Bhubaneswar: Indian Super League (ISL) side Odisha FC have grabbed Malaysian midfielder Liridon Krasniqi from Johor Darul Ta’zim FC on a loan deal ahead of the upcoming season on Monday.
Boasting a unique record of representing three different national sides, Liridon played for Albania U-21 before making his senior international debut with Kosovo. He also donned the Malaysian national jersey earlier this year.
“I am really delighted to join Odisha FC and I am looking forward to start an amazing journey in India,” The 29-year-old said upon signing the deal.
“I hope it will be a great season ahead under Head Coach Kiko Ramirez. I can’t wait to get started and meet my teammates at OFC. We will try and bring joy for all the Odisha fans in the upcoming ISL tournament,” he further stated.
A box-to-box workhorse in the middle of the park by trait, Liridon started his professional career in Europe with FK Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic back in 2011 before switching to Turkey where he played for the likes Ankaraspor as well as Fethiyespor.
Four years later, he moved to Malaysia to play for Kedah where he won the 2016 Malaysia Cup along with the FA Cup title the following year. He joined the Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in 2020 before going to the A-league side Newcastle Jets in Australia.
OFC head coach Kiko Ramirez opened up about his new signing’s abilities which could prove useful for his side’s aspirations for the upcoming season. “Liridon is going to give us character, attitude and intensity. He is a player with a high physical capacity and has good technique. He is a box-to-box midfielder who can help us both in attack and in defense and will give us the energy that the team needs to fight for the entire duration of 90 minutes,” Kiko added.
