Ervin Bulku
Encyclopedia
Ervin Bulku is an Albania
n football
player who plays for Azerbaijan Premier League
club AZAL Baku and Albanian national team
as a midfielder
. He is also the younger brother of former SK Tirana
and Partizani Tirana player Sokol Bulku
.
youth teams. At the age of 18 he was put into the first team by coach Sulejman Mema
and was given a chance to break into the first team and compete with the likes of Sokol Prenga and Ardian Mema for a spot in the first team. in his first season with the club and in professional football he managed to feature in 13 games during the season. During the 1999–2000 season with Tirana Bulku found it easier to make an impact in the first team with the club's new manager Shkëlqim Muça
having faith in the promosing youngster and fellow midfielders Eldorado Merkoçi
, Devis Mukaj
, Klodian Duro
and Sokol Prenga all leaving the club. These departures meant that Bulku would feature more frequently in the first team and he did so making an impressive 21 appearances in his second season in which he won his first trophie of his career, the Albanian Superliga title. After a very good season he tried to repeat it for the 2000–2001 season, this did not happen as both injury and some mediocre displays meant that Bulku spent most of the season on the side lines. He did however manage to win the Albanian Supercup
at the start of the season but his side Tirana narrowly lost the race for the title to Vllaznia. During the next few seasons of his career Bulku managed to make a name for himself in the squad and in the league, he was receiving a lot of attention from the media and the fans because he was destined for a successful career. He began to feature in almost every game when fit and became a key member in the squad and a key figure in all the trophy winning sides that the club produced over the next few years. Bulku was also a key player in Tirana's European games and featured against teams such as Dinamo Tbilisi
, Ferencváros
, CSKA Sofia and Kayserispor
. He also played in 6 Albanian Supercup
finals during his time with Tirana, winning 5 of them, including the famous 6–0 win over city rivals Dinamo Tirana in which Bulku managed to score in. In his final season with SK Tirana
before moving to play in Ukraine
Bulku was once again a key member in the team that won the league, the cup and the supercup. He played 30 games and scored one goal in the league, played in the 2–0 supercup win over KS Elbasani
and he also played in 1–0 win over Vllaznia in the final of the Albanian Cup.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player who plays for Azerbaijan Premier League
Azerbaijan Premier League
-Attendance:- Records :Players in the Premier League compete for the Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.During the 1995–96 season he became the...
club AZAL Baku and Albanian national team
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He is also the younger brother of former SK Tirana
SK Tirana
KF Tirana is the most successful Albanian football club earning 47 major trophies in the country and is branch of Multiple Sport Klub of Tirana . KF Tirana is the most popular football club in the country with a considerable number of supporters...
and Partizani Tirana player Sokol Bulku
Sokol Bulku
Sokol Bulku is an Albanian footballer whose most recent club was KS Elbasani.He played for KF Tirana from 1995–2004, and won Albanian Superliga titles with them in 1996-97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2002–03 and 2003-04.-External links:*...
.
SK Tirana (1998–2007)
Bulku started his playing career as a youngster in the SK TiranaSK Tirana
KF Tirana is the most successful Albanian football club earning 47 major trophies in the country and is branch of Multiple Sport Klub of Tirana . KF Tirana is the most popular football club in the country with a considerable number of supporters...
youth teams. At the age of 18 he was put into the first team by coach Sulejman Mema
Sulejman Mema
Sulejman Mema is a former player and manager of SK Tirana. He has also been head of refereeing at the Football Association of Albania.Currently Mema is the principal of the Sports mastery school Loro Boriçi in Tirana.-References:...
and was given a chance to break into the first team and compete with the likes of Sokol Prenga and Ardian Mema for a spot in the first team. in his first season with the club and in professional football he managed to feature in 13 games during the season. During the 1999–2000 season with Tirana Bulku found it easier to make an impact in the first team with the club's new manager Shkëlqim Muça
Shkelqim Muca
Shkëlqim Muça is a former Albanian football player and current coach of Skenderbeu. He will be remembered by football fans as one of the finest Albanian footballers of the '80s, skillful with the ball, but also distinguished as an extraordinary assist man, and a strong shooter...
having faith in the promosing youngster and fellow midfielders Eldorado Merkoçi
Eldorado Merkoçi
Eldorado Merkoçi is a former Albanian football player. He spent most of his playing career at KF Tirana, making over 200 appearances for the club and scoring a total of 40 goals. He was also part of the Albanian national team from 1999 to 2001, earning two caps.-External links:* at...
, Devis Mukaj
Devis Mukaj
Devi Muka is an Albanian footballer who plays as a midfielder for KF Tirana in the Albanian Superliga.-Early career and Croatia:...
, Klodian Duro
Klodian Duro
Klodian Duro is an Albanian footballer who plays for KF Tirana in the Albanian Superliga as well as the Albania national team since making his debut in 1999.He is a versatile midfielder who usually plays in an attacking role....
and Sokol Prenga all leaving the club. These departures meant that Bulku would feature more frequently in the first team and he did so making an impressive 21 appearances in his second season in which he won his first trophie of his career, the Albanian Superliga title. After a very good season he tried to repeat it for the 2000–2001 season, this did not happen as both injury and some mediocre displays meant that Bulku spent most of the season on the side lines. He did however manage to win the Albanian Supercup
Albanian Supercup
The Albanian Supercup of football has been played since 1989. It is a single match at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Albanian First Division and Albanian Cup. Every match has been played in the National Stadium of Tirana....
at the start of the season but his side Tirana narrowly lost the race for the title to Vllaznia. During the next few seasons of his career Bulku managed to make a name for himself in the squad and in the league, he was receiving a lot of attention from the media and the fans because he was destined for a successful career. He began to feature in almost every game when fit and became a key member in the squad and a key figure in all the trophy winning sides that the club produced over the next few years. Bulku was also a key player in Tirana's European games and featured against teams such as Dinamo Tbilisi
FC Dinamo Tbilisi
FC Dinamo Tbilisi is a Georgian football team, based in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.Dinamo Tbilisi was one of the most prominent clubs in Soviet football and a major contender in the Soviet Top League almost immediately after it was established in 1936...
, Ferencváros
Ferencváros
Ferencváros is the 9th district of Budapest , Hungary.- Name :The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary.- History :The development of Ferencváros began in the late 18th century....
, CSKA Sofia and Kayserispor
Kayserispor
Kayserispor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Kayseri. Formed in 1966, Kayserispor are nicknamed Anadolu Yıldızı . The club colours are red and yellow, and the club play their home matches at Kadir Has Stadium.The club have won one Türkiye Kupası, in 2008...
. He also played in 6 Albanian Supercup
Albanian Supercup
The Albanian Supercup of football has been played since 1989. It is a single match at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Albanian First Division and Albanian Cup. Every match has been played in the National Stadium of Tirana....
finals during his time with Tirana, winning 5 of them, including the famous 6–0 win over city rivals Dinamo Tirana in which Bulku managed to score in. In his final season with SK Tirana
SK Tirana
KF Tirana is the most successful Albanian football club earning 47 major trophies in the country and is branch of Multiple Sport Klub of Tirana . KF Tirana is the most popular football club in the country with a considerable number of supporters...
before moving to play in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Bulku was once again a key member in the team that won the league, the cup and the supercup. He played 30 games and scored one goal in the league, played in the 2–0 supercup win over KS Elbasani
KS Elbasani
Klubi i Futbollit or KF Elbasani is an Albanian football club, which plays in the city of Elbasan. The club was founded in 1913, from the fusion of two teams, "Aferdita Elbasan" and "Perparimi Elbasan", under the name "Klubi Futbollit Urani Elbasan"....
and he also played in 1–0 win over Vllaznia in the final of the Albanian Cup.
External links
- Ervin Bulku at FFU website