Klodian Duro

Klodian Duro (; born 21 December 1977) is an Albanian former professional footballer and football coach.

Over a senior career spanning 17 years, he represented 11 clubs across five countries — Albania, Turkey, Germany, Cyprus and Austria.

Duro began his professional career with Elbasani in 1996 and later played for Tirana, Vllaznia Shkodër and Partizani Tirana. He also spent several seasons abroad, appearing in the Süper Lig with Samsunspor, Malatyaspor and Çaykur Rizespor, in the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, in the Cypriot First Division with Omonia and Apollon Limassol, and in the Austrian Bundesliga with LASK. His 2007–08 season with Tirana, in which he scored 15 league goals, was among the strongest of his domestic career.

During his career, Duro won four Albanian Superliga titles, three Albanian Cups, three Albanian Supercups, and the Cypriot Cup.

He made his senior international debut for the Albania national team in 2001 and went on to earn 77 caps and score six goals before retiring from international football in 2011. Over ten years, Duro featured regularly for the national side and appeared in four major qualifying campaigns, working under five different head coaches. Used in various midfield roles, he was often involved in set pieces and contributed both as a passer and as a link between midfield and attack. He also captained Albania on several occasions. During this period, he took part in a number of notable qualifying results and long defensive and unbeaten sequences achieved by the team in the mid-2000s.

His brother, Albert Duro, was also a professional footballer.

After retiring as a player, Duro transitioned into coaching. He became the manager of Kukësi on 24 November 2015 and guided the team to victory in the Albanian Cup in his first season in charge. He also featured in the 1998–99 Albanian Cup final, played on 22 May 1999 against Vllaznia, a match decided by a penalty shoot-out. Tirana scored three of their four penalties — with Duro missing one — while Vllaznia failed to convert their first three attempts. This victory secured Tirana the domestic double for the 1998–99 season.

After his spell with Tirana, Duro returned briefly to Elbasani for the 1999–2000 Albanian National Championship, where he made 11 league appearances before transferring mid-season to Vllaznia Shkodër.

In the 2000–01 Albanian National Championship, Duro made 24 league appearances and scored 5 goals, as Vllaznia won the league title.

In July 2001, Duro played in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, featuring in both legs against Icelandic side KR Reykjavík. He scored in both matches, as Vllaznia advanced on the away goals rule after losing 2–1 away and winning 1–0 at home. In the second qualifying round, Vllaznia were eliminated by Turkish champions Galatasaray, losing 6–1 on aggregate. In the first half of the 2001–02 Albanian National Championship, Duro made 11 league appearances and scored 2 goals before leaving Albania to continue his career abroad in Turkey.

Duro joined Samsunspor on 30 January 2002. He received another booking in the following match against Trabzonspor. In the subsequent rounds he appeared both as a starter and as a substitute, recording his third caution within his first five league appearances.

He finished the season with nine league appearances in the 2001–02 Süper Lig, as Samsunspor ended the campaign in 15th place, avoiding relegation by a single point. In the early rounds of the season he collected several cautions, including three yellow cards within the first six league fixtures and a further booking later on. He also received a straight red card later in the campaign. On 14 October 2002 he provided two assists in a 5–4 win against Gençlerbirliği, and on 16 March 2003 he scored once and assisted another goal in a 2–0 victory over Altay.

Arminia Bielefeld Duro transferred to the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, where he joined fellow Albanian international attacking midfielders Ervin Skela and Fatmir Vata. He was largely considered a second-choice option in midfield for the 2004–05 Bundesliga. He made his debut on 28 August 2004 against VfL Bochum, playing the final 16 minutes in a 2–1 defeat. Only a month later he provided a decisive assist against Hannover 96, setting up the winning goal in the 79th minute just eight minutes after replacing fellow Albanian Skela. Another crucial assist came on 13 November in an away match against SC Freiburg, delivering the pass for the 86th-minute winner in a 3–2 victory. That same month he also completed his only full 90-minute appearance of the 2004–05 campaign, featuring in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16 against Karlsruher SC to help secure a 4–0 win and progression to the quarter-finals. He finished the season with 21 total appearances, while Arminia placed 13th in the league.

Tirana return Duro chose to return to Albania, signing a three-year contract with Tirana. He made his debut on 24 September 2005 in a 3–0 league win over Skënderbeu Korçë in the 2005–06 Kategoria Superiore. and the decisive winning goal in the final against Vllaznia, securing a 1–0 triumph and the cup title for Tirana. He also featured in the 2006 Albanian Supercup on 19 August, helping the team claim the trophy with a 2–0 win against Elbasani. In the second qualifying round against Turkish club Kayserispor, Tirana suffered a 2–0 home defeat in the first leg without Duro, and were again defeated 3–1 in the return leg in Turkey despite Duro playing the full 90 minutes.

During the 2007–08 season, Duro began the campaign with Tirana’s participation in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, featuring in the first qualifying round against Slovenian champions Domžale in July 2007. He scored Tirana’s only goal of the tie, but the team was eliminated 3–1 on aggregate.

In the 2007–08 Albanian Cup, Duro contributed with more goals, scoring in the quarter-finals and adding two more in the two-legged semi-final against Elbasani—one in the 3–0 first-leg victory and another in the 3–1 second-leg defeat—proving decisive for Tirana’s 4–3 aggregate qualification for the final. He played 45 minutes in the 2008 Albanian Cup Final against Vllaznia, striking the crossbar during the match, but Tirana ultimately lost the final and missed out on qualification for UEFA competitions.

Omonia Nicosia On 19 May 2008, Duro completed a transfer to Cypriot outfit Omonia Nicosia, signing a two-year contract until June 2010. He was subsequently included in Nedim Tutić's squad for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds. Duro made his competitive debut in the first leg of the first qualifying round against Milano Kumanovo, helping the team to a 2–0 victory. He also appeared in the second leg, with Omonia winning again to progress 4–1 on aggregate.

His first goal contributions came on 28 August in the second leg of the second qualifying round against AEK Athens, where he scored twice at Neo GSP Stadium, including one from 25 yards, securing a 2–2 draw. As Omonia had won the first leg 1–0, his goals ensured qualification to the next round.

He made his league debut four days later, scoring in the 15th minute of the season opener against Enosis Neon Paralimni, a match Omonia won 2–0 away from home. Omonia lost the second leg by the same score, exiting the competition 4–2 on aggregate.

He scored his first career hat-trick on 14 December 2008, netting three times within ten minutes in a 4–1 home win over APOP Kinyras. He scored again in a 7–1 victory over Enosis Neon Paralimni.

Duro made 20 league appearances through the end of the first round, as Omonia finished as runners-up and advanced to Group A of the second round. He featured in all six matches of the championship group, scoring once more—his ninth and final goal of the season—as Omonia collected 13 points, finishing one point behind champions APOEL. Duro made three substitute appearances during the six Group A fixtures, in which Apollon failed to record a win, finishing the round with three draws and three losses. He began the season as an unused substitute in the opening two league fixtures before making his competitive debut on 17 September in the early rounds of the Austrian Cup, where he scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 away win over 1. SC Sollenau. Following his cup performance, Duro played the full 90 minutes four days later in a 4–0 league defeat to SK Sturm Graz. He remained a starter in the next match and scored his first Bundesliga goal for LASK on 25 September, converting a 17th-minute penalty in a 3–3 draw against SV Mattersburg. Approaching the mid-season period, Duro added his second league goal in November in a 4–1 defeat to Kapfenberger SV. He continued to feature through late 2010, although LASK struggled for results and entered a winless run. At the start of the 2011 spring phase his playing time was reduced, and LASK remained at the bottom of the table. On 9 April 2011 he completed the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win over FC Red Bull Salzburg, which was the team’s second league victory of the season. He made only sporadic appearances thereafter as LASK were relegated at the end of the campaign. Duro finished the season with 17 league appearances and two Bundesliga goals, in addition to his hat-trick in the Austrian Cup.

He was not available during the opening weeks of the campaign and made his first appearance of the season on 1 October, starting in a 2–0 home victory over Flamurtari. He continued as a regular starter, often completing the full 90 minutes, and played an important role in maintaining the team’s strong early-season form. With Duro on the pitch, Tirana recorded mostly wins and remained consistently within the top two places during the first phase of the championship, positioning themselves as title contenders. He was returned back in mid-March and continued to feature in the majority of games throughout the second phase, during which Tirana briefly held first place.

In the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round, Duro started the first leg in July against CS Grevenmacher, playing 66 minutes and contributing to both goals in the team’s 2–0 home win. However, he was subsequently excluded from the squad due to repeated conflicts with coach Rubio. Without Duro on play, Tirana drew 0–0 in the second leg against Grevenmacher and advanced, but were comprehensively eliminated in the following round by Norwegian side Aalesunds FK with a 6–1 aggregate score.

Duro returned back featuring in the 2012 Albanian Supercup final on 18 August 2012 against Skënderbeu, coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute with the score level at 1–1. Despite Tirana being reduced to ten men following a red card in the 82nd minute, Duro played a decisive role in the final minute of normal play when he carried the ball forward through midfield before releasing a pass on the right to Gilman Lika, whose ensuing cross into the area was deflected into the net as an own goal by Marko Radaš for the winning goal. Tirana finished the match with nine players after Lika received a second yellow card for excessive celebration, but held on to secure the Albanian Supercup.

In the opening match of the 2012–13 Kategoria Superiore season on 28 August 2012, Duro scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 31st minute against Tomori Berat. After the departure of head coach Rubio, Duro initially remained a starter under his replacement Artur Lekbello, though he was gradually moved to the bench due to tactical preferences. Lekbello left the club after less than two months, and Duro returned to the starting lineup under caretaker manager Alban Tafaj, scoring decisive winning goals against Vllaznia in November (1–0) and Laçi in December (2–1). With the arrival of head coach Nevil Dede he again lost his starting place, and made the final appearance of his career on 10 March 2013 against Besa Kavajë.

International career Duro was a member of the Albania national under-21 football team during the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification, where he made 8 appearances and contributed to the team's tally of one win and two draws.

Duro earned 77 caps for the Albania national team between 2001 and 2011, scoring six goals. At the time of his retirement from international football, his 77 appearances ranked him second in the all-time list of Albania caps, behind Altin Lala with 79, and the top-10 list was largely composed of players active mainly during the 1990s and 2000s, with few representatives from the early 2010s.

Following impressive performances with Vllaznia in the Albanian championship, Duro received his first senior call-up from head coach Medin Zhega for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification match against England on 28 March 2001, where he was named on the bench but remained an unused substitute. He made his senior debut in the following month, appearing as a late substitute in the 2–0 away victory against Turkey on 25 April 2001 at the Kamil Ocak Stadium in Gaziantep.

After the conclusion of the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification, Duro became a regular starter under head coach Sulejman Demollari during the 2001–02 friendly period, regularly completing full 90-minute appearances. He continued in this role following the appointment of Italian coach Giuseppe Dossena ahead of the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying campaign. He made his competitive debut on 12 October 2002 in the opening qualifier, a 1–1 draw against Switzerland. Four days later, he scored his first senior international goal in the 13th minute of Albania’s 4–1 away defeat to Russia on 16 October 2002. Following the match, head coach Dossena was dismissed and replaced in December 2002 by German manager Hans-Peter Briegel. Under Briegel, Duro appeared again in the next qualifier against Russia on 29 March 2003, during which he won a penalty in the early minutes but did not convert it; Albania went on to win the match 3–1. Throughout the remainder of the qualifying campaign, Duro was used consistently, missing only one half of play. He also took part in several notable results, including a draw against the Republic of Ireland and a 3–1 win over Georgia in the closing stages, which enabled Albania to finish above Georgia in the group standings.

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Duro remained a regular starter, featuring from the beginning in 8 of Albania’s first 9 matches and playing the majority of minutes, although he was often substituted in the second half. Despite the promising start, Albania soon faced a demanding schedule against high-calibre opponents such as Ukraine, Denmark and Turkey, suffering a series of narrow defeats, five of which ended with identical 2–0 scorelines. Four days later, against Denmark, head coach Briegel opted for a more defensive tactical approach due to the rise of several defensive players, and Duro subsequently fell out of the starting lineup, dropping on the bench for the final four matches of the campaign.

In the following UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Duro missed the opening phase in late 2006 but returned at the beginning of 2007, resuming his position as a regular starter and becoming almost ever-present throughout the year. Albania recorded four consecutive clean sheets in the first half of 2007, with goalless draws against Slovenia and Bulgaria in March, during the latter of which Duro was named captain by head coach Otto Barić. This run was followed by back-to-back victories over Luxembourg in June. On 22 August 2007, Duro scored his second international goal in a 3–0 friendly win over Malta, a result that extended Albania’s run to five matches without conceding, setting a new national team record. For the second time in a row, Albania concluded the qualifying campaign in fifth place in the seven-team group.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Duro began as an important first-team member for Albania, contributing to a strong opening month in September 2008. He featured in back-to-back clean sheets — a goalless draw against contenders Sweden, which marked his 50th cap, followed by a 3–0 home victory over Malta, in which he both scored and provided an assist — results that briefly placed Albania at the top of the group. The team continued to show competitive resilience the following month: despite a setback away to Hungary, Albania earned a 0–0 draw against Portugal in Lisbon on 15 October 2008, holding on after being reduced to ten men shortly before half-time. As the campaign progressed into 2009, Albania began to struggle offensively, recording several goalless performances — including a 0–0 draw away to Malta — and narrow defeats such as the 1–0 loss to Hungary and a 3–0 away defeat to Denmark. These results increased criticism of head coach Arie Haan and his 4–5–1 system, which was viewed as limiting the team’s attacking output. Duro nevertheless remained a consistent figure in midfield, playing the majority of available minutes until Haan’s dismissal in mid-2009. Under his successor, Croatian coach Josip Kuže, he retained his role as a regular starter as Albania displayed brief signs of improvement, including scoring in a competitive 2–1 home loss to Portugal and earning a 1–1 draw against Denmark. The team switched to a more attacking 4–4–2 structure during this period, resulting in an uptick in goals compared to earlier stages of the campaign. However, form remained uneven, and the qualifiers concluded with a 4–1 defeat to Sweden. Overall, Duro was one of the squad’s most consistently used players across the campaign, maintaining a near-constant presence on the pitch under both managers.

In the post-qualification period, Duro continued to appear regularly, featuring in all five friendly matches. Albania kept five consecutive clean sheets and earned four straight 1–0 victories, setting two national team records. Duro took part in the longest run of matches without conceding — the second such defensive streak of his international career — and in the team’s joint-record four-match winning sequence. The unbeaten run ended with a 2–0 away loss to Belarus, after which head coach Kuže introduced a tactical switch to a 4–4–2 system, leading to Duro’s move to the bench. Albania responded in the return fixture with a 1–0 home victory. Duro went on to make his final international appearance on 7 October 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 defeat against France. During his presentation, Duro stated that the club's main objective was to qualify for European competitions in the following season.

In his first match in charge, Kukësi fell 0–1 at the Zeqir Ymeri Stadium against Partizani Tirana. He earned his first win four days later, leading Kukësi to a 1–0 away victory over Flamurtari Vlorë. Duro won the Albanian Cup in his first season, after defeating Laçi on penalties on 22 May 2016. Despite club president Safet Gjici stating that Duro would remain for the following season, he left the club on 6 June and was replaced by Hasan Lika.

Kamza On 4 September 2018, Kamza announced that they had appointed Duro as the new team manager. His debut came on 12 September, in a 2–0 away win against Besa Kavajë in the first round of the Albanian Cup. He recorded his first league win with Kamza in a 2–0 home victory over newly promoted Kastrioti Krujë.

Luftëtari Gjirokastër On 19 August 2019, Duro was appointed manager of Luftëtari Gjirokastër. His tenure was brief, concluding in September 2019.

In October 2021, Duro publicly expressed grief over the death of his father, Ilmi Duro.

Career statistics

Club

International goals Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Duro goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Duro. Kamza 4 September 2018 Luftëtari FC Feronikeli Lushnja Gjilani PresentTotal

Honours Honours achieved by Duro. Player Tirana Albanian Superliga: 1998–99, 2006–07 Albanian Cup: 1998–99, 2005–06, 2011–12 Albanian Supercup: 2006, 2012

Vllaznia Shkodër Albanian Superliga: 2000–01 Albanian Supercup: 2001

Apollon Limassol Cypriot Cup: 2009–10

Manager Kukësi Albanian Cup: 2015–16