Idriz Batha


Idriz 'Idi' Refik Batha is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Albanian club Tirana.

Club career

Early career

Born in the southern city of Gjirokastër, Batha moved to the capital Tiranë as a child where he joined the Partizani academy before moving to the academy of local rivals Tirana in 2005. He would remain at Tirana's academy until 2011, which is when he moved back to Partizani and signed his first professional contract at the age of 19. Partizani had been relegated to Kategoria e Dytë, the third-tier of Albanian football which is where Batha made his senior debut on 2 October 2011 in a 1–0 over Bilisht Sport. He scored his first senior goals on 18 March 2012 against Albpetrol, scoring twice in the first half in the 2–0 win. Batha helped Partizani finish top of the Kategoria e Dytë Group B table and achieve promotion back to Kategoria e Parë, before losing 3–1 to Group A winners Tërbuni in the Championship Final.

Besa

Following an impressive season with Partizani in the third tier, Batha joined newly-promoted Kategoria Superiore side Besa in the summer of 2012, where he made his top-flight debut in the opening game against Laçi, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1–1 draw. He scored his first top-flight goal on 10 March 2013 in a 2–1 win over Tirana, scoring in injury time to win the game for Besa.

Partizani

On 11 November 2015, Batha extended his contract with Partizani Tirana for another three seasons, keeping him at the club until 2018.

Tirana

On 18 June 2019, Batha was unveiled as the new player of KF Tirana, signing a one-year contract with an option of a further one, worth €5,000 a month. On 27 October, during the 3–0 win at Luftëtari Gjirokastër, Batha missed his first career penalty; his attempt was saved by Panagiotis Paiteris. During the match against title rivals Kukësi at Air Albania Stadium, Batha scored a free-kick in the 85th minute that served as a temporarily equalizer in a eventual 2–1 win, sending Tirana top of the table for the first time this season. The following week, Batha scored two penalties against his ex team Partizani in a 5–1 home win, helping Tirana record their biggest win over their city rivals since 2005.

Career statistics

Honours

Clubs

;KF Tirana