Liridon Krasniqi started his initial footballing career in Europe and made his senior professional debut for FK Mladá Boleslav in Czech Republic in 2011.
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Odisha FC have announced that they have reached an agreement with Malaysian professional football club Johor Darul Ta’zim FC over a loan deal of midfielder Liridon Krasniqi. The footballer will now represent the Bhubaneswar-based side in the upcoming eighth edition of the Indian Super League (ISL). The 29-year-old attacking midfielder started his initial footballing career in Europe and made his senior professional debut for FK Mladá Boleslav in Czech Republic in 2011. This was followed by him signing for Turkish club Ankaraspor. Liridon was then loaned out to another club in Turkey – Fethiyespor, before moving to Malaysia in 2015 and playing for Kedah Darul Aman Football Club.
He also won the 2016 Malaysia Cup and 2017 Malaysia FA Cup titles for Kedah, before signing for Melaka United in 2019. In the previous season, Liridon was roped in by current Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim. The footballer then represented Australian side Newcastle Jets in the A-League on loan in early 2021.
Liridon has a unique achievement of representing three national teams. After playing for the Albanian under 21 side and Kosovo senior team, he made his debut for the Malaysian senior national team earlier this year.
“I am really delighted to join Odisha FC and I am looking forward to start an amazing journey in India. Hope it will be a great season ahead under Head Coach Kiko Ramirez. I can’t wait to get started and meet my teammates at OFC. We will try and bring joy for all the Odisha fans in the upcoming ISL tournament,” stated Liridon.
OFC Head Coach Kiko Ramirez was full of praise for the footballer, hailing him as a player with high physical capacity and good technique.
“Liridon is going to give us character, attitude and intensity. He is a player with a high physical capacity and has good technique. He is a box to box midfielder who can help us both in attack and in defense and will give us the energy that the team needs to fight for the entire duration of 90 minutes,” he said.
Odisha FC Club President Raj Athwal further hailed Liridon as a player, who was adept in defence and adds further depth to the squad.
“We are pleased to welcome Malaysian International Liridon Krasniqi to Odisha Football Club. An imposing midfielder who is also adept in defence, he adds further depth and quality to the squad,” he stated.
Odisha FC and Open for All (OFA) recently organized the first OFC-OFA Girls’ League in Rourkela. In the final, Kuarmunda A defeated Bandhposh by 2-1 goals. Chikatmati B won the third position match.
“Odisha has always had a good representation in national camps when it comes to female footballers. Our vision is to build on that foundation and act as a catalyst to help these young ones improve and make the state and nation proud. This is just the beginning of many things to come,” said Odisha FC’s Grassroots Manager Suvam Das.
OFA Founder Naman Agarwal believes the initiative will help build a better future.
“OFA sports foundation visions to create a platform to access sports for all. We are glad to collaborate with Odisha FC and build a better future,” he stated.
