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By:
Faton Polisi
- February 27, 2026 15:13 AM
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As a footballer, Zekirija Ramadani has played for several clubs in North Macedonia and Albania. He has also worked as a coach in these two countries. But his greatest achievements are in Kosovo.
With four of the five clubs he has led in Kosovo, the Skopje coach has won four championship titles.
He has led four champion teams in European competitions. His longest journey was with Drita i Gjilani, which he led to the playoffs of the knockout stage of the Conference League.
"A star follows me from the sky. I am the first coach with Trepça 89, or with a Kosovar team that participated in the international arena. I am the first coach to have led Feronikeli in international competitions. With Prishtina I am the first coach to have reached the third stage of the Conference League, while with Drita we passed the groups and were eliminated in the knockout stage. I always compete with myself, from year to year to make progress. And if you take the achievements from 2017 with Trepça 89 until today, every year that I have appeared in Europe, I have made progress," said Ramadani.
He started as a coach in Skopje in 2014, while in Kosovo he initially led the 89th. He won the championship title and the Super Cup. With Feronikeli of Drenas he won three trophies. He returned to Skopje and again to Feronikeli.
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The historical edition of Drita
He then led Prishtina to the title and the Super Cup. Last season he won the title with Drita. He remained trophyless in Gjilan.
Nephew of Kosovo
Ramadan's connection with Kosovo is not just in football. He has shown the great ambition he has in his career.
"I am a grandson of Kosovo. My mother was born in Kosovo. We are Albanians. My father is from Skopje. I love Kosovo. It is our country and why not one day Kosovo, North Macedonia, which is my country, or any other national team. It is a privilege to lead a national team, but also a greater responsibility," Ramadani emphasized.
However, he does not expect to become a selector anytime soon. He says that working at the club brings him adrenaline. But by competing with myself every day, I can reach the position of selector.
He talks again about his arrival with Drita. He says that the journey has been tiring, but full of emotions.
Ramadani admits that Drita exceeded expectations.
"At first we didn't expect that we could pass the groups. But we managed it with effort, work, emotion, fatigue. We only rested a little during the periods when there were international matches in Kosovo. In the autumn season we played 32 matches and you know that the Super League has 36 matches in total. And we only played 32 matches in the autumn season," Ramadani emphasized.
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Ramadani: I am proud to be the coach of Drita and the players
He says that in some matches the lineup was almost unknown due to numerous absences. There were times when Drita was missing as many as seven players.
He says that as a coach he doesn't have a set work schedule. He has even had to prepare tactically for three matches at the same time.
aims
Ramadan is currently living the dream.
"I had a dream to be a coach. It's a job with adrenaline, pressure and I think I can manage the pressure. I never want to be satisfied with myself or put an end to where I want to reach. If we manage to qualify for the Europa League groups, I will be fulfilled for next year. If we don't make progress in the Europa League, at least be in the Conference League and surpass this achievement that we had this season."
He has rejected a serious offer to continue working at Drita. And he does not regret the decision he made. He has a contract with the Gjilan club until the summer of 2027, and he sees room for further progress.
After a long and successful journey in Europe, Drita will focus on the Kosovo championship.
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Ramadani happy with Super Cup win
"The commitment will be maximum only in the championship. I said that our priority is the championship, but we always had the Conference League. Now we have nowhere to go, we definitely have the championship to defend the title. The title is won with effort, but with three times more effort. I am convinced that we are physically, mentally, tactically, technically prepared to defend the champion title," said Zekirija Ramadani.
Drita is the leader with 38 points. It has two points more than Balkan and Prishtina.
