Igli Tare

Igli Tare
Personal information
Full name Igli Tare
Date of birth (1973-07-25) 25 July 1973 (age 50)
Place of birth Tirana, Albania
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1982–1993 Partizani Tirana
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1994 Partizani 14 (2)
1994–1995 VfR Mannheim 23 (5)
1995–1996 SV Südwest Ludwigshafen 21 (5)
1996–1997 Karlsruher SC II 23 (4)
1996–1997 Karlsruher SC 8 (0)
1997–1999 Fortuna Düsseldorf 63 (24)
1999–2001 1. FC Kaiserslautern 26 (4)
2001–2003 Brescia 75 (15)
2003–2005 Bologna 55 (11)
2005–2008 Lazio 46 (5)
Total 372 (74)
International career
1989 Albania U18 2 (0)
1990 Albania U21 2 (0)
1997–2007 Albania 68 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Igli Tare (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈiɡli 'taɾɛ]; born 25 July 1973) is an Albanian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the former sporting director at Serie A club Lazio.[1]

Tare joined Partizani Tirana as a 9-year-old in 1982, and would later go on to make his debut as a 15-year-old in 1988 before leaving Albania in 1992 to emigrate to Germany. He played in the lower leagues of Germany for Südwest Ludwigshafen and VfR Mannheim before joining Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC in 1996, initially playing for their reserve side before making his Bundesliga debut in 1996. He then joined Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga, where he scored 24 league goals in 63 games in two seasons before returning to the Bundesliga with 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1999, where he netted four league goals in 26 appearances in one year and a half at the club.

After falling out of favour at 1. FC Kaiserslautern he joined Serie A side Brescia in January 2001, where he helped the side finish in a respectable 8th place. He remained at Brescia for a further two seasons, and he scored a total of 15 league goals in 75 games before joining fellow Serie A side Bologna in 2003. He spent two years at the club and scored 11 league goals in 55 games, before joining Lazio in a surprise move in 2005 following Brescia's relegation to Serie B. He was primarily used as a backup player at Lazio and he only scored four goals in 54 league games before retiring as a player at the age of 34 in 2008.

Early life

Igli Tare studied at the Qemal Stafa High School, in Tirana, Albania.[2]

Club career

Tare began his professional career in 1996 with Karlsruher SC in Germany where he remained until 1997 before moving to Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga.

In 1999, Tare moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, where he played for a season before being signed by veteran Italian manager Carlo Mazzone. For five seasons, Tare played with Mazzone's Brescia, where he was able to play alongside Roberto Baggio, before again transferring, this time to Bologna where he was reunited with Mazzone once again.

At Bologna, Tare was popular amongst the fans and scored an important goal in the relegation play-off against fierce rivals Parma, however Tare's goal was not enough and they lost the return leg at home, being relegated to Serie B.

Following Bologna's relegation, Tare was loaned out to capital club Lazio scoring just three goals in his first season. Following this loan period, Tare joined the club on a permanent basis.

Tare was not a regular starter under Delio Rossi, but was able to play and score vital goals when others were out with injuries. In late 2007 away to Palermo, Tare scored off a Lorenzo De Silvestri cross, ending a scoring drought which stretched back for almost two years. He backed this goal up with another vital goal in the Coppa Italia against Napoli, which proved to be the winner.

International career

Tare was capped 68 times by the Albania national team and scored ten goals.[3] As one of the most experienced members of the side, Tare was long time captain of the national team.

Tare's most impressive performance for his national side came during his nation's match against Russia in the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifiers, when he helped Albania to a 3–1 victory, scoring his team's third goal.

In 2007, Tare's international career was effectively ended, after being dropped by manager Otto Barić.

Style of play

A tall, physical, and combative forward, Tare usually played as a centre-forward or as a striker, and was mainly known for his ability in the air, as well his work-rate, professionalism, solid technique, and capacity to link-up with teammates, despite not being a significantly elegant or prolific player.[4][5][6][7]

Post-playing career

Tare's Lazio contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 season. He then accepted a non-playing role at Lazio, becoming the club's team manager.[8] In April 2009 he completed a course in order to receive his qualification to be sporting director, a post he has held at Lazio until 5 June 2023.[1]

Personal life

Igli Tare is a well known supporter of Albanian related issues. He was a supporter of the Albanian cause and the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo war. He helped the Albanian refugees who had been expelled during the Kosovo war with money and accommodation in Albania.

In the 2005–06 Serie A season in the game Inter against Lazio, there were numerous provocations between Igli Tare and Siniša Mihajlović. In the half-time break, Tare slapped Mihajlović with two fists. Tare said Mihajlović had provoked him the entire First Half and then he had responded accordingly. Igli Tare later told the Albanian media that he did not regret anything.[9]

The rivalry between Tare and Mihajlović took another level in 2016. During 2015–16 Serie A season, Lazio's President Claudio Lotito wanted Mihajlović as a coach for Lazio. Lazio's president had been working for weeks to get Mihajlovic. There is a good friendship between Lotito and Mihajlović and his return to Formello has been on the agenda for years. However Tare refused to accept Siniša Mihajlović as the new coach for Lazio and at the end prevented the move.[10][11]

His brother Auron Tare, is a famous Albanian journalist and his brother Agron Tare is director at the Port of Durrës.[12]

His son Etienne (born 2003) followed on his footsteps, becoming a striker too and now being part of the Lazio Primavera (Under-19 team) squad.[13]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[14][15][16][17]
Club Season League Cup Europe[a] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Partizani Tirana 1993–94 Albanian Superliga 14 2 — — — 14 2
VfR Mannheim 1994–95 2. Bundesliga 23 5 — — — 23 5
SV Südwest Ludwigshafen 1995–96 Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar 21 5 — — — 21 5
Karlsruher SC II 1996–97 Regionalliga Süd 23 4 — — — 23 4
Karlsruher SC 1996–97 Bundesliga 8 0 4 0 — — 12 0
Fortuna Düsseldorf 1997–98 2. Bundesliga 34 13 — — — 34 13
1998–99 29 11 3 3 — — 32 14
Total 63 24 3 3 — — 66 27
1. FC Kaiserslautern 1999–2000 Bundesliga 22 4 1 0 2 0 — 25 4
2000–01 4 0 3 1 2 1 — 9 2
Total 26 4 4 1 4 1 — 34 6
Brescia 2000–01 Serie A 17 4 — — — 17 4
2001–02 25 5 5 1 — — 30 6
2002–03 33 6 1 0 — — 34 6
Total 75 15 6 1 — — 81 16
Bologna 2003–04 Serie A 29 6 3 1 — — 32 7
2004–05 26 5 2 0 — 2[b] 1 30 6
Total 55 11 5 1 — 2 1 62 13
Lazio 2005–06 Serie A 22 3 4 0 2 0 — 28 3
2006–07 14 0 3 0 — — 17 0
2007–08 18 1 6 1 1 0 — 25 2
Total 54 3 13 1 3 0 — 70 4
Career total 372 74 35 7 7 1 2 1 416 83
  1. ^ Including continental competitions, such as UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ All appearances in the 2004–05 Serie A Relegation

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Albania 1997 6 2
1998 8 0
1999 8 2
2000 5 0
2001 6 1
2002 5 2
2003 10 2
2004 7 0
2005 7 0
2006 5 0
2007 1 0
Total 68 10

International goals

Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tare goal.
List of international goals scored by Igli Tare
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 October 1997 Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover, Germany  Germany 2–2 3–4 1998 World Cup qualifier
2 14 October 1998 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 2–2 2–2 UEFA Euro 2000 qualification
3 5 June 1999 Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania  Norway 1–1 1–2 UEFA Euro 2000 qualification
4 27 March 2002 Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania  Azerbaijan 1-0 1-0 Friendly
5 29 March 2003 Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkodër, Albania  Russia 3–1 3–1 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
6 10 September 2003 Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania  Georgia 2–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
7 11 October 2003 Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal  Portugal 2–1 3–5 Friendly
8 3 September 2005 Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania  Georgia 1–0 3–2 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 3–0
10 16 August 2006 Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino  San Marino 1–0 3–0 Friendly [18]

Honours

Individual
  • Career Award: 2018[19]

References

  1. ^ a b Cieri, Stefano (6 June 2023). "Tare-Lazio è finita". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). RCS. p. 21. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  2. ^ Q. Stafa High School website. "Historiku". Archived from the original on 12 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Albania – Record International Players". Rsssf. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Si riparte da Mazzone" (in Italian). Eurosport. 6 September 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  5. ^ DESALVO, VALENTINA (12 March 2005). "Tare, un calcio all' ignoranza Il razzismo si può battere". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Tare: "Brescia scusami"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 24 September 2002. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Mazzone su Tare: "Professionista molto serio"" (in Italian). Tutto Brescia. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Tare dietro la scrivania" (in Italian). Sportal.it. 13 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  9. ^ "tare-dhe-mihajlovic-kur-drejtori-i-lacios-i-mesoi-shqipen-me-grushta-ish-yllit-serb-te-futbollit/" (in Albanian). newsport. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  10. ^ "igli-tare-godet-sinisa-mihajlovicin/" (in Albanian). lajmi. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  11. ^ "focus-tare-sinisa-no-igli-vorrebbe-qualcunaltro-sulla-panchina-laziale/" (in Italian). cittaceleste. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  12. ^ Lirohet nga detyra drejtori i Agjencisë së Bregdeteve, Auron Tare (DOKUMENTI) – Newsbomb (in Albanian)
  13. ^ "Lazio, di padre in figlio: Etienne Tare aggregato alla Primavera" (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio.com. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Igli Tare Player Profile – ESPN FC". ESPN FC. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  15. ^ "Albania – I. Tare – Profile with news career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  16. ^ "Player Profile: Igli Tare". FootyMania.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Igli Tare". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Igli Tare international goals". eu-football.info. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Ndahen çmimet e "Albanian Sports Ambassador", ish-kapiteni kuqezi Lorik Cana merr trofeun kryesor të mbrëmjes" [The "Albanian Sports Ambassador" awards are allocated, former red&black captain Lorik Cana takes evening's most important trophy] (in Albanian). FSHF.org. 29 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.

External links