Lorik Cana

Member of the Sterring Council

He was born on July the 27th, 1983 in Prishtina. His career in sport began at the age of seven at the Swiss club FC Laussane Sport, meanwhile his professional career began in France’s Ligue 1 in 2000, at the Paris Saint Germain (PSG), then it continued at the Club (OM) “Olimpique de Marseille”, where he was also the captain of the team.

From 2009 to 2010, he continued his career in England, in the Premier League team “Sunderland”, where he was team captain too, then from 2010-2011 in Turkey at the Istanbul team “Galatasaray”, from 2011-2014 he played for the Italian team of Serie A “Lazio” Rome, and in the end, he played for the French team FC “Nantes”.

In addition to the teams Lorik Cana played for since 2003 to 2016, he was also part of the Albania National Team as well as its captain, with a national record of 93 games played for the Albania national team.

Decrees and nominations:

Lorik Cana has been decreed and nominated for many positions such as:

• Albanian Sports Ambassador, nominated in September 2018;
• Ambassador of ‘’Grassroots’’ for the UEFA Program, October 2017;
• Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo, decreed by the former President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, 2015;
• United Nations Ambassador – UNDP, for the Millennium Goals for Kosovo, December 2006;
• Ambassador of the Nation, decreed by the former President of Albania, Bamir Topi, November 2008;
• UNICEF Children’s Rights Ambassador to Albania, October 2010;
• Special Ambassador of Kosovo Sports in the World, appointed by the Kosovo Olympic Committee, 2011;

Since 2016, Lorik Cana holds the status of the Diplomat of the Republic of Albania.

Charity activites:

In addition to his contribution in sports and culture, Lorik has shown his personality in charity, as well.

• He donated several times to the Children’s Village “SOS Kinderdorf” in Prishtina;
• Being passionate about the Albanian cultural heritage, in 2009 together with his colleague Igli Tare, payed an amount of 20,000 euros to a collector in Italy to restore the head of the statue of Zeus which was stolen in 1991 from the archaeological museum of Butrint in Albania. The statue of Zeus is one of the rarest and most precious values ​​of Albanian and world archeology which is protected by UNESCO.
• It should be noted that Lorik, except being a successful captain in football, has shown skills even in moderation. He moderated a special spectacle for Albanians. It was a concert in Vatican on the occasion of the consecration of Mother Teresa, where Lorik and Rita Ora successfully moderated this spectacle which was followed by more than 500 world televisions and millions of spectators.
• Lorik is founder and Chairman of the Board of “LorikCana5-Foundation” in Albania and in the branch in Kosovo. The purpose of the Foundation is to support and promote sport, culture and heritage, including but without being limited in the culture of practicing pre-school and school children, in the development of their skills in sport and culture, their active engagement in sport and culture as well as the establishment and support of a new generation oriented towards culture and sport.