Thomas Strakosha (; born 19 March 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Super League Greece club AEK Athens and the Albania national team.
Born in Athens, he began his youth career at APOEL in Cyprus while his father Foto worked there as a goalkeeping coach, before moving to Panionios. He joined Lazio in 2011 and progressed through the club's youth system, later making his senior debut and making over 200 appearances, winning the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana twice each. In 2022, he signed for Brentford, where he made limited first-team appearances, before joining AEK Athens in 2024 and becoming the club's first-choice goalkeeper, winning the 2025–26 Super League Greece.
At international level, Strakosha represented Albania U19 and U21 before making his senior debut in 2017, and was included in the UEFA Euro 2024 squad.
Club career Early career Strakosha was born in Athens, Greece, to Albanian parents; his father, Foto Strakosha, is a former Albanian international goalkeeper. He developed an interest in football at a young age and was supported by his family in pursuing the sport. Around the age of 15, he joined the youth setup of APOEL in Cyprus, where his father was working as a goalkeeping coach. Strakosha moved to the youth academy of Panionios in 2010 alongside his father, who once again worked as a goalkeeping coach, before joining Lazio in 2011 for a reported fee of €75,000. He later became regular for the Primavera team and was part of the squad that won the 2013–14 Campionato Nazionale, defeating Atalanta 3–0 in the final on 10 April 2014.
Lazio Strakosha was first called up to the Lazio senior squad during the 2012–13 season, being included as third-choice goalkeeper for the 2012–13 Serie A match against Fiorentina on 28 October 2012 due to the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Federico Marchetti. Following the departure of Juan Pablo Carrizo in January 2013, he was included as third-choice goalkeeper for several Lazio first-team matches during the second half of the season, remaining an unused substitute throughout the campaign. He was also part of the squad for the 2013 Coppa Italia final against city rivals Roma on 26 May 2013, as Lazio won the match 1–0 to lift the trophy. On 18 August 2013, he was included in the squad for the 2013 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus, as Lazio were defeated 4–0. Strakosha remained third-choice goalkeeper during the 2013–14 season, regularly appearing in Serie A matchday squads without making a first-team appearance. In July 2014, he stated that his objective was either to remain with the first team or move on loan to gain playing experience. On 11 July 2014, Lazio sporting director Igli Tare announced that Strakosha had signed a contract extension with the club until 2019. Strakosha remained at Lazio for a third consecutive season in 2014–15, continuing as the club's third-choice goalkeeper without making a first-team appearance. He was included in the squad for the 2015 Coppa Italia final against Juventus on 20 May 2015, where Lazio lost 2–1 after extra time.
Loan to Salernitana In July 2015, Strakosha joined newly promoted Serie B club Salernitana on loan. He made his professional debut on 9 August 2015 in a 1–0 victory against Pisa in the second round of the 2015–16 Coppa Italia. A week later, he featured in the third round of the Coppa Italia, making several saves and keeping a clean sheet for 120 minutes as Salernitana defeated Chievo Verona 1–0 to advance. He remained on the bench in the fourth round, as Salernitana were eliminated following a 2–0 defeat to Spezia. He made his league debut on 6 September 2015 in the opening match of the 2015–16 Serie B season against Avellino, playing the full match in a 3–1 victory. After also featuring in the second league match in a 2–2 draw against Brescia, he spent most of the season on the bench, although he started regularly during October and November 2015, making seven consecutive appearances during which he conceded 11 goals and Salernitana remained winless, recording four draws and three defeats. On 17 October 2015, Strakosha made an error in Salernitana's 1–0 away defeat to Virtus Entella, failing to deal with a cross which led to the only goal of the match. On 27 February 2016, he saved a penalty in a 1–1 away draw against Trapani. Strakosha finished the season with 11 league appearances and 16 goals conceded, while Salernitana avoided relegation after defeating Virtus Lanciano in the play-out round, with Strakosha remaining an unused substitute in both matches.
Return to Lazio and breakthrough
In July 2016, following the end of his loan spell, Strakosha returned to Lazio. Shortly before the close of the summer transfer window, he was linked with a move to Cardiff City, but remained at the club after sporting director Igli Tare intervened, while Etrit Berisha was nearing a transfer to Atalanta. Following the injury of Federico Marchetti, Strakosha made his Lazio debut on 20 September 2016 in a league match against Milan. Despite the 2–0 defeat, his performance received positive reviews, and he was named Lazio's man of the match. Five days later, he kept his first Serie A clean sheet in only his second appearance, in a 2–0 home win against Empoli; the performance led 1982 FIFA World Cup winner Dino Zoff to praise him, stating: "I cannot judge him after only two matches, but in my opinion he performed well in both games." He followed this with another clean sheet on the next matchday, helping Lazio to a 3–0 away victory against Udinese on 1 October 2016. On 18 January 2017, Strakosha featured in the 2016–17 Coppa Italia round of 16 match against Genoa, starting in goal as Lazio won 4–2 and advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition. On 22 February 2017, Strakosha renewed his contract with Lazio until 2022. In Serie A he made a few further appearances in the first half of the season before becoming the regular starting goalkeeper under Simone Inzaghi from matchday 22 until the end of the campaign, establishing himself as first-choice through consistent performances, a breakthrough that was also facilitated in part by the recurring injuries of his rival Federico Marchetti. He finished the season with 21 appearances, 1,844 minutes played, and six clean sheets, as Lazio ended the Serie A campaign in 5th place. During the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Strakosha started both legs against Roma, keeping a clean sheet in the first leg of a 2–0 home victory on 1 March 2017 before conceding three goals in the return leg on 3 April 2017, as Lazio progressed to the final with a 4–3 aggregate win. Strakosha also featured in the final, where Lazio were defeated 2–0 by Juventus. On 13 August 2017, Strakosha played in the 2017 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus and won his first major trophy as Lazio triumphed 3–2 with a late decisive goal.
During the 2017–18 season, Strakosha made 53 appearances and played 4,800 minutes across all competitions for Lazio, missing only three matches (all in the Europa League), while conceding 63 goals and keeping 17 clean sheets, establishing himself as one of the club's key players, maintaining a save percentage of 72.1% and contributing to Lazio's push for a top-four Serie A finish. Throughout the 2017–18 Serie A season, he appeared in every league match, playing every available minute as the club recorded 21 wins, nine draws and eight defeats, eventually finishing fifth and narrowly missing qualification for the UEFA Champions League following a decisive 3–2 home loss to Inter on the final matchday. By playing every minute of the Serie A season, he became only the second Lazio goalkeeper to achieve this feat, after Luca Marchegiani in 1998–99. On 14 October 2017, Strakosha saved a penalty in stoppage-time from Paulo Dybala in a 2–1 away win against Juventus, marking his first penalty save in Serie A and ending Juventus' unbeaten home league run since August 2015. On 24 September 2017, Strakosha kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 away victory over Verona, with his performance receiving positive reviews as Lazio continued their strong start to the Serie A season. On 21 October 2017, he was named the best young goalkeeper of 2017. On 30 December 2017, Strakosha kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw against Inter, and was described as the hero of the match due to his decisive saves. In the 2017–18 Coppa Italia, Strakosha conceded only once in the round of 16 before keeping clean sheets in both the quarter-finals and the two semi-final matches against Milan. On 28 February 2018, he was named man of the match after saving two penalties in the second-leg semi-final against Milan, although Lazio were eliminated following a 5–4 penalty shoot-out defeat. In the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, Strakosha made four appearances during the group stage, all ending in victories for Lazio, before playing regularly throughout the knockout phase, featuring in all three two-legged knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals in April 2018, where Lazio were eliminated by Red Bull Salzburg following a 6–5 aggregate defeat after losing 4–1 in the second leg.
During the 2018–19 season, Strakosha made 44 appearances and played 3,990 minutes across all competitions, missing only three Serie A matches due to injury, while conceding 46 goals, keeping 13 clean sheets, and making more than 105 saves as Lazio won the 2018–19 Coppa Italia. In the 2018–19 Serie A, he recorded 10 clean sheets, ranking seventh among goalkeepers in the league. On 8 November 2018, Strakosha made several saves in Lazio's 2–1 victory over Marseille in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League group stage, helping the club qualify for the knockout stage with two matches remaining. On 5 February 2019, Strakosha played a decisive role in Lazio's 1–0 Serie A victory over Frosinone, making a late save to preserve the result. Following his performances in the Derby della Capitale against Roma on 2 March 2019, Strakosha was voted the best under-23 player of the 26th Serie A round in a weekly poll organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport, after helping Lazio secure a clean sheet with several decisive saves despite playing through a shoulder injury. On 31 March 2019, Strakosha delivered a standout performance in a 1–0 away win against Inter, making several decisive saves as Lazio strengthened their challenge for a top-four finish in Serie A. On 2 April 2019, he was also described by Gianluca di Marzio as the best goalkeeper of the month in Serie A following a series of strong performances for Lazio. On 17 April 2019, Strakosha saved a penalty from Rodrigo De Paul in Lazio's 2–0 Serie A victory over Udinese, receiving praise from coach Inzaghi for his decisive contribution as Lazio continued their push for a Champions League place. Lazio ultimately finished eighth in the standings. In the Coppa Italia, Strakosha was ever-present for Lazio, conceding once in both the round of 16 and quarter-finals before keeping clean sheets in the two-legged semi-final against Milan, as Lazio progressed to the final with a 1–0 aggregate victory, and also in the 2–0 win over Atalanta on 15 May 2019 to secure the trophy. In June 2019, Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur were reported to be preparing a €30 million bid for Strakosha as they searched for a long-term successor to Hugo Lloris. On 22 December 2019, Strakosha produced several decisive saves in Lazio's 3–1 victory over Juventus in the 2019 Supercoppa Italiana, earning praise from the media for his performance against Cristiano Ronaldo.