Leonidha Curi

Leonidha Curi was born on the 7^th May 1951. He is a former footballer and manager Albania. He played football for KS Flamurtari Vlorë from the year 1975 to the year 1981 and he played the role of a defender for the club and he managed the club.

source of picture: shpirti.albanianforum.net

As a footballer, he began all the game at the left back of the team in his 6-year stay at Flamurtari Vlorë. He was a member of the national team of the country and he played 7 games for the country when he was a footballer. He became more popular as a coach of the club and he had most successful international coaching career in his country.

Early Beginning and career as a player

Curi was born in Vlore in Albania in the year 1951. He began to play football out on the beach with his friend his friends on daily bases. When he turned 16, he went to Institute of Soccer Excellence in Tirana. When he turned 19, he started playing for the newly formed football club KiF Shkendija, which was in Tirana. He played with the club for six years. In the year 1977, when he was 26, he entered a new deal with another club KS Flamurtari Vlorë. Before going to the new club, KS Flamurtari Vlorë finished at the 10^th position in the Superliga of the country. When he entered the club, they finished at the 5^th position in that season. And as he was with them, they finished the league three times in the top 5 in Leonidha's four-year stay in the club. In the year 1981, Curi stopped playing football at the age of 30.

Managerial Career

Two years after he had retired from football, in the year 1983, Curi was made the coach of the team, KS Flamurtari. In his first year as the coach of the club, he finished in the 4^th position in the Albanian superliga season of 1983/84, though he finished runner-up in the Albanian Cup as he lost to SK Tirana. In the next season, 1984/85, Curi led the club to their first piece of trophy. Even though they finished in the fifth position of the Albanian superliga, they were the winners of the 1985 Albanian Cup after winning in the finals against Partizani Tirane 2-1. In the 1985/86 season for the club they finished in the 2^nd position in the superliga of the country and they were tied to the same point with Dinamo Tirana with 38 points and the difference was on goals. Curi was the coach that led the club, Flamurtari to the 1985/86 European Cup Winners Cup. They played against HJK Helsinki but lost the game in 5-3 aggregates. In the season of 1986/87, the club finished in the second position behind the winners of the campaign Partizani Tirane, though that was not the story of the Flamurtari’s season. They had qualified for the UEFA cup in that season. They were drawn to play against FC Barcelona and they were knocked out of the competition after the 1-1 goal aggregate of the game. In the 1987/88 season, the club maintained their record and finished in the second position in the superliga of the country. After that year he was sacked by the owner of the club and he was hired by the KS Lushnja to be the head coach of the club.

In the year 1990, Leonidha was chosen to be the assistant coach of the national team of the country with his fellow friend and manager of the team, Agron Sulaj. He was there until that year.

In the year 1992, Curi became the assistant coach of Levadiakos FC. And he stayed there until the year 1993. In the year 1996, he went back to his former club, Flamurtari Vlorë and he finished in the third position in the superliga of the 1996/97 season.

After that time, he was made the coach of the Greek national Fustan team, Flamurtari and the national Fustal team of his country. Curi is considered to be among the best managers ever to be produced in the country.