Ronaldo Shani (Greek: Ρονάλντο Σάνι; born 29 March 2002) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a forward for Super League 2 club Thesprotos.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 March 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Greece | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Thesprotos | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Atromitos Metamorfosis | |||
| 2015–2018 | Atromitos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2022 | Atromitos | 0 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Asteras Vlachioti (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2022 | Ypato | ||
| 2022–2023 | SV Neuhof | 13 | (2) |
| 2023– | Thesprotos | 11 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2018 | Greece U16 | 3 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Greece U17 | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 August 2023 | |||
Early life
Shani was born in Greece to Albanian parents.[2]
Club career
Having begun his career with Atromitos Metamorfosis, Shani joined the academy of professional side Atromitos at the age of thirteen.[2][3] In November 2016 he went on trial with Italian side Atalanta.[2] He marked his unofficial debut for Atromitos with a goal, scoring in a friendly against Panathinaikos on 12 September 2018.[3] The following week he signed his first professional contract with the club.[4]
Shani made his professional debut for Atromitos on 19 December 2018, coming on as a substitute for Theodoros Vasilakakis in an 8–0 win over Thyella Kamariou in the Greek Cup.[5] In October 2019, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian on "Next Generation" list, highlighting the best players in the world born in 2002.[6]
He was loaned to Super League Greece 2 side Asteras Vlachioti in August 2021, alongside teammate Fotis Zannis.[7] Following seven appearances for the club, he returned to Atromitos, but moved immediately to Gamma Ethniki side Ypato on a free transfer.[8] Later in the same year, he moved to Germany to join Hessenliga side SV Neuhof.[9]
On his return to Greece in January 2023, he joined Thesprotos.[10]
International career
Eligible to represent Greece and Albania at international level, Shani rejected an approach from the Albanian Football Association in order to represent Greece.[6] He went on to represent Greece at under-16 and under-17 level.[1]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Atromitos | 2018–19 | Super League Greece | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019–20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Asteras Vlachioti (loan) | 2021–22 | Super League Greece 2 | 7 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| SV Neuhof | 2022–23 | Hessenliga | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| Thesprotos | 2022–23 | Super League Greece 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Career total | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3 | ||