- Altin Lala
Football player infobox
playername= Altin Lala
fullname =
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1975|11|18
cityofbirth =Kavajë
countryofbirth =Albania
height = height|m=1.72
currentclub =Hannover 96
clubnumber = 8
position =Defensive Midfielder
years = 1993–1996
1996–1998
1998–
clubs =Dinamo Tirana Borussia Fulda Hannover 96
caps(goals) =
056 0(6)
267 (10)
nationalyears = 1994–
nationalteam = Albania
nationalcaps(goals) = 068 0(3)
pcupdate =15 September 2008
ntupdate =14 September 2008 Altin Lala (born
November 18 ,1975 ) is an Albanian footballer, currently playing for German Bundesliga teamHannover 96 .Club career
The
defensive midfielder began his football career as a youth atSK Tirana before moving to Germany with the third flight sideBorussia Fulda in January 1994.Hannover 96
On
21 July 1998 , he joined newly-promoted 2.Bundesliga teamHannover 96 ; making his debut onJuly 30 1998 , in a 1-0 victory overKarlsruher SC . Here, he helped the club win the promotion to the Bundesliga in 2001/2002 and since has played over 149 Bundesliga games, becoming the longest-serving player within their squad. In all his time atHannover 96 Lala has only scored one bundesliga goal.In 2004, he became team captain and remained so until the 2007/08 season, being popular both within the team and with fans (who have nicknamed him "The Battle Dwarf" (German: "Kampfzwerg") due to his combative style of play). [cite web | title = Altin Lala | accessdate = 2007-12-17 | url = http://www.hannover96online.de/0203/serie/np_altin_lala.htm | publisher = hannover96online.de | language = German | date = 2002-07-17] In the 2007-2008 season he made 28 league appearances without scoring a goal.Albania national football team
He has also enjoyed a long international career, making 62 appearances for his country since 1998, the sixth highest in Albania's international history. He has also scored three goals for his country. His first international goal came in March, 2003 in a European Qualifying match agianst
Russia in the 79th minute. The match ended 3-1 forAlbania and became one ofAlbania 's greatest ever achievments in football. His second goal came just three months later in the 22nd minute of a thrilling 3-2 loss toSwitzerland . Lala has been the captain of his country sinceIgli Tare was kicked off the team by former managerOtto Baric .Honours
* Winner of
2. Bundesliga 2001/2002 withHannover 96 .Career Stats
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
