Liridon Krasniqi
Liridon Krasniqi (born 1 January 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Indian Super League club Odisha, on loan from Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim, and the Malaysia national team. Krasniqi made his senior debut with Mladá Boleslav in 2011 before signing for Turkish club Ankaraspor two years later. He did not make any appearances for the team, and was loaned to the TFF First League side Fethiyespor for the 2013–14 season. In 2015, Krasniqi joined Malaysian side Kedah, winning the 2016 Malaysia Cup and 2017 Malaysia FA Cup during his  four-year spell with the club. After a brief spell with Melaka United, he signed for defending Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim in 2020. Internationally, Krasniqi has represented Albania at the youth level and Kosovo at the senior level, appearing in the nation's first international match against Haiti in 2014. He switched his international allegiance to Malaysia in 2020 after staying in the country for five years, and made his Malaysia debut in 2021. Club career. Early career and Mladá Boleslav. Krasniqi was part of 1. FC Nürnberg's youth team until 2009, when he was transferred  to the Czech side Slavia Prague. On 2 March 2011, Krasniqi signed a contract until the end of the season with the Czech First League club Mladá Boleslav. He played his first and only match on 14 May 2011 in a 2–1 home defeat against Jablonec after coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute in place of Ondřej Kúdela. Ankaraspor and loan to Fethiyespor. On 29 July 2013, Krasniqi signed a three-year contract with the TFF First League club Ankaraspor. Two days later, he was loaned to fellow TFF First League club Fethiyespor. Eighteen days later, he  made his debut in a 3–2 away defeat against 1461 Trabzon after being named in the starting line-up. Kedah. On 9 April 2015, Krasniqi joined Malaysian Premier League side Kedah. Eight days later, he made his debut against Negeri Sembilan and scored his side's second goal during a 2–1 home win. With Kedah, Krasniqi won the 2016 Malaysia Cup and 2017 Malaysia FA Cup. Melaka United. On 19 January 2019, Krasniqi joined Malaysian Super League side Melaka United. Fourteen days later, he made his debut against Petaling Jaya City after being named in the starting line-up and  scored his side's first goal during a 2–1 home win. Johor Darul Ta'zim. On 20 December 2019, Krasniqi joined Malaysian Super League side Johor Darul Ta'zim. On 28 February 2020, he made his debut in a 1–0 home win against his former club Kedah after coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute in place of Leandro Velázquez. Loan to Newcastle Jets. On 5 February 2021, Krasniqi joined A-League side Newcastle Jets, on a season-long loan. On 13 March 2021, he made his debut in a 2–1 away defeat against Sydney FC after coming on as  a substitute in the 85th minute in place of Angus Thurgate. Loan to Odisha. On 23 August 2021, Krasniqi joined Indian Super League side Odisha, on a season-long loan. He made his league debut on 24 November in a 3–1 win against Bengaluru FC. International career. Albania and Kosovo. Krasniqi was part of the Albanian under-21 team, making one appearance in a friendly match against Israel in March 2011. Three years later, he received a call-up from Kosovo for their first official international match against Haiti, and made his senior Kosovo debut after coming on as a substitute  in the 71st minute in place of Ardian Gashi. Malaysia. On 3 February 2020, the Football Association of Malaysia announced that Krasniqi had received Malaysian citizenship after staying in the country for almost five years, becoming eligible for the Malaysian national team. On 10 May 2021, he received a call-up from Malaysia for the friendly match against Bahrain and the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Thailand. Eighteen days later, Krasniqi made his debut in a friendly match against Bahrain after being named in the starting line-up. Honours. Mladá Boleslav Kedah  FA Johor Darul Ta'zim