Lorik Cana
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Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Lorik Agim Cana | ||
Date of birth | 27 July 1983 | ||
Place of birth | Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
Position(s) |
Defensive midfielder, Central Midfielder, Defender | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Lazio | ||
Number | 27 | ||
Youth career | |||
1997–2000 | Dardania Lausanne | ||
2000–2002 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2002–2005 | Paris Saint-Germain | 69 | (23) |
2005–2009 | Marseille | 122 | (8) |
2009–2010 | Sunderland | 31 | (0) |
2010–2011 | Galatasaray | 24 | (3) |
2011– | Lazio | 48 | (17) |
International career‡ | |||
2004– | Albania | 63 | (13) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 March 2013 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 March 2013 |
Lorik Cana (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈlɔɾik ˈtsana]) (born 27 July 1983) is an Albanian footballer, who plays for Lazio as a defensive midfielder and the Albania national football team. He is the captain of Albania's national football team.
Club career
Early career
Lorik's father's experience in football inspired him to take up the sport. In 1997, he joined the local team Dardania Lausanne an amateur football club founded by the Albanian community in Lausanne, coached by his father.[1] He played at Dardania until the year 2000, when he was spotted and signed by the French club, Paris Saint-Germain.
Paris Saint-Germain
He was invited to Arsenal at the age of 16 for trial, but failed to attend because he was denied a British visa.[2] At Paris Saint-Germain he spent three years working through the ranks of the French club. Cana finally made the first team in 2003 and quickly became a main player. During the 2003–04 season, he played 32 games and scored one goal, as the team won the Coupe de France and finished second in the French Ligue 1, proving to be one of the most successful seasons of his career so far. This was repeated the next season when he also played 32 games for the Paris team and scored one goal. In his senior debut for Paris Saint-Germain, he was awarded man of the match.[citation needed]
Marseille
However, at the beginning of the 2005–06 season, there was a change of coach at Paris Saint-Germain and Cana fell out of favour. This prompted him to move to the south of France to join the most successful club in French history, Marseille. Since joining Marseille, he cemented his place in the starting eleven, and scored the winning goal in the first match between his new club (Olympique de Marseille) and his former club (Paris Saint-Germain). He also became team captain after the departure of the former captain Habib Beye to Newcastle United during the summer of 2007. Cana left the club for Premier League side Sunderland in August 2009. By playing for Marseille, he had achieved his childhood dream. However, during his four years in Southern France, he failed to win a single trophy. The season following his departure, l'OM became French Ligue 1 champions and won the Coupe de la Ligue.
Sunderland
Cana joined Sunderland on a four-year contract for a fee of around £5 million on 24 July 2009.[3] He was soon handed the team's captaincy by manager Steve Bruce,[4] although Bruce later stated a captain had yet to be appointed.[5] On 15 August, Cana made his league debut for Sunderland and contributed with an impressive performance in a 1–0 win over Bolton Wanderers. He was appointed as Sunderland's captain for the 2009–10 season on 3 September.[6] At the end of the 2009-10 season, he was one of the key players of Sunderland. He became the first Albanian player ever from the Albanian National Football Team to play in the Premier League.[7]
Galatasaray
Cana joined Galatasaray on 8 July 2010, for a fee of €4.5 million.[8] Cana signed a 4-year contract worth €2 million a season plus bonus based on appearances. His stay at Galatasaray was hampered by a back injury during mid-season. Because Galatasaray was going through a crisis throughout the whole season, Cana failed to make much of an impact, though he was still a favourite of the supporters because of his resilience on the pitch.
Lazio
On July 3, 2011, Cana signed for Italian Serie A club Lazio, becoming the club's fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Miroslav Klose, Djibril Cissé, Senad Lulić and Abdoulay Konko. He was used in an exchange for 50% registration rights of the goalkeeper Fernando Muslera going to Galatasaray, which Lazio both tagged them for a peppercorn fee in the financial accounts. Galatasaray paid an additional €6.75 million to Montevideo Wanderers to acquire another 50% registration rights of Muslera, made 50% rights of Muslera that Lazio sold and the full rights of Cana that Lazio acquired also worth around €6.75 million at that time. He scored his first goal for Lazio on 10 December 2011 against Lecce, a 3-2 win, after coming on as a substitute for Giuseppe Biava.[9] After sustaining many niggling injuries throughout the season, on 31 January 2012, Lazio confirmed that Cana would miss 6 weeks due to a back injury sustained in training. After returning from injury Cana started to quickly recover his form. With Lazio constantly being haunted with injuries and suspensions Cana took his chance in the midfield. This resulted in his best performance in the 2011/2012 season where he scored a 25 yard screamer against Atalanta thus keeping Lazio's Champions League hopes alive.[10]
International career
Cana was eligible to play for either Switzerland, Albania or France, as he has all three passports.[citation needed] Cana has been involved with the Albania national football team since early 2003, after receiving a call-up from the Albanian Football Association. He accepted the invitation and made his international debut on 11 June, at the age of just 19. On 12 September 2007, he was sent off by referee Mike Riley in the 87th minute of Albania's home game against the Netherlands, after an altercation with Wesley Sneijder and Ruud van Nistelrooy. His team conceded a late goal to lose 0–1 shortly after the dismissal. He was one of the key players in Albania's formidable 1–0 home win against Belarus for the Uefa Euro 2012 Group Qualifications by hitting the crossbar in a 40 meters free kick and by being an undefeatable wall in defense. As of 25 October 2010 he has made 63 appearances and scored 1 goal for Albania.
Personal life
Lorik is the son of retired footballer Agim Cana.[11] His father's career brought the family to Kosovo, but because of war in the region, Lorik and his family were forced to flee to Lausanne, where they stayed for nine years.[7] He is a UNO-ambassador against poverty.[11][12] In an interview Cana has stated that archeology is one of his biggest interests and that he plans to work in the Albanology field after his footballing career after pursuing a University degree in History.[11]
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Paris Saint-Germain | 2002–03 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 0 |
2003–04 | 32 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 32 | 1 | |
2004–05 | 32 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 6 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
2005–06 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | |
Total | 69 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 75 | 2 | |
Marseille | 2005–06 | 28 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 8 | 0 | 36 | 3 |
2006–07 | 33 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 5 | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
2007–08 | 34 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 9 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
2008–09 | 27 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | 30 | 2 | |
Total | 122 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 147 | 9 | |
Sunderland | 2009–10 | 31 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | 31 | 0 | |
Total | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
Galatasaray | 2010–11 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
Total | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
Lazio | 2011–12 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
2012–13 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
Total | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
Career total | 270 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 322 | 14 |
International
Albania national team | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Apps | Goals |
2003 | 6 | 0 |
2004 | 5 | 0 |
2005 | 8 | 1 |
2006 | 4 | 0 |
2007 | 6 | 0 |
2008 | 6 | 0 |
2009 | 6 | 0 |
2010 | 6 | 0 |
2011 | 6 | 0 |
2012 | 7 | 0 |
Total | 64 | 1 |
International goals
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 17 August 2005 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania | ![]() |
2-1 | Win | Friendly | |||||
Correct as of 2 January 2013[16] |
Honours
Club
- Coupe de France Runner-up: 2006, 2007
Individual
- Albanian Footballer of the Year (3): 2004, 2005, 2006
- Albanian Fan's Footballer of the Year (1): 2009
References
- ^ "Agim Cana Entraîneur du Dardania Lausanne". 24heures.ch (in French). 19 August 1997. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Cana: Arsenali më ka kërkuar si 16-vjeçar" (in Albanian). Pristina, Kosovo: Telegrafi.com. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
Jam ftuar nga Arsenali për prova kur kam pasur 16 vjet, por nuk mund të vija për shkak të problemeve me vizën.
- ^ "Sunderland sign Marseille captain". BBC Sport. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
- ^ "Catt fight is not over yet". Sunderland Echo. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
- ^ Fraser, Paul (15 August 2009). "Skipper's crown is awaiting Dunne". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
- ^ "Exclusive: Cana for captain". Sunderland AFC. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ a b "Alas, poor Lorik - Cana has gone from Kosovo refugee to a Sunderland hero". Daily Mail. London.
- ^ "Profesyonel oyuncu Lorik Cana'nın Sunderland FC Kulübünden 4.500.000 avro bedelle transferi". Turkish Public Disclosure System (in Turkish). 8 July 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/63990/lecce-vs-lazio/lineup-stats
- ^ http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/64054/lazio-vs-ac-milan/preview
- ^ a b c Frashëri, Dash. "Lorik Cana në 360 gradë: 24 orët e kapitenit të Marsejës, nga futbolli te librat" (in Albanian). Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ UNPD Kosovo. "Cana visits UNDP Kosovo". UNPD. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ "Cana, Lorik". National Football Teams. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "LORİK CANA". Turkish Football Federation. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "Lorik Cana". Mackolik.com. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ eu-football.info
External links
- Profile at UEFA
- Statistics at TFF.org Template:Tr icon
- Profile at Transfermarkt Template:En icon
- Lorik Cana – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Lorik Cana at National-Football-Teams.com
- Lorik Cana at Soccerbase
- Lorik Cana – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)
- Lorik Cana OM.net Template:Fr icon
- Lorik Cana's Yahoo Profile
- Use dmy dates from June 2011
- 1983 births
- Living people
- People from Pristina
- Albanian footballers
- Albanian expatriate footballers
- Albania international footballers
- Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players
- Olympique de Marseille players
- Sunderland A.F.C. players
- Galatasaray S.K. footballers
- S.S. Lazio players
- Expatriate footballers in France
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Kosovar expatriates in Switzerland
- Expatriate footballers in Turkey
- Albanian expatriates in Turkey
- Albanian expatriates in Italy
- Expatriate footballers in Italy
- Ligue 1 players
- Premier League players
- Süper Lig players