Fotaq "Foto" Strakosha

Fotaq "Foto" Strakosha was born on the 29th March 1965. He is a retired goalkeeper from Albania. He has a son called Thomas Strakosha, who was born on the 19th March 1995, who is currently playing for S.S Lazio in the Serie A and he is a member of the Under-19 national team of the country. Strkosha in one of the most popular and greatest goalkeepers that captained  the national team of the country for some years before he retired from international football in the year 2005.he became the most appeared player of the country with the total of 73 matches for them from the year 1990 to the year 2005 and he became the U-19 national team coach of the country in the year 2011.

source of picture: gazetadita.al

Club Career

He was born in Memaliaj. He became the goalkeeper of the national team from the year 1990 to the year 2004. He played his first match for the national team of the country on the 30th May 1990 and retired from international football on the 13 October 2004. Strakosha played for the following teams in the superliga of the country; SK Tepelena and Dinamo and then he made a move to Greek clubs Giannina, both Ethnikos- Piraeus and Asteras, then he played for Olympiacos, Panionios, Ionikos, and Kallithea. After his retirement, he became a goalkeeping coach as he coach Olympiakos and the Cypriot champions, APOEL FC.

International Career

Strakosha was first called up to play for the national team of the country by the coach of the team, Agron Sulaj for the Euro 1992 qualifying match that was played against Iceland in May 1990. He was 25 years when he played the first match for the national team of the country.

Because of the staunch communist regime of the country, in spite of his football talent, he was still playing like any other player in the domestic league of the country.

In his first match for the country, they lost 2-0, and that kept the goalkeeper out of the team for some times after the match. He played his next international game for the country after the departure of the current coach of the national team, and the introduction of the new manager of the team, Bejkush Birce. The game was played after the fall of the communist regime in the country, and that was when players were permitted to play for clubs that are out the country. His second match for the team was accidentally in the friendly match that was played Greece and the match finished 2-0his career was followed with the most appeared player of the national team, though he resides in Greece, and being taken as Northern Epirot by the media of Greece, he has expressed publicly of his pride of playing for the national team of his country, Albania.

Managerial career

In the year 2011, he was made the Under-19 national team coach of the country.

Honours

Dinamo Tirana

• Kategoria superiore: 1989/90

• Kupa e shqipërisë (2): 1988/89, 1989/90

• Superkupa e shqipërisë: 1990

Olympiacos

• Greece Super League: 1996/97

Panionios

• Greek Cup: 1997/98