Orges Shehi (born 25 September 1977) is an Albanian professional football coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of Prishtina in the Superleague of Kosovo.
A goalkeeper, Shehi began his professional career with Teuta, progressing through the club's youth system before establishing himself as the first-choice goalkeeper in the mid-1990s. Following a loan spell at Bylis Ballsh during the 1998–99 season, he returned to Teuta and became an undisputed starter, helping the club win the 1999–2000 Albanian Cup while also featuring in several UEFA Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup campaigns. Over more than a decade with the club, he made nearly 200 appearances in all competitions before joining Vllaznia in 2004. After one and a half seasons with Vllaznia, Shehi moved to Partizani, where he also served as club captain, before joining Besa Kavajë and winning the 2009–10 Albanian Cup. In July 2010, Shehi signed for Skënderbeu, where he became one of the leading figures during the club's most successful period. He won six consecutive Kategoria Superiore titles between 2010–11 and 2015–16, later captaining the side during its domestic dominance and historic appearances in the group stages of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League and the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in Albanian football history, Shehi retired as one of the country's most decorated players.
At international level, Shehi represented Albania at youth competitions during the mid- and late 1990s, beginning with the under-16 team and later the under-21 team. He was first involved with the senior national team in 1998, but made his debut in November 2010 after a long absence from the squad, ultimately earning eight caps. He was included in the UEFA Euro 2016 squad and remained part of the national setup during the 2018 World Cup qualification campaign, with his final appearance in a matchday squad coming in June 2017. This marked a senior international career spanning 18 years, 9 months and 6 days, making him the player with the longest career span in Albania national team history.
Club career Teuta Shehi began his career with local side Teuta at the age of 12, progressing through the club's youth system before making his professional debut during the 1994–95 Albanian National Championship season. During his first senior campaign and the following 1995–96 National Championship season, he was mainly a backup to Xhevahir Kapllani, making no league appearances in the latter season. On 24 July 1996, Shehi made his UEFA debut in the second leg of the UEFA Cup preliminary round against Košice, coming on in the 88th minute as a substitute for Kujtim Shtama in a 2–1 defeat that eliminated Teuta 6–2 on aggregate. He made nine league appearances during the season as Teuta finished mid-table, while also reaching the quarter-finals of the Albanian Cup, where they were eliminated by Lushnja. The following season marked his breakthrough as Teuta's first-choice goalkeeper, featuring in 32 league matches and missing only two, with the club finishing fifth.
Ahead of the 1998–99 season, Shehi joined Bylis Ballsh on loan, making 29 appearances in the Albanian National Championship and helping the club achieve its then-highest league finish of third place. Bylis finished the campaign just two points behind champions Tirana and recorded the second-best defensive record in the division, conceding only 19 goals. Their third-place finish also secured European qualification for the first time in the club's history. In August 1999, Shehi featured in both legs of Bylis' 1999–2000 UEFA Cup qualifying round tie against Slovak side Inter Bratislava, which ended in a 5–1 aggregate defeat.
After the European campaign, Shehi returned to Teuta and immediately reclaimed the starting goalkeeper role, appearing in all 26 league fixtures of the 1999–2000 Albanian National Championship. Teuta finished third with 49 points, three behind joint leaders Tirana and Tomori, while conceding only 16 goals, the second-best defensive record in the league. By this point, he had also become club captain. He was a regular starter in the Albanian Cup, where Teuta reached the final after overcoming Dinamo on away goals following a 3–3 aggregate draw in the semi-finals; the final against Lushnja ended goalless after extra time, with Teuta winning 5–4 on penalties to secure the trophy and qualification for the UEFA Cup. Shehi featured in the 2000 Albanian Supercup on 13 January 2001, where Teuta were defeated 1–0 by Tirana.
Shehi began the 2000–01 season by appearing in both legs of Teuta's UEFA Cup qualifying round tie against Austrian side Rapid Vienna in August 2000, as the club were eliminated 6–0 on aggregate. In the Albanian Cup, Shehi took penalty duties and scored the first goal of his career on 27 January 2001, converting from the spot in a 3–0 second-leg win over Pogradeci in the second round; with a 4–1 aggregate victory, Teuta advanced to the quarter-finals, where he again scored from the penalty spot in a 5–2 second-leg win over Lushnja that overturned a 2–1 first-leg defeat. In the semi-finals, Teuta overcame Vllaznia with two 2–1 wins to reach the final, where Shehi played the full match against Tirana on 26 May 2001, though Teuta lost 5–0. In the Championship, he featured in 25 of 26 matches as the club finished sixth.
In the 2001–02 Albanian Cup, Teuta progressed through three two-legged rounds, recording one clean sheet per tie and conceding only one goal in each round before being eliminated 2–1 on aggregate by Dinamo Tirana in the semi-finals. In the Championship, Shehi made 23 appearances as Teuta finished fourth, while conceding only 19 goals throughout the campaign, the third-best defensive record in the division. As a result, Teuta qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup, where they defeated Maltese side Valletta 2–1 on aggregate, with Shehi featuring in both legs and producing several notable performances. Teuta advanced to the second round, where he played both legs against Gloria Bistrița, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 home win in the second leg, although the club was ultimately eliminated 3–1 on aggregate. In the Championship, Shehi made 25 appearances as Teuta finished fourth. In the Albanian Cup, he featured in both semi-final legs against Vllaznia as Teuta progressed to the final with a 3–2 aggregate win, before playing the full match in a 1–0 defeat to Dinamo Tirana, after which the club missed out on European qualification for the following season.
Following the arrival of Alfred Osmani ahead of the 2003–04 season, Shehi faced increased competition for the starting goalkeeper position. In the Championship, he made 27 appearances in 36 matches as Teuta finished mid-table and secured qualification for the Intertoto Cup. In the cup, Teuta reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated. This proved to be his final season with the club before joining fellow top-flight side Vllaznia, ending a decade-long spell at Teuta.
Vllaznia Shehi made his debut for Vllaznia on 20 June 2004, starting in a 0–0 draw against Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the first leg of the UEFA Intertoto Cup first round. He kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 away victory in the return leg, helping Vllaznia progress to the next round, where they faced Slaven Belupo; Shehi played every minute across both legs as Vllaznia were eliminated after a 2–0 away defeat followed by a 1–0 home win, losing the tie on aggregate.
He made his league debut on 21 August 2004 in the opening match of the 2004–05 Kategoria Superiore, starting in a 6–1 victory over his former side Teuta. He also featured in the following league match, keeping a clean sheet against Dinamo Tirana. Shehi made 34 appearances during the season as Vllaznia finished fourth in the league, missing out on European qualification by a single point, while also reaching the semi-finals of the Albanian Cup. He began the following 2005–06 Kategoria Superiore season on 27 August 2005, featuring in the opening five matchdays before departing for Partizani Tirana for the remainder of the campaign.
Partizani Shehi made his debut for Partizani Tirana on 19 November 2005, starting in a 2–1 victory over Dinamo Tirana in the capital derby. He quickly established himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper and went on to feature in all but one of Partizani's remaining league matches during the season, making 24 appearances and keeping 11 clean sheets, including a run of five consecutive clean sheets in the middle of the campaign, while conceding 20 of the club's 35 league goals. Partizani finished fourth in the league with 60 points, narrowly behind fellow Tirana-based sides Tirana and Dinamo, securing qualification for the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup first round.
Shehi made his European debut in mid-June 2006 in the Intertoto Cup first round against Cypriot side Ethnikos Achna, featuring in both legs as Partizani lost 4–2 away from home and, despite winning the return leg 2–1, were eliminated on aggregate. In the 2006–07 Kategoria Superiore, Shehi played 32 of 33 league matches and kept 17 clean sheets, helping Partizani become the best defensive team in the league with only 25 goals conceded, although the club finished fourth and failed to secure European qualification for the following season.
In the 2007–08 Kategoria Superiore, Shehi played all 33 league matches, recording five clean sheets early in the campaign and a further 12 over the remainder of the season, while conceding a total of 22 goals. His performances helped Partizani collect 65 points and finish as runners-up, five points behind champions Dinamo Tirana, while securing qualification for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round. In the decisive league match against Dinamo Tirana on 17 May 2008, with Partizani still in contention for the championship title, Shehi reportedly suffered a broken hand during the match but remained on the field after receiving treatment; Partizani went on to lose 2–1.
In 2008, he was named club captain. In the 2008–09 Kategoria Superiore, Shehi remained a regular starter, making 31 league appearances and keeping five clean sheets while conceding 36 goals. Partizani struggled throughout the campaign, particularly in attack, recording only eight wins, nine draws and 14 defeats as the club spent much of the season near the bottom of the table and remained involved in the relegation battle. In the penultimate matchday, Partizani defeated fellow relegation contenders Elbasani, moving into eighth place and temporarily clear of the relegation play-out zone. Shehi did not feature in the final matchday, as Partizani lost 1–0 to Lushnja; although Lushnja drew level on 36 points, Partizani remained ahead on head-to-head record and finished tenth, avoiding automatic relegation but dropping into the relegation play-out after being overtaken by both Apolonia and Bylis following their final-round victories.
In the relegation play-out on 29 May 2009 against Kastrioti, Shehi featured as Partizani were defeated and ultimately relegated, in a match followed by tensions and controversy after club president Albert Xhani entered the field and confronted an assistant referee following the disallowed goal. Following the club's relegation, Shehi left for Besa Kavajë.
Besa Kavajë