Lorik Cana

Infobox Football biography
playername = Lorik Cana


fullname = Lorik Cana
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1983|7|27
cityofbirth = Pristina
countryofbirth = Yugoslavia
height = Height|m=1.86
currentclub = Olympique de Marseille
clubnumber = 19
position = Midfielder
youthyears = 2000–2002
youthclubs = Lausanne Sports PSG
years = 2002–2005
2005–
clubs = PSG
Marseille
caps(goals) = 69 (2)
98 (7)
nationalyears = 2003–
nationalteam = Albania
nationalcaps(goals) = 31 (1)
pcupdate = 9 August, 2008
ntupdate = 14 September, 2008

Lorik Cana (born on 27 July 1983 in Pristina) is an Albanian footballer. A midfielder, 1.86m tall and weighing 86kg, he plays for the Albania national football team and Olympique de Marseille of France at club level. He holds Albanian, French and Swiss citizenship.

Early Life

Born in Yugoslavia, Cana left as a young child to escape the war. He ended up moving to Switzerland. His father, Agim Cana, was once a very famous Yugoslav footballer who was part of the so-called "Golden Generation" of KF Prishtina during the 1980s. His father's experiences in football inspired Lorik to take up the sport as well. As a young boy he joined the Lausanne Sports in Switzerland. He then worked up the ranks of the Swiss team and very quickly became an instant hit despite only being a youth team player. He played at Lausanne Sports until the year 2000 when he was spotted and signed by the French giants, Paris Saint-Germain. This was a dream come true for Lorik because he always wanted to play for the best teams in the best leagues.

Career

After joining Paris Saint-Germain he spent three years working up the ranks of the French club, while doing so he attracted big insterest from big clubs like Arsenal FC, but his visa wouldn't allow him to go to the trials at the North London club. Lorik finally broke into the first team of Paris Saint-Germain in 2003 and quickly became one their main players. During the 2003-2004 season he played 32 games, scored one goal, won the Coupe de France, and finished second in the French Division 1 league, proving to be one the most successful seasons of his career so far. This success was repeated the next season when he also played 32 games for the Paris team and scored one goal. However, at the beginning of the 2005-2006 season the coach of Paris Saint-Germain changed and Lorik was not part of the new manager's plans at the club. This then prompted Cana to move to the south of France and join the most successful club in French history, Olympique de Marseille. Since joining Olympique de Marseille he has 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 has been the team captain of his club since the departure of the former captain Habib Beye to Newcastle United during the summer transfer window of 2007. Lorik has hardly missed a game since joining the Marseille based club.

Career achievements

* Winner of the Coupe de France 2004 with Paris SG
* Runner-up of Coupe de France in 2006 with Olympique de Marseille
* Runner-up of Coupe de France in 2007 with Olympique de Marseille
* Albanian football player of the year 2003-2004
* 2nd Albanian international to ever score a Champions League Group Stage goal after Besart Berisha.

International career

Lorik Cana was eligible to play for either Switzerland, Albania or France as he has all three passports, out of these three he chose Albania as he feels that all Albanians are the same wherever they live, most say he made the right choice by letting his heart and not his brain make the choice. Cana has been involved with the Albania national football team since early 2003, after receiving a call-up by the federation. He accepted the invitation and by 11 June he had already made his international debut at the age of just 19. Since joining the team he has made 30 appearances and scored 1 goal for Albania.

Career Stats

Europe Stats

External links

* [http://www.om.net/fr/Equipes/201002/Effectif_pro/1528/CANA Lorik Cana] OM.net
* [http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/profiles/18899.html Lorik Cana's Yahoo Profile]
*lfpfr|103409