Valentina Limani
Kosovan footballer (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Valentina Limani (born 2 February 1997) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as a forward for German club Eintracht Frankfurt III and the Kosovo national team.
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Limani with 1. FFC Frankfurt II in January 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Valentina Hiset Limani | ||
| Date of birth | 2 February 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Komogllavë, FR Yugoslavia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Eintracht Frankfurt III | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2014 | 1. FFC Frankfurt | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2020 | 1. FFC Frankfurt II | 104 | (27) |
| 2014–2018 | 1. FFC Frankfurt | 2 | (0) |
| 2021– | Eintracht Frankfurt III | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017– | Kosovo | 23 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 September 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21 September 2021 | |||
Club career
1. FFC Frankfurt/Eintracht Frankfurt
Early career and period at second team
Limani was born in Komogllavë,[1] and raised in Germany in a family of footballers. Her younger brother, Gentrit, is a footballer and an important player in Kosovo national youth teams.[2] At the age of 12, she started playing football in 1. FFC Frankfurt. On 8 September 2013, Limani made her senior debut with 1. FFC Frankfurt II in a 0–2 home defeat against TSV Crailsheim after coming on as a substitute at 46th minute in place of Larissa Gördel.[3]
Promotion to the first team
On 10 July 2014, Limani was promoted and included in the list of first team players competing in the Bundesliga.[4] On 14 December 2014, she made her debut in a 0–4 away win against MSV Duisburg after coming on as a substitute at 87th minute in place of Verónica Boquete.[5]
Short retirement and return as part of the third team
On 4 November 2020, Limani confirmed through an interview that she has retired due to schooling and in football is expected to return as coach.[6] On 2 July 2021, Limani returned from retirement and joined Regionalliga side Eintracht Frankfurt III.[7] On 12 September 2021, she made her debut in a 4–2 home win against SV Gläserzell after being named in the starting line-up.[8]
International career
First period
On 27 February 2017, Limani was named as part of the Kosovo squad for 2017 Turkish Women's Cup.[9] On 1 March 2017, she made her debut with Kosovo in 2017 Turkish Women's Cup group stage match against Poland after being named in the starting line-up.[10] On 26 November 2017, Limani scored her first goal for Kosovo in her seventh appearance for the country in a 3–2 home minimal win over Montenegro.[11] Her last international match was on 10 March 2020 against Slovenia in Pristina.[12]
Second period
Kosovo is the reason why I came back to play football.
On 14 February 2021, Limani upon return from retirement received a call-up from Kosovo for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification matches against Albania and Norway.[14] Two days later, she made her first match with Kosovo after return from retirement in 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification match against Albania after coming on as a substitute at 46th minute in place of Blerta Smaili and scored his side's only goal during a 1–1 away draw.[15]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 12 September 2021[16]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 1. FFC Frankfurt II | 2013–14 | 2. Bundesliga Süd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 1. FFC Frankfurt | 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16[a] | 2 | 17 | 2 |
| 1. FFC Frankfurt II | 2015–16 | 2. Bundesliga Süd | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 3 | |
| 1. FFC Frankfurt | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22[a] | 12 | 23 | 12 |
| 1. FFC Frankfurt II | 2017–18 | 2. Bundesliga Süd | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 3 | |
| 2018–19 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 5 | ||
| 2019–20 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 2 | |||
| Total | 68 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 14 | 106 | 27 | ||
| Eintracht Frankfurt II | 2020–21 | 2. Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt III | 2021–22 | Regionalliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 69 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 14 | 107 | 27 | ||
- Appearance(s) with 1. FFC Frankfurt II
International
- As of 21 September 2021
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosovo | |||
| 2017 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 23 | 3 | |
International goals
- As of 16 September 2021
Scores and results list Kosovo's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 26 November 2017 | Adem Jashari Olympic Stadium, Mitrovica, Kosovo |  Montenegro |
1–1 | 3–2 | Friendly | [11] |
| 2. | 5 April 2019 | Gjakova City Stadium, Gjakova, Kosovo |  North Macedonia |
2–0 | 3–1 | [17] | |
| 3. | 16 September 2021 | Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania |  Albania |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2023 FIFA World Cup qualification | [15] |
