Samir Fazli


Samir Fazli is a Macedonian football striker of Albanian origin. He currently plays for NK Rudeš in Croatian First Football League.

Early life

Born in Skopje, Fazli lived in Canada for some time, attending Jasper Place High School in Edmonton, Alberta prior to his return to Skopje in 2007.

Club career

Fazli began his career in the youth ranks of FK Makedonija Gjorče Petrov, then had trial for Sampdoria at 16 years old, but a bid by them was considered far to low according to FK Makedonija's club president.
He went on trial with Dutch-side Heerenveen, On 13 March 2009, due to age restrictions, a deal could not be made for his move to Heerenveen, but he would remain in Skopje and continue to play for his club there. Heerenveen's scout Dragan Putevski stated that "he's a big deal", adding that it was his best find to date. Fazli was finally signed by the club for €200,000 on a contract that will keep him there until 2014.
Fazli scored his first goal for Heerenveen on 19 March 2010. He came on as a substitute in the 81st minute and scored in the 90th minute as his team won 4–1 over NEC. He was released by SC Heerenveen in 2014 after his contract expired.

International career

Fazli also a regular for the Macedonia U-21s – he played his first game on 11 February 2009 against the Croatia U-21s. He was a member of the U-17 squad before his call-up to the U-21s.
He made his senior debut for Macedonia in an August 2011 friendly match away against Azerbaijan and has earned a total of 7 caps, scoring no goals. His final international was a June 2013 friendly against Norway in Oslo.

Personal life

Fazli holds passports from both Albania and Macedonia.