Andi Lila

In his first full season at Ajax of Epirus Lila contributed with 21 league appearances, scoring no goals as the team finished 8th in championship.

With 8 yellow cards, Lila had the second worst disciplinary record within the team.

Andi Lila (born 12 February 1986) is a former Albanian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for the Albania national team.

He was a versatile player, having played primarily as a right back early in his career as well as left back, but in recent years he played predominately in a defensive midfield role, as well as a right midfielder.

Lila began his career with local side Besa Kavajë, where he made his debut in 2002 as a 16-year-old and soon became a regular first team player, which earned him a move to Greek club Iraklis in January 2007.

He soon returned to Besa Kavajë after failing to settle at Iraklis, and he shortly became the club captain, guiding them to a third-place finish in the Albanian Superliga before moving to KF Tirana after just one year back in Kavajë.

He was a fan favourite at KF Tirana as during his three years at the club, and he won the Albanian Superliga title in his first season there, as well as helping his side reach the Albanian Cup final which he missed and his side lost in.

He made his debut for the club during the 2002–03 season in the Albanian Superliga on 14 December 2002 in an away match against Teuta Durrës.

Lila came on as a substitute at half time by replacing Ervin Bardhi.

However it was not a game to remember for the young Lila as it finished 5–0 to Teuta Durrës.

He made his senior international debut in 2007 against Romania and has since earned 59 caps but has yet to score a senior international goal.

Lila's performances at right-back paved the way for his move to Greek club Iraklis in January 2007, where he joined fellow Albanians, Enea Koliçi, Elvis Kaja and Indrit Fortuzi.

Despite making his dream move abroad a reality, Lila struggled to settle in Greece and after only 6 months and 3 appearances he moved back to his original club Besa Kavajë.

Following his return, he was made captain of the team.

During the 2007–08 season he played 26 times without scoring a goal.

The team also was defeated at the 2007 Albanian Supercup by Tirana.

Lila played his final match with Besa in the Intertoto Cup against Grasshopper which finished in a 0–3 loss.

Lila completed his move to Tirana on 21 July 2008 after him and his agent Sokol Haxhia agreed to terms with the capital club and its president Refik Halili.

His first game as a Tirana player was the opening game of the season against Vllaznia Shkodër in which he played full-90 minutes of the goalless draw.

His first score-sheet contributions with the team came on 14 September in his third appearance in the capital derby against Partizani Tirana, netting a later winner to hand his team the three points.

Lila didn't have to wait long for another goal as it came less than a week later on 20 September 2008 against Apolonia Fier, his goal came in the 28th minute of the game.

During the entire 2008–09 season he became the club's first choice right back and he played 29 games, he also proved that he has attacking qualities as well by scoring 4 goals during the campaign.

Tirana concluded the league season by winning its 24 title in history, leaving Vllaznia Shkodër four points behind.

Tirana also went into the final of 2008–09 Albanian Cup, where "The White and Blues" were defeated 2–1 by Flamurtari Vlorë, in a match where Lila was an unused substitute.

Lila started his second season with Tirana on 15 July 2009 by making his European debut with Tirana against Stabæk in the first leg of 2009–10 UEFA Champions League's first round.

He was a starter even in the returning leg with Tirana slumped into a 4–0 defeat at Telenor Arena, crashing out of competition 1–5 on aggregate.

Later, on 16 August, Lila won his second silverware at Tirana, the Albanian Supercup, where he aided the team to beat Flamurtari Vlorë 1–0 at Qemal Stafa Stadium.

He became Albania's first choice right back in 2010 under Josip Kuže, and he also began to play in the defensive midfield position.

His last game with the club came in the 2011 Albanian Cup final which his side lost on penalties after extra time, before moving to Greece for a second stint, this time with PAS Giannina.

He quickly established himself in the first team at PAS Giannina and helped his side achieve a mid table finish in his first season back in Greece, and then reach the Superleague playoffs in his second season at the club before a bottom half finish in his third season.

Lila completed a transfer to Greek side PAS Giannina on 24 June 2011 by signing a three-year contract worth €200,000 plus bonuses.

He was given squad number 3 and made his competitive debut on 27 August by starting in the goalless draw against Aris Thessaloniki in the opening week of 2011–12 Superleague Greece.

Lila begun his second season on 25 August 2012 by playing in the 0–0 draw versus Platanias at Zosimades Stadium.

He made his first Greek Football Cup appearance later on 29 November in the 1–0 win against Panserraikos in the first leg of third round.

He joined struggling Serie A side Parma on loan for the second half of the 2014–15 campaign, but he could not help the club escape relegation and returned to his parent club PAS Giannina following the bankruptcy of Parma.

Since his return he has struggled to recapture his place in the first team, and has been limited to mostly substitute appearances in the league.

Lila has represented Albania at under-17, under-19, under-21 and senior levels.

Under Gianni De Biasi he has primarily played as a right midfielder or right winger since 2014, and he has helped Albania qualify for its first major international tournament as they reached Euro 2016.

He was also heavily involved in the infamous Serbia v Albania match on 14 October 2014, which resulted in the match being abandoned and Albania eventually being awarded a walkover victory over Serbia.

Lila started his career with hometown club, Besa Kavajë.