Leonit Abazi

Leonit Abazi
Born	(1993-07-05) July 5, 1993 Gjilan, Kosovo
Occupation	Professional footballer
Years active	2013–
Known for	Playing as a left back for Skënderbeu Korçë and Kosovo national team

Leonit Abazi (born 5 July 1993) is a Kosovar professional footballer who operates primarily as a left back.

Skënderbeu Korçë

Originating from Gjilan, located in present-day Kosovo, Abazi started his career with Drita competing in the Football Superleague of Kosovo. In the summer of 2013, he transferred to Albania’s reigning champions, Skënderbeu Korçë. His debut came during the 2013 Albanian Supercup, where Skënderbeu triumphed over Laçi via penalties.

Abazi’s first league match took place on 15 September 2013 against Flamurtari Vlorë, where he featured in the second half of a 1–2 defeat. However, on 3 October, he was forced off after just 17 minutes due to a left knee ligament injury that sidelined him for six months. He concluded his inaugural season with a total of 12 appearances across all competitions.

Upon returning from injury, Abazi participated in the 2014 Albanian Supercup, helping secure victory against Flamurtari Vlorë. He registered his first goal for Skënderbeu during a commanding 10–1 Albanian Cup win over Himara. His maiden league goal arrived on 23 February 2015 in a match versus rivals Kukësi, which he dedicated to his mother. Throughout the 2014–15 campaign, Abazi made 32 appearances as Skënderbeu clinched their fourth straight league championship.

Following that season, he extended his contract until June 2017, with an option to prolong it by an additional year. In the summer of 2015, Abazi played a role in Skënderbeu becoming the first Albanian side to reach the UEFA Champions League play-offs and subsequently qualifying for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage.

He scored during a 4–0 league victory over Bylis Ballsh on 3 December 2015 and accumulated 451 minutes in Europa League group matches, where Skënderbeu ended last in Group H with three points. That season, Abazi appeared in 40 games as Skënderbeu secured what was initially their seventh league title, later revoked due to match-fixing penalties.

The following season, 2016–17, was hampered by injuries restricting him to only seven appearances. After rehabilitation efforts, he returned to training in February 2018 and made his first appearance that season on 14 March as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Teuta Durrës. On 19 May, he marked his 100th appearance for Skënderbeu during a defeat to Luftëtari Gjirokastër. He ended the season with eight league matches played as Skënderbeu once again won the championship and achieved their inaugural domestic double by capturing the Albanian Cup.

Fully recovered ahead of the 2018–19 season, Abazi began by playing the entire match in Skënderbeu’s 3–2 triumph over Laçi during the 2018 Albanian Supercup.

Albania

Abazi featured for the Albania under-21 team, making two appearances.

Kosovo

He received his first senior call-up for the Kosovo national team from manager Albert Bunjaki for a friendly encounter against Equatorial Guinea. Abazi earned his debut cap by substituting Ilir Berisha in the final six minutes of a 2–0 win at the Pristina City Stadium.

Club

Club performance data

Team	Season	League			Cup Competitions		European Matches		Other Competitions		Overall
		Division	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals
Skënderbeu Korçë	2013–14	Albanian Superliga	5	0	0	0	6	0	1	0	12	0
	2014–15		23	1	8	2	0	0	1	0	32	3
	2015–16		25	2	6	1	8	0	1	0	40	3
	2016–17		2	0	4	0	—		1	0	7	0
	2017–18		8	0	2	0	0	0	—		10	0
	2018–19		1	0	0	0	—		1	0	2	0
	Aggregate		64	3	20	3	14	0	5	0	103	6

International

National team appearances and goals by year

National team	Year	Appearances	Goals
Kosovo	2015	1	0
Total		1	0

Honours

Skënderbeu Korçë achievements

• Albanian Superliga titles: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18
• Albanian Cup winner: 2017–18
• Albanian Supercup victories: 2013, 2014, 2018