Klodian Duro (; born 21 December 1977) is an Albanian former professional footballer and football coach.
Over a senior career spanning 17 years, he represented 11 clubs across five countries — Albania, Turkey, Germany, Cyprus and Austria.
Duro began his professional career with Elbasani in 1996 and later played for Tirana, Vllaznia Shkodër and Partizani Tirana. He also spent several seasons abroad, appearing in the Süper Lig with Samsunspor, Malatyaspor and Çaykur Rizespor, in the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, in the Cypriot First Division with Omonia and Apollon Limassol, and in the Austrian Bundesliga with LASK. His 2007–08 season with Tirana, in which he scored 15 league goals, was among the strongest of his domestic career.
During his career, Duro won four Albanian Superliga titles, three Albanian Cups, three Albanian Supercups, and the Cypriot Cup.
He made his senior international debut for the Albania national team in 2001 and went on to earn 77 caps and score six goals before retiring from international football in 2011. Over ten years, Duro featured regularly for the national side and appeared in four major qualifying campaigns, working under five different head coaches. Used in various midfield roles, he was often involved in set pieces and contributed both as a passer and as a link between midfield and attack. He also captained Albania on several occasions. During this period, he took part in a number of notable qualifying results and long defensive and unbeaten sequences achieved by the team in the mid-2000s.
His brother, Albert Duro, was also a professional footballer.
After retiring as a player, Duro transitioned into coaching. He became the manager of Kukësi on 24 November 2015 and guided the team to victory in the Albanian Cup in his first season in charge.
Club career Early career Duro began his professional career in 1996 with Elbasani, making his debut in the 1996–97 Albanian National Championship, where he played 13 matches as the team finished 13th after the final phase. In the following season, the 1997–98 Albanian National Championship, he made 31 out of 34 league appearances and scored 7 goals, helping Elbasani finish in 6th place.
In 1998, Duro transferred to Tirana, where he made 27 appearances from 30 possible matches and scored once during the 1998–99 Albanian National Championship. Tirana won the championship title and qualified for the Champions League first qualifying round of the following season. He also featured in the 1998–99 Albanian Cup final, played on 22 May 1999 against Vllaznia, a match decided by a penalty shoot-out. Tirana scored three of their four penalties — with Duro missing one — while Vllaznia failed to convert their first three attempts. This victory secured Tirana the domestic double for the 1998–99 season.
After his spell with Tirana, Duro returned briefly to Elbasani for the 1999–2000 Albanian National Championship, where he made 11 league appearances before transferring mid-season to Vllaznia Shkodër.
With Vllaznia, he played a further 9 league matches and scored once. The team finished 4th in the league and entered the Intertoto Cup first round.
Duro appeared in both Intertoto Cup first-round matches in June 2000 against Nea Salamis, with Vllaznia losing both legs and being eliminated 6–2 on aggregate.
In the 2000–01 Albanian National Championship, Duro made 24 league appearances and scored 5 goals, as Vllaznia won the league title. During the 2000–01 Albanian Cup, Duro also scored twice in the quarter-finals.
In July 2001, Duro played in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, featuring in both legs against Icelandic side KR Reykjavík. He scored in both matches, as Vllaznia advanced on the away goals rule after losing 2–1 away and winning 1–0 at home. In the second qualifying round, Vllaznia were eliminated by Turkish champions Galatasaray, losing 6–1 on aggregate. In the first half of the 2001–02 Albanian National Championship, Duro made 11 league appearances and scored 2 goals before leaving Albania to continue his career abroad in Turkey.
Turkey and Partizani He also had spells abroad, featuring in the Süper Lig for Samsunspor, Malatyaspor and Çaykur Rizespor.
Duro joined Samsunspor on 30 January 2002. He made his Süper Lig debut on 2 February 2002 in a goalless draw against Beşiktaş, where he was booked in the 81st minute and substituted shortly after. He received another booking in the following match against Trabzonspor. In the subsequent rounds he appeared both as a starter and as a substitute, recording his third caution within his first five league appearances. On matchday 29, he received a direct red card in the 68th minute against Yimpaş Yozgatspor, which resulted in a two-match suspension as per competition regulations.
He finished the season with nine league appearances in the 2001–02 Süper Lig, as Samsunspor ended the campaign in 15th place, avoiding relegation by a single point.
On 29 August 2002, Duro transferred to Malatyaspor, making his debut on 14 September in a league match against Fenerbahçe, where he scored his first goal for the club in the 41st minute in a 2–0 win. In the early rounds of the season he collected several cautions, including three yellow cards within the first six league fixtures and a further booking later on. He also received a straight red card later in the campaign. On 14 October 2002 he provided two assists in a 5–4 win against Gençlerbirliği, and on 16 March 2003 he scored once and assisted another goal in a 2–0 victory over Altay.
In total, Duro made 20 appearances in all competitions for Malatyaspor, including their run to the Turkish Cup semi-finals. In the league he registered four goals and six assists, as the club finished in 5th place and qualified for the UEFA Cup first round.
After leaving Malatyaspor on 29 August 2003, Duro signed with Partizani Tirana. During the first half of the 2003–04 Kategoria Superiore season, he made 11 league appearances and scored 3 goals.
On 6 January 2004, Partizani loaned him to Çaykur Rizespor for the second half of the season. He made 11 league appearances and scored 1 goal in the 2003–04 Süper Lig, contributing to the club’s 14th-place finish as they avoided relegation by just two points.
Arminia Bielefeld Duro transferred to the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, where he joined fellow Albanian international attacking midfielders Ervin Skela and Fatmir Vata. He was largely considered a second-choice option in midfield for the 2004–05 Bundesliga. He made his debut on 28 August 2004 against VfL Bochum, playing the final 16 minutes in a 2–1 defeat. Only a month later he provided a decisive assist against Hannover 96, setting up the winning goal in the 79th minute just eight minutes after replacing fellow Albanian Skela. Another crucial assist came on 13 November in an away match against SC Freiburg, delivering the pass for the 86th-minute winner in a 3–2 victory. That same month he also completed his only full 90-minute appearance of the 2004–05 campaign, featuring in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16 against Karlsruher SC to help secure a 4–0 win and progression to the quarter-finals. He finished the season with 21 total appearances, while Arminia placed 13th in the league.
Tirana return Duro chose to return to Albania, signing a three-year contract with Tirana. He made his debut on 24 September 2005 in a 3–0 league win over Skënderbeu Korçë in the 2005–06 Kategoria Superiore. He went on to play 29 league matches and scored 4 goals, as Tirana finished as runners-up behind Elbasani.
In the 2005–06 Albanian Cup, he scored in consecutive rounds, including the semi-final victory over Dinamo (4–2) and the decisive winning goal in the final against Vllaznia, securing a 1–0 triumph and the cup title for Tirana. He also featured in the 2006 Albanian Supercup on 19 August, helping the team claim the trophy with a 2–0 win against Elbasani.
He began the season in July 2006 with Tirana’s participation in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds. In the first qualifying round against Croatian side Varteks, Duro played in both legs; the first match ended in a 1–1 draw, while Tirana won the return leg 2–0, where Duro, however, was sent off late in the match after receiving two yellow cards in the 78th and 90th minutes. In the second qualifying round against Turkish club Kayserispor, Tirana suffered a 2–0 home defeat in the first leg without Duro, and were again defeated 3–1 in the return leg in Turkey despite Duro playing the full 90 minutes.
In the 2006–07 Kategoria Superiore, he made 27 league appearances and scored 6 goals, helping Tirana secure the league title. In the 2006–07 Albanian Cup, he scored twice across the rounds, including a goal in the quarter-final tie against Teuta, although Tirana were eliminated 4–3 on aggregate. He also featured in the 2007 Albanian Supercup, scoring a goal in the 4–2 victory over Besa Kavajë that secured the trophy for Tirana.
During the 2007–08 season, Duro began the campaign with Tirana’s participation in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, featuring in the first qualifying round against Slovenian champions Domžale in July 2007. He scored Tirana’s only goal of the tie, but the team was eliminated 3–1 on aggregate.
In the 2007–08 Kategoria Superiore, he became the club’s leading goalscorer with 15 league goals, finishing as the joint third top scorer in the championship, although Tirana finished in 6th place.
In the 2007–08 Albanian Cup, Duro contributed with more goals, scoring in the quarter-finals and adding two more in the two-legged semi-final against Elbasani—one in the 3–0 first-leg victory and another in the 3–1 second-leg defeat—proving decisive for Tirana’s 4–3 aggregate qualification for the final. He played 45 minutes in the 2008 Albanian Cup Final against Vllaznia, striking the crossbar during the match, but Tirana ultimately lost the final and missed out on qualification for UEFA competitions.
Omonia Nicosia On 19 May 2008, Duro completed a transfer to Cypriot outfit Omonia Nicosia, signing a two-year contract until June 2010. He was subsequently included in Nedim Tutić's squad for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds. Duro made his competitive debut in the first leg of the first qualifying round against Milano Kumanovo, helping the team to a 2–0 victory. He also appeared in the second leg, with Omonia winning again to progress 4–1 on aggregate.
His first goal contributions came on 28 August in the second leg of the second qualifying round against AEK Athens, where he scored twice at Neo GSP Stadium, including one from 25 yards, securing a 2–2 draw. As Omonia had won the first leg 1–0, his goals ensured qualification to the next round.
He made his league debut four days later, scoring in the 15th minute of the season opener against Enosis Neon Paralimni, a match Omonia won 2–0 away from home.
Duro scored again on 18 September, this time via a free-kick, giving Omonia the lead against Premier League side Manchester City. Despite his opener, Manchester City won the match 2–1. Omonia lost the second leg by the same score, exiting the competition 4–2 on aggregate.
He scored his first career hat-trick on 14 December 2008, netting three times within ten minutes in a 4–1 home win over APOP Kinyras. He scored again in a 7–1 victory over Enosis Neon Paralimni.
Duro made 20 league appearances through the end of the first round, as Omonia finished as runners-up and advanced to Group A of the second round. He featured in all six matches of the championship group, scoring once more—his ninth and final goal of the season—as Omonia collected 13 points, finishing one point behind champions APOEL.
Apollon Limassol