Igli Tare

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

Igli Tare

Personal information
Full name	Igli Tare
Date of birth	(1973-07-25) 25 July 1973
Place of birth	Vlorë, Albania
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position(s)	Striker
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)
2003–2006	Bologna	55	(11)
2006–2008	Lazio	46	(5)
Total		372	(74)
National team
1989	Albania U18	2	(0)
1990	Albania U21	2	(0)
1997–2007	Albania	68	(10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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 2 seasons before returning to the Bundesliga with 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1999, where he netted 4 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 2 seasons, and he scored a total of 15 league goals in 75 games before joining fellow Serie A side Bologna in 2003. He spent 2 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 4 goals in 54 league games before retiring from being a professional footballer 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 Karlsruhe in Germany where he remained until 1997 before moving to Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga.

In 1999, Tare moved to 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 football team and scored 10 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] On April 2009 he completed a course in order to obtain abilitation as sporting director, which is his current role at Lazio.[1]

Personal life

Igli Tare is a well known Albanian nationalist. 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 Mihajlovic 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 Mihajlovic and his return to Formelo has been on the agenda for years. However Tare refused to accept Sinisa Mihajlovic 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]

Career statistics

Club

Club statistics[13][14][15][16]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe[lower-alpha 1]		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[lower-alpha 2]	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

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

Honours

Individual

• Career Award: 2018[17]

References

1. "Staff" (in Italian). S.S. Lazio. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
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. "Igli Tare Player Profile – ESPN FC". ESPN FC. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
14. "Albania – I. Tare – Profile with news career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
15. "Player Profile: Igli Tare". FootyMania.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
16. "Igli Tare". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
17. "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

• Official Lazio profile