Niko Bespalla
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Date of birth
1 January 1938
Date of death
28 March 2017 (aged 79)
Height
1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 January 1938 | ||
| Place of birth | Shijak, Durrës, Albania | ||
| Date of death | 28 March 2017 (aged 79) | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Puna Durrës | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1956–1957 | Puna Durrës | ||
| 1957–1960 | Partizani Tirana | ||
| 1960 | Lokomotiva Durrës | 0 | (0) |
| 1961–1962 | Dinamo Tirana | ||
| 1962–1963 | Erzeni | ||
| 1963–1967 | Lokomotiva Durrës | ||
| 1964 | → Partizani Tirana (loan) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Niko Bespalla (1938 – 28 March 2017) was an Albanian footballer. Famous for his fierce shooting, he played for Lokomotiva Durrës, Partizani Tirana, Dinamo Tirana and Erzeni Shijak in his career.
He grew up in Durrës along with parents and his two sisters, which is where he began playing football with the youth team of Puna Durrës. He captained the Durrës under-19 side to the national championship before being promoted to the senior team by then coach Adem Karapici in 1957 at the age of 19.[1] In 1957, he was summoned to fulfil his military service and subsequently joined army club Partizani Tirana with whom he won two league titles.[2]