Kristi Vangjeli

Kristi Vangjeli was born on the 5^th of September 1985. He is a footballer from Albania. He is currently playing the role of a right back for his club, Aris Thessalonika FC in the super league of Greece. He is also a member of the Albanian national team. He can also play the role of defensive midfielder for his club.

source of picture: www.uefa.com 

Career

Vangjeli started playing football when he was 5 with the local club in his town, Skënderbeu Korçë under the guidance of the head coach, Benin Beta. He was living near the trasining ground of the club and he do watch them as they training, and that gave him more ambition to work hard in the game. he stayed with the club for five years until he was 10.

In the year 1997, his parent sent his brother Pavli on a two month team trial at PAOk F.C. and when they signed him, his family relocated to Thessaloniki in Greece together with Kristi. As his brother was already in the club his father never wanted him to try the club too because of the discrimination of the fact that they Albanian that they felt was what killed Pavli’s chance at the club.

Kristi waited for his own chance that was handed to him while he was playing football at the school. A coach from a local football club was busy watching the Albanian playing outside the gates of the school. As he was not good with the Greek language, he only knew that the man is a coach and he would like him to train with his team, Angios Georgios  F.C. after his first training session with the club, he joined them and played for them. After two years at the club, he was promoted to the first team of the club and he started training with the first team of the club at the age of 15. He was tall, fast and lively and he was playing as a striker then as was seen in a friendly match that was played against Aris second team. In that game, he scored 2 goals for the club for the 5ty tier club and was immediately offered a trial by the team he scored against, Aris.

Without the knowledge of his team, he went and tried with the club, Aris at the end of the season and it was a successful trial and that led to 2,000,000 Drachma move to the club. It was at the club that he changed his position in the pitch as a midfielder and later he changed it to right full back when he entered the first team of the club at the age of 17.

Vangjeli is a defender that can play either as a right or left back on the pitch. in the year 2003, he signed for the greek side and he played 100 matches for the club. After 8 years with the club, he made a move to Chornomorets Odessa in the Ukrainian Premier league for a fee of €300,000 on the 30 August 2011. He signed a three-year deal with the club on the 3^rd round of the UEFA Europa league of the 2013/14 season; he played against a club he started with as a child, Skenderbeu.

International Career

Vangjeli’s first call up was under the head coach, Hasan Lika of the Under-21 national team of the country. He played his first match for the Under-21 national team of his country in a match that was played against Greece, and that game was played 2 days before his 19^th birthday.

He has been playing for his country since the year 2007 and has played 33 matches for the senior team of the country.

Honours

Aris FC

• Greek Cup Finalist (3): 2004/05, 2007/08, 2009/10
• Football League Promotion (1): 2005/06