SOCCER PLAYERS from Kosovo

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Kosovar Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Kosovar Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Kosovar Soccer Players.

1. Xherdan Shaqiri (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 58.68, Xherdan Shaqiri is the most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 65 different languages on wikipedia.

Xherdan Shaqiri (Albanian pronunciation: [dʒɛrˈdan ʃaˈciɾi]; born 10 October 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Swiss Super League club Basel. Shaqiri rose through the youth ranks at Basel. In his three years playing for the Basel first-team, he was an important player in the team that won three Swiss Super League titles. He moved to Bayern Munich in 2012, where he won three Bundesliga titles in his three seasons at the club. He faced stiff competition at Bayern and did not nail down a first-team spot. In January 2015, he moved to Inter Milan for a fee of €15 million. After half a season at Inter, Shaqiri moved to Stoke City in the summer of 2015 for a club record £12 million. After Stoke's relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Shaqiri was transferred to Liverpool for a reported £13.5 million fee. He was part of the UEFA Champions League winning squad in his first season. He also won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019, as well as the Premier League in 2020, Liverpool's first league title in 30 years. A full international from 2010 until 2024, Shaqiri earned 125 caps and scored 32 goals for Switzerland, making him the country's third-most capped player and fourth-highest goalscorer. He represented the nation at four FIFA World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022), as well as three UEFA European Championships (2016, 2020, 2024).

2. Lorik Cana (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 54.98, Lorik Cana is the 2nd most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Lorik Agim Cana (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈlɔɾik ˈtsana]; born 27 July 1983) is an Albanian former professional footballer. He is currently the grassroots ambassador for children's football in Albania, named by the Albanian Football Association on 26 October 2017. Cana played in the top divisions of France, England, Italy and Turkey, representing Paris Saint-Germain, Sunderland, Galatasaray, Lazio, FC Nantes and Olympique de Marseille as well as the Albania national team for which he held the appearance record for Albania's most capped player of all time, with 93 caps since he made his debut in 2003 until his retirement in 2016. He used to play primarily as a defensive and central midfielder but later switched to centre-back. He participated in the first major international competition for Albania, the UEFA Euro 2016 held in France. At the age of 16, Cana was invited to Arsenal for a trial, but failed to attend because he was denied a British visa. He began his senior club career playing for Paris Saint-Germain, before signing with rivals Olympique de Marseille in 2004 whom he went on to captain. In 2009, Cana made his league debut for Sunderland becoming the first player of Albanian origin to play in the Premier League. Later he joined Galatasaray, the most successful Turkish football club. Two years later, Cana signed for Italian Serie A club Lazio where he spent four years. In 2015, Cana returned to France, where he started his career, signing a two-year contract with Nantes. Cana was eligible to play for either Albania, Switzerland or France, as he held all three passports. He chose Albania and made his international debut in June 2003, at the age of 19. Cana is Albania's most capped player of all time with 93 caps where he was named captain in 2011. After the end of the UEFA Euro 2016 Cana announced his retirement from football.

3. Etrit Berisha (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 48.55, Etrit Berisha is the 3rd most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Etrit Fadil Berisha (Albanian pronunciation: [ɛtɾit bɛɾiʃa]; born 10 March 1989) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Allsvenskan club Häcken and captains the Albania national team. Berisha began his career at local club KF 2 Korriku as a youngster, as well also playing youth football with KF KEK, before joining Kalmar in 2008, initially as part of their youth setup. He was promoted to the first team in 2010, and soon made his debut for the club, establishing himself as a first team player with fourteen league appearances in his debut season. He cemented his position as the club's first choice keeper during the 2011 Allsvenskan campaign, helping his side achieve a mid-table finish as well as reach the 2011 Svenska Cupen final, which he did not play in as his side lost. Berisha remained the club's first choice goalkeeper, and his performances earned him the Allsvenskan Goalkeeper of the Year award for the 2013 campaign. In the summer of 2013, Italian club Chievo announced that they had a pre-contract agreement in place with Berisha, but he instead joined their Serie A rivals Lazio on a four-year deal, which caused controversy and led to the player being faced with a six-month suspension, although the case was eventually dropped against him. He competed with Italy international Federico Marchetti for the first choice goalkeeper spot at Lazio. Berisha is from Kosovo but is able to represent Albania through his Albanian ethnicity, and he was first called up to the Albania national team in 2012 by Italian head coach Gianni De Biasi, where he made his international debut against Iran on 27 May 2012. He was initially a backup for Samir Ujkani, but after just a few matches became Albania's first choice goalkeeper, with Ujkani switching allegiances to represent Kosovo in 2014. Berisha played an instrumental role in Albania qualifying for its first major international tournament, UEFA Euro 2016, becoming a fan favourite in the process.

4. Amir Rrahmani (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 48.30, Amir Rrahmani is the 4th most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Amir Kadri Rrahmani (born 24 February 1994) is a Kosovar professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Napoli and the Kosovo national team.

5. Goran Đorović (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 46.32, Goran Đorović is the 5th most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Goran Đorović (Serbian Cyrillic: Горан Ђopoвић; born 11 November 1971) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played mainly a central defender but also as a left-back. In his country, he played for Priština and Red Star. He spent the rest of his career in Spain after arriving there in 1997, representing Celta, Deportivo and Elche. Đorović went into coaching upon retiring, serving as the manager of the Serbian national under-21 team.

6. Albert Bunjaku (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 44.48, Albert Bunjaku is the 6th most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Albert Bunjaku (born 29 November 1983) is a Kosovan professional football coach and former player who is the assistant manager of the youth team at Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the manager of the Kosovo national under-19 team.

7. Fatos Bećiraj (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 43.84, Fatos Bećiraj is the 7th most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Fatos Bećiraj (Montenegrin: Фатос Бећирај, Albanian: Fatos Besim Beqiraj; born 5 May 1988) is a Montenegrin former professional footballer who played as a striker.

8. Emir Bajrami (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 43.68, Emir Bajrami is the 8th most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Emir Bajrami (born 7 March 1988) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a winger. Starting off his professional career with IF Elfsborg in 2006, he went on to represent FC Twente, AS Monaco, and Panathinaikos before retiring at Elfsborg in 2018. A full international between 2010 and 2012, he won 18 caps for the Sweden national team and was included in the squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He is the joint Assistant Manager of Aberdeen FC.

9. Besart Berisha (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 43.64, Besart Berisha is the 9th most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  Her biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Besart Selim Berisha (born 29 July 1985) is a Kosovan professional football coach and former player who is the current assistant manager of Kosovo Superleague club Prishtina.

10. Debatik Curri (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 40.59, Debatik Curri is the 10th most famous Kosovar Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Debatik Nazmi Curri (born 28 December 1983) is a Kosovar professional football coach and former player. From 2006 to 2015 he was also part of Albania national team, collecting 44 appearances and scoring once. He began his career as a defensive midfielder, but his position was changed to a centre-back when he joined the Albania national team in 2006.