Sokol Cikalleshi

Besa

Cikalleshi joined his hometown club Besa in 2002 as a 12-year-old and he progressed through the youth ranks at the club, until he made his professional debut at the age of 17 on the final day of the 2007–08 Kategoria Superiore against local rivals Teuta, a match in which he came on as a half time substitute in a 5–3 win. In the following season he was an important member of the club's under-19s, as he captained the side to the national championship title in a season where he also made 10 league appearances for the senior side, including 2 starts. Under Shpëtim Duro, Cikalleshi became a regular first team member during the 2009–10 campaign, where he was part of strike force that included Daniel Xhafaj and Vioresin Sinani, who are two of the most prolific strikers in Albanian football history. He made 27 league appearances and scored twice, with his first professional goal coming against Shkumbini on 29 August 2011 in the Kategoria Superiore, and he also went on to score against Vllaznia later in the season. The 2009–10 campaign proved to be one of the club's most successful ever season, as they finished runners-up in the Kategoria Superiore behind Dinamo Tirana and won the Albanian Cup for only the second time in history. Cikalleshi played a significant role in the club's cup winning run, as he made 8 appearances and scored twice, including the winning goal in the semi-final against Shkumbini. that sent Besa to the final, which was won against Vllaznia.

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Youth

Cikalleshi has been a former Albania youth international, representing under-19, -20 and -21 levels. He was part of Albania under-19 squad in the qualifiers of 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. His first appearance with under-19 squad occurred on 10 October 2008 in the matchday 2 of Group 5 against Serbia which finished in a 5–0 away loss. He went on to make another appearance as Albania finished Group 9 in the last position. In June 2009, Cikalleshi was called up by manager of Albania under-20 side Artan Bushati to be part of the team at 2009 Mediterranean Games. He played as a starter in both matches of Group D; in the first, a 1–2 loss to Tunisia, he played for 70 minutes and in the second he played the full match in a 0–3 loss to Spain which brought the elimination from the tournament. Cikalleshi then was part of under-21 squad for the qualifiers of 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship where Albania was placed in Group 10. Cikalleshi made his competitive debut on 13 November 2009 in the matchday 6 against Austria, entering in the last moments as Albania drew 2–2. Later on 4 September 2010, with Albania already eliminated, Cikalleshi played his first match as starter in the final matchday against Azerbaijan, scoring a goal by unable to avoid the 3–2 away loss. Albania finished Group 10 in the 4th position with only 4 points from 8 matches.

Senior

After his good performances with Kukësi in the 2013–14 season, Cikalleshi received his…

Cikalleshi is a versatile attacking player who is known for his goalscoring ability. Cikalleshi is also skilled in the air and considered an aerial threat.

Following Albania's historic participation at UEFA Euro 2016, Cikalleshi was among the members of the national team who were issued diplomatic passports by the Albanian government in recognition of their achievement. On 12 October 2017, Cikalleshi become a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to the couple's first daughter, named Rajna.