Master of football, Aleko Pilika, celebrates his 85th birthday – Wishing him a happy birthday as the “Father” of Korçë football!

If there is a special figure in football in Korçë, and beyond, it is Aleko Pilika. He was born on May 29, 1940, in Korçë, into a respected local family, the Pilikas.

His passion was football. At 17 years old, he became champion with Skënderbeu’s youth team. At 18, he debuted with Skënderbeu’s senior team. Between 1959 and 1963, he was regularly called up to the national team but did not play in any official matches.

From 1963 to 1965, he completed his military service, not with Partizani, as was common for athletes, but with Dinamo, where he won a championship title. In 1966, he returned to his beloved Korçë and Skënderbeu, repeatedly refusing offers to join Dinamo.

In 1970, under coach Ilia Shuke, Aleko was captain in 23 matches.

During the 1974–1975 season, he took over as head coach of Skënderbeu and a year later led the team to a championship title. However, that year and championship ended with the title being revoked from the team.

Aleko Pilika was then appointed coach of Albania’s U21 national team. After a series of positive results, the team reached the Balkan Cup final and were crowned Balkan champions. Suddenly, Aleko was removed from the team for unclear reasons.

Aleko married the sister of the great Teodor Vaso and together they built a wonderful family. It is no coincidence that Aleko Pilika is known as the “father” of Korçë football.

Happy birthday, master of football!

“KORÇA BOOM”