Idriz 'Idi' Refik Batha (born 28 March 1992) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Saudi club Al-Najma.

Club career

Early career
Born in the southern city of Gjirokastër, Batha moved to the capital Tiranë as a child where he joined the Partizani academy before moving to the academy of local rivals Tirana in 2005. He would remain at Tirana's academy until 2011, which is when he moved back to Partizani and signed his first professional contract at the age of 19. Partizani had been relegated to Kategoria e Dytë, the third-tier of Albanian football which is where Batha made his senior debut on 2 October 2011 in a 1–0 over Bilisht Sport. He scored his first senior goals on 18 March 2012 against Albpetrol, scoring twice in the first half in the 2–0 win. Batha helped Partizani finish top of the Kategoria e Dytë Group B table and achieve promotion back to Kategoria e Parë, before losing 3–1 to Group A winners Tërbuni in the Championship Final.

Besa
Following an impressive season with Partizani in the third tier, Batha joined newly-promoted Kategoria Superiore side Besa in the summer of 2012, where he made his top-flight debut in the opening game against Laçi, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1–1 draw. He scored his first top-flight goal on 10 March 2013 in a 2–1 win over Tirana, scoring in injury time to win the game for Besa.

Partizani
On 11 November 2015, Batha extended his contract with Partizani Tirana for another three seasons, keeping him at the club until 2018.

Tirana
On 18 June 2019, Batha was unveiled as the new player of KF Tirana, signing a one-year contract with an option of a further one, worth €5,000 a month. On 27 October, during the 3–0 win at Luftëtari Gjirokastër, Batha missed his first career penalty; his attempt was saved by Panagiotis Paiteris. During the match against title rivals Kukësi at Arena Kombëtare, Batha scored a free-kick in the 85th minute that served as a temporarily equalizer in a eventual 2–1 win, sending Tirana top of the table for the first time this season. The following week, Batha scored two penalties against his ex team Partizani in a 5–1 home win, helping Tirana record their biggest win over their city rivals since 2005.

He was instrumental for his side in midfield during the 2019–20 Albanian Superliga season, scoring 10 goals in 33 appearances, a personal best, as Tirana won the championship title for the 25th time in their 100th anniversary. In 2019–20 Albanian Cup, where Tirana reached the final, Batha scored once in five appearances, collecting in total 38 appearances and 11 goals. On 8 August 2020, Tirana announced to have signed Batha on a new one-year contract.

Batha took squad number 10 ahead of the 2020–21 season, which was last worn by Edon Hasani who departed the club. On 19 August, he captained Tirana for the first time in their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match against Dinamo Tbilisi, which ended in a 2–0 away win.

Al-Najma
On 9 July 2023, Batha joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Najma.

Career statistics

Honours

Clubs
KF Tirana
Kategoria Superiore: 2019–20
Albanian Cup runner-up: 2019–20
Albanian Supercup runner-up: 2020

References

External links

1992 births
Living people
Footballers from Gjirokastër
Albania men's under-21 international footballers
Albanian men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Kategoria Superiore players
Kategoria e Dytë players
FK Partizani Tirana players
KF Besa Kavajë players
KF Teuta Durrës players
Flamurtari FC players
KF Tirana players
Liga I players
FC UTA Arad players
Saudi First Division League players
Al-Najma SC (Saudi Arabia) players
Albanian expatriate men's footballers
Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Romania
Expatriate men's footballers in Romania
Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia
Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia