Photo of the Day | Goalkeeper Shefqet Topi in the camera of the reporter Petrit Kume!

Great Albanian goalkeepers!

Shefqet Topi in the camera of today’s photojournalist Petrit Kume.

Now days generation might be interested in learning about the goalkeeper who is in this photo, and which match it belongs to.

In general, photojournalists have in the nature of their work to first know the object, character and psychology of the people they will put in the target.

The goalkeeper Shefqet Topi was typical of presenting spectacular dances in every match, as did another goalkeeper, the well-known Sulejman Maliqati.

The photojournalist Petrit Kume had been paying attention to him for some time, he followed the matches with interest and he became a beloved character for him. He had even spent several films on this goalkeeper but without achieving his goal, because it was not easy, Shefqet Topi’s movements were fast and surprising and equally spectacular.

Maybe even for this improvisational mise-en-scène, the film camera had a hard time capturing it. He was a goalkeeper who surprised with his movements and dances during a match. These did not only consist of aesthetic beauty, but also very efficient technical-tactical elements, so that the attackers had a hard time defeating them.

This happened also on the first day of the 17th national football championship, in the match held between 17 Nentori and Besa in the “Dinamo” stadium of the capital, on February 26, 1961.

On a beautiful sunny day, where the match not only was there rivalry, but also with a good quality. This is an ease for both journalists and photojournalists to accurately reflect the events. The attackers of 17 Nentori had to sweat a lot. The  Kavaja`s gate was guarded by a skilled goalkeeper, a member of the national team.

Fortunately, on that day, goalkeeper Topi did more “acrobatic performances” than any other match, and one of them is beautifully captured in this photo of the reporter Petrit Kume as its author.

This photo later became a symbol of many sports publications and excited kavajas fans. The photo is so high in professional and ideo-artistic values that in an international photography competition at the time it was awarded a special diploma with the inscription “Black cat”.

In this photo, not only is a historical cast of our football , but it is also a means of transmitting the experience to future generations who have to learn and introduce such beautiful elements into their game.

January 2021

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Sports Visin+ / The Hour of The Champions since 2013. 

Sources: Newspaper “Sporti Popullor”, 1985 (personal collection).