Foto Strakosha

Foto Strakosha
Personal information
Full name Fotaq Strakosha
Date of birth (1965-03-29) 29 March 1965
Place of birth Memaliaj, PR Albania
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Lazio Youth (goalkeeping coach)
Youth career
1982–1985 Minatori Tepelenë
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1988 Minatori Tepelenë 1 (0)
1988–1990 Dinamo Tirana 38 (0)
1991 PAS Giannina 3 (0)
1991–1993 Ethnikos Piraeus 33 (0)
1993–1997 Olympiacos 39 (0)
1997–1999 Panionios 56 (0)
1999–2002 Ionikos 75 (0)
2002–2003 Kallithea 14 (0)
2003 Kalamata 18 (0)
2003–2004 Ethnikos Asteras 13 (0)
2004 Proodeftiki 13 (0)
2004–2005 Panionios 5 (0)
Total 307 (0)
International career
1989 Albania U21 1 (0)
1990–2005 Albania 73 (0)
Managerial career
2005–2006 Akraatitos (goalkeeping coach)
2006–2007 Olympiacos Academy (goalkeeping coach)
2007–2010 APOEL (goalkeeping coach)
2010–2011 Panionios (goalkeeping coach)
2011–2014 Albania U19
2014–2017 Olympiacos (goalkeeping coach)
2017– Lazio Youth (goalkeeping coach)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fotaq "Foto" Strakosha (Albanian pronunciation: [fɔˈtac stɾaˈkɔʃa]; born 29 March 1965) is an Albanian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and is currently a goalkeeping coach with Lazio Youth.

Strakosha is regarded as one of Albania's most popular goalkeepers. During his 20-year playing career, he represented 11 different clubs, starting in Albania before moving to Greece in 1991, where he spent the majority of his career until his retirement in 2005.

Strakosha began his senior career with Minatori Tepelenë in 1985 before moving Dinamo Tirana. In his first season with Dinamo, he won the Albanian Cup and the Albanian Supercup. The following season proved even more successful, as he won all three domestic competitions: the Albanian Superliga, the Albanian Cup, and the Albanian Supercup. After spending another half-season at Dinamo, Strakosha moved to Greece, joining PAS Giannina for the remainder of the 1990–91 season. He later played in Piraeus for Ethnikos Piraeus for two years before joining Olympiacos, where he spent four seasons. During his time at Olympiacos, the club consistently finished among the top teams in the Greek top-flight, winning the league title in the 1996–97 season. He then signed for Panionios, where he played for two seasons, becoming the club’s first-choice goalkeeper and winning the Greek Cup in his first season. Strakosha later joined Ionikos, spending three and a half seasons there, before moving to Kallithea for the first half of the 2002–03 season. He continued in the Greek second division with Kalamata and later Ethnikos Asteras. He returned to the top flight with Proodeftiki for the remainder of the 2003–04 season, before rejoining Panionios for the 2004–05 season, which marked the end of his playing career.

At international level, Strakosha captained the Albania national team for several years. He earned 73 caps between 1990 and 2005, becoming Albania’s most capped player at the time of his retirement.