Ylber Ramadani

Overview

Ylber Ramadani (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈylbɛɾ ɾamaˈdani]; born 12 April 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Serie A club Lecce and the Albania national team. Born in Germany to Kosovo Albanian parents, Ramadani began his career in Kosovo at youth level with Çeliku, before playing senior football in the Kosovo Superleague for Ferizaj, Prishtina and Drita. In 2016, he joined Albanian club Partizani, where he established himself as a regular starter and was named the Albanian Best Young Player of the Season. The following year, he signed for Danish side Vejle, becoming a key player during a four-year spell across the Danish 1st Division and Danish Superliga, while earning recognition for his consistency, ball-winning ability, work rate and physical endurance, and helping the club secure promotion to the top flight on two occasions. In 2021, Ramadani joined Hungarian club MTK Budapest, where he captained the team on several occasions during his only season at the club. He then moved to Scottish side Aberdeen, quickly becoming a key first-team player and an ever-present figure during the 2022–23 season as he helped the club reach the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup and finish third in the Scottish Premiership. In 2023, he signed for Italian club Lecce, where he established himself as a regular starter in Serie A and received praise for his tactical discipline, consistency and energetic midfield performances. At international level, Ramadani represented Kosovo at youth level before switching allegiance to Albania in 2016. He made his senior debut for the Albania national team in 2018 and later established himself as a regular starter in midfield, becoming noted for his work rate, defensive contribution and consistency. He played a key role in Albania's successful UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, helping the team finish top of their group and qualify for the European Championship for only the second time in the nation's history. Ramadani was subsequently included in Albania's final 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024, appearing in all three group-stage matches.