, which levelled the tie at 1–1 and earned Albania a very important and well-deserved point.

Style of play

He is typically an attacking midfielder, who operated primarily on the right side of the midfield, but he can also play through the middle as well as the left occasionally. He is known for his crossing and playmaking abilities but he is also an able goalscorer.

Club

International

International goals

Club

Individual