Marco Molla

Marco Molla (, ; born 19 June 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Albanian Kategoria e Dytë club Besëlidhja Lezhë.

Molla began his youth career with Prato before joining Bologna in 2018, later spending a season on loan with Imolese and a brief spell at Laçi in the Kategoria Superiore.

Originally part of Albania's youth setups, Molla represented Italy at under-17 and under-18 levels in a few matches before returning to play for Albania's under-21 national team. He has since been called up to the senior national team but has yet to make his full international debut.

Club career Early and youth career Molla began playing football at local club Sesto, initially as a centre-back, before being converted into a goalkeeper on the advice of his youth coach, who recognised his physical and technical potential. At around the age of 12, he joined Prato, where he continued his development and impressed at youth level, notably reaching the under-17 national final. His performances attracted the attention of Bologna, which signed him in the summer of 2018. Molla quickly adapted to his new surroundings, joining the club's youth setup and living in the team's training residence, where he established himself as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the academy.

Bologna After progressing through Bologna's youth ranks, Molla was promoted to the senior team during the 2020–21 season. Although he did not make an official appearance in Serie A, he was regularly included in the first-team squad as a reserve goalkeeper. His consistent performances with the Primavera side earned him recognition as one of Bologna's most promising academy graduates. He made several appearances across league and cup competitions, displaying good shot-stopping reflexes and aerial ability despite limited playing time.

Laçi In July 2024, Molla signed with Laçi in the Kategoria Superiore, marking his first spell in Albanian football. He featured regularly during the first half of the 2024–25 season, before leaving the club in mid-2025 as a free agent.

International career Molla first represented Albania at youth level, featuring for the under-16 and under-17 national teams in 2018.

Later that year, after joining Bologna's academy and not receiving further call-ups from the Albanian Football Federation, Molla and his family expressed disappointment over the situation and opted for him to represent Italy at youth level instead. He went on to earn 14 caps with the Italy U17—appearing at both the UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup—and also made three appearances for the Italy U18.

In 2020, Molla returned to represent Albania, joining the under-21 national team, for which he made two appearances during the UEFA Euro 2021 qualification campaign. He was an unused substitute in all matches and has yet to make his full international debut. He holds dual citizenship of Italy and Albania.