Blendi Nallbani
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Blendi Nallbani | ||
| Date of birth | 30 May 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Tiranë, Albania | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1990 | Partizani Tirana | 39 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Tirana | 24 | (0) |
| 1991–1992 | Victoria Bucarest | ? | (0) |
| 1992–1993 | Tirana | 24 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Partizani Tirana | 4 | (0) |
| 1994–2001 | Tirana | 149 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Partizani Tirana | 83 | (0) |
| 2004–2011 | Tirana | 116 | (1) |
| Total | 436 | (1) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1987 | Albania U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1990 | Albania U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 1989–2002 | Albania | 18 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 May 2011. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 May 2002 |
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Blendi Nallbani (born 30 May 1971 in Tiranë) is a retired Albanian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was a member of the Albanian national team before his international retirement in 2002. Nicknamed Tata, he is known for his sarcastic persona and outspoken comments.
Nallbani moved back to Tirana for a fourth stint in the summer of 2004 after four seasons at rival club Partizani Tirana. He joined goalkeepers Isli Hidi and Nigerian Ndubuisi Egbo at the club.
At only seventeen years old, Nallbani was the youngest ever player to play for the Albanian National Team. He allowed five goals to a strong English side in his premiere at Wembley Stadium. However, had it not been for his strong performance, Albania would have suffered an even greater defeat. After the game, the English media praised Nallbani's performance as one of the greatest performances and Peter Shilton was himself amazed by the performance of the young Albanian.
"He (Shilton) was 21 when he first pulled on an England jersey and that helped to produce a fascinating statistic when England met Albania in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley in 1989. Blendi Nallbani, the goalkeeper at the other end, was only 17 and hadn't been born when Shilts made his debut."
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