Paulin Ndoja is considered the best goalkeeper of all time for Vllaznia!

Paulin Ndoja

Date of birth: December 19, 1945 – Shkoder
Team: “Vllaznia”
Titles Hold: “Meritorious Master of Sports”
“Honor of Albanian Sports”
“Gratitude of the Shkoder city.
The best goalkeeper of the century in Shkodran football.

Paulin Ndoja is considered the all the time best goalkeeper of Vllaznia and one of the legendary figures of Albanian football.
Born in Shkodra in 1945

It was with the youth team that coach Xhelal Juka discovered him. Professor Juka worked with the young man from the very beginning, encouraging him, stimulating him and instilling in him the belief that he could become a goalkeeper with a future.

It couldn’t have been otherwise, Paulin Ndoja became a great goalkeeper of our football with a natural talent, he became great by working and training and gaining sports ego.

Ndoja possessed high technical qualities, reflexes and intuition, spectacular reception, courageous and precise exits, he was an outstanding connoisseur of the box and the area in front of him, he competently led his teammates by having a clear vision of the game.

In November 1964 he began training with the adults, while in January 1965 Pavlini started playing with “Vllaznia” in the first official match that coincides with January 1965, in a match against “Lokomotiva” of Durrës. Ndoja entered the second half of the game replacing the veteran goalkeeper of that time, Jonuz Teli.

From 1964 until he left football, would not betray his Vllaznia for a single moment, and the city that gave him birth, Shkodra. Undoubtedly, a great merit in realizing the goals of the ambitious Shkodran goalkeeper was also the great coach and former player Skënder Jareci and Rifat Rusi for the help and trust they gave him by making him part of “Vllaznia” at the age of 19.

In 1965, along with Ndoja, other young footballers such as Sabah Bizi, Zydi Basha, Halil Puka, Ramazan Rragami debuted at “Vllaznia”, while the team also found experienced players such as S. Zmijani, F. Çapaliku, K. Gjoni, N. Gjergji, E. Rakiqi, S. Dani, I. Hoxha and others.

The good alternation of these generations allowed “Vllaznia” not only to leave the second category, but to climb to the top of the standings, to win the cup trophy in 1965, and even in the 1971-72 season championship to perform the next miracle by winning two national trophies of our football, a miracle that “Vllaznia” has never achieved to this day.

First, this success was double, which came after 26 years (championships); second, “Vllaznia” triumphed over two powerful teams “Dinamo” and “Partizani”.

The goalkeeper from Shkodran belongs to a distinguished generation of footballers who wrote this city’s football in big letters in the history of Albanian sports. Paulin Ndoja had a special intuition and was well known for penalties.

There are many 11 meters that have been made invalid by him, often decisive in the fate of the game and the victory of the Cups for Vllaznia. Here we can well mention the dramatic Final against Besa of Kavaja in 1965, when Paulin Ndoja avoided the penalty of Mërhori, helping “Vllaznia” to win this trophy. (It was precisely that final when R. Ragami had scored 7 penalties on the row)

In 1972, Ndoja stood out even more in the semi-final match of the cup with “Luftëtari” of Gjirokastra. After a dramatic 120-minute draw, it was the turn of the 11-meters, penalties shootout to decide everything.

In this challenge, Ndoja saved three penalties, leading “Vllaznia” to the final with “Skënderbeu” of Korça, a match which Shkodra had won 1:0 with a goal by Selami Dani, bringing back the first trophy in Shkodra after 20 years!!
Meanwhile, he only played with the national team once, in 1972. It is like a painful drama similar to many talents of the time in Albania who often had the same “fate”, the “bad” biography of his family.

He was called up to the national team, on the eve of an official match in Finland. But some time ago, our national team, led by the great Loro Boriçi, before leaving for Finland, played a friendly match in Tirana with the Chinese team. That match was his first and last with the national team. Although Ndoja was appointed by Boriçi, the first goalkeeper of our national team, his adventure with the red-black jerseys ended without a good start, all with the absurd reason of his “spotted” biography.

Ndoja was excluded from the national team, and then he was also expelled from “Vllaznia”. Ndoja was no more than 28 years old and at the peak of his career and excellent form.

However, Paulin Ndoja, after many years, would return to his “Vllaznia” precisely in 1985 when it became possible for him to start working with a modest salary as a goalkeeper coach, the first goalkeeper coach in Albania, and at that time the national team did not even have a goalkeeper coach.
In the organization of the multi-sports club “Vllaznia”, Paulin Ndoja was listed as a table tennis coach.

This administrative violation came thanks to the kindness of Ivzi Bushati, who covered table tennis while the de facto coach of the Shkodra goalkeepers was paid 700 lek at the time, who thanks to his passion felt satisfied that he had returned to the club of his heart.

The Albanian goalkeeper champion has worked with many goalkeepers who have made a name for themselves in Albanian football for more than two decades.

Pavlin Ndoja has voluntarily worked with Nallbani, Bathore and Nako. At “Vllaznia” he has trained Avenir Dani, Armir Grima, Mustafa, Ndoja and Bishan, while over the years he has trained Maliqati, Hoxha, Gjeloshi and others.

Translated to English by Pjerin Bj
New York: March 15, 2025
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