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After Xhuzepe Dosena, Xhani De Biazi, Kristian Panuçi and Edi Reja, the Albanian National Team will once again be led by an Italian coach. The Albanian Football Federation has entrusted the red and black bench to 62-year-old Rolando Maran, who has signed a 2-year contract with the Albanian Football Federation.
Maran is expected to make his debut on the Albania bench in the friendly matches against Israel and Luxembourg on June 3 and 6. He replaces Brazilian Silvinho, continuing the tradition of the Albanian national team's cooperation with the Italian training school.
The Trentino-born coach is known for his extensive experience in Italian football, having managed teams such as Catania, Chievo, Cagliari and Brescia. He reached the pinnacle of his career at Chievo, where he built a competitive team in Serie A and was praised for his tactical organization, defensive discipline and intense play without the ball.
Marani's last experience was at Brescia in 2025, an adventure that ended with the club's relegation to Serie C.
With his appointment, Maran becomes the fifth Italian to take charge of the Albanian national team. The first was Giuseppe Dosena , who was appointed in October 2002. The former midfielder, a world champion with Italy in 1982, lasted only two matches in charge of the Rossoneri, recording one win and one loss.
Then came the most successful period in the history of Albanian football with Gianni De Biasi . The Venetian coach led Albania in 52 matches between 2011 and 2017, securing the historic qualification for “EURO 2016”, the first major tournament for the Rossoneri. Under his leadership, Albania achieved important victories over Portugal, France in friendlies and Armenia, while in the European Championship they also recorded their first historic triumph in a major competition, 1-0 against Romania.
After De Biazi's departure, the bench was entrusted to Cristian Panucci . The former Real Madrid and Milan defender led Albania from July 2017 to March 2019. During this period, he recorded some positive results, including the victory over Israel in the "Nations League", but his experience was accompanied by a lack of continuity and tensions with the sporting environment, until his dismissal after the loss to Turkey in the "EURO 2020" qualifiers.
The last Italian before Marani was Edi Reja . The experienced coach was in charge of the Rossoneri from April 2019 to November 2022, leading the team in 38 matches. During his tenure, Albania secured a historic promotion from League C to League B of the “Nations League” and had a positive campaign in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where they collected 18 points, the Rossoneri’s best record in a World Cup qualifying group.
Now, the challenge falls to Rolando Maran , who will have the objective of continuing the path of growth of the Albanian National Team and keeping the Italian tradition alive on the red and black bench.
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