.JPG) Tare withLazio in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1973-07-25)25 July 1973 (age 52) | ||
| Place of birth | Vlorë,PR Albania | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AC Milan (sporting director) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1981–1982 | Flamurtari Vlorë | ||
| 1982–1993 | Partizani Tirana | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1994 | Partizani | 14 | (2) |
| 1994–1995 | VfR Mannheim | 23 | (5) |
| 1995–1996 | SV Südwest Ludwigshafen | 21 | (5) |
| 1996–1997 | Karlsruher SC II | 23 | (4) |
| 1996–1997 | Karlsruher SC | 8 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 63 | (24) |
| 1999–2001 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 26 | (4) |
| 2001–2003 | Brescia | 75 | (15) |
| 2003–2005 | Bologna | 55 | (11) |
| 2005–2008 | Lazio | 46 | (5) |
| Total | 372 | (74) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989 | Albania U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 1990 | Albania U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 1997–2007 | Albania | 68 | (10) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Igli Tare (Albanian pronunciation:[ˈiɡli'taɾɛ]; born 25 July 1973) is an Albanian football executive and former football player who played as a forward. He is currently thesporting director ofSerie A clubAC Milan.[1] He played as aforward inGermany andItaly, and later served assporting director ofLazio from 2008 to 2023.[2]
Tare joinedPartizani Tirana as a 9-year-old in 1982, and would later go on to make his debut as a 15-year-old in 1988 before leaving Albania in 1992 to emigrate to Germany. He played in the lower leagues of Germany forSüdwest Ludwigshafen andVfR Mannheim before joiningBundesliga sideKarlsruher SC in 1996, initially playing for their reserve side before making his Bundesliga debut in 1996. He then joinedFortuna Düsseldorf in the2. Bundesliga,[3] where he scored 24 league goals in 63 games in two seasons before returning to the Bundesliga with1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1999, where he netted four league goals in 26 appearances in one year and a half at the club.[4]
After falling out of favour at 1. FC Kaiserslautern he joinedSerie A sideBrescia in January 2001, where he helped the side finish in a respectable 8th place.[5] He remained at Brescia for a further two seasons, and he scored a total of 15 league goals in 75 games before joining fellow Serie A sideBologna in 2003.[6] He spent two years at the club and scored 11 league goals in 55 games, before joiningLazio in a surprise move in 2005 following Brescia's relegation to Serie B. He was primarily used as a backup player at Lazio and he only scored four goals in 54 league games before retiring as a player at the age of 34 in 2008.[7]
Igli Tare studied at theQemal Stafa High School, inTirana, Albania.[8]
Tare began his professional career in 1996 withKarlsruher SC in Germany where he remained until 1997 before moving toFortuna Düsseldorf in the2. Bundesliga.
In 1999, Tare moved to1. FC Kaiserslautern, where he played for a season before being signed by veteran Italian managerCarlo Mazzone. For five seasons, Tare played with Mazzone'sBrescia, where he was able to play alongsideRoberto Baggio, before again transferring, this time toBologna where he was reunited with Mazzone once again.
At Bologna, Tare was popular amongst the fans and scored an important goal in the relegation play-off against fierce rivalsParma, however Tare's goal was not enough and they lost the return leg at home, being relegated toSerie B.
Following Bologna's relegation, Tare was loaned out to capital clubLazio scoring just three goals in his first season. Following this loan period, Tare joined the club on a permanent basis.
Tare was not a regular starter underDelio Rossi, but was able to play and score vital goals when others were out with injuries. In late 2007 away toPalermo, Tare scored off aLorenzo De Silvestri cross, ending a scoring drought which stretched back for almost two years. He backed this goal up with another vital goal in theCoppa Italia againstNapoli, which proved to be the winner.
Tare was capped 68 times by theAlbania national team and scored ten goals.[9] As one of the most experienced members of the side, Tare was long time captain of the national team.
Tare's most impressive performance for his national side came during his nation's match againstRussia in theUEFA Euro 2004 qualifiers, when he helped Albania to a 3–1 victory, scoring his team's third goal.
In 2007, Tare's international career was effectively ended, after being dropped by managerOtto Barić.
A tall, physical, and combativeforward, Tare usually played as acentre-forward or as astriker, and was mainly known for his ability in the air, as well his work-rate, professionalism, solid technique, and capacity to link-up with teammates, despite not being a significantly elegant or prolific player.[10][11][12][13]
Tare's Lazio contract expired at the end of the2007–08 season. He then accepted a non-playing role atLazio, becoming the club's team manager.[14] In April 2009 he completed a course in order to receive his qualification to be sporting director, a post he has held at Lazio until 5 June 2023.[15] On 26 May 2025, Tare was appointed as thesporting director ofAC Milan.[16]
Tare has long been publicly supportive of Albanian national causes. During theKosovo War, he expressed support for theKosovo Liberation Army and assisted Albanian refugees displaced by the conflict with financial help and accommodation in Albania.
An incident involving Tare occurred during the2005–06 Serie A match betweenInter andLazio, when tensions escalated between him andSiniša Mihajlović. Tare stated that Mihajlović had provoked him throughout the first half, leading to a confrontation during the interval, an episode he later said he did not regret.[17]
Their rivalry resurfaced in 2016, when Lazio presidentClaudio Lotito considered appointing Mihajlović as head coach. Despite ongoing discussions and Lotito’s long-standing friendship with Mihajlović, Tare reportedly opposed the appointment and ultimately played a role in preventing the move.[18][19]
His father Isa also played forPartizani Tirana and later served as a club director.[20][21]
He is one of three brothers, alongAuron, a well-known Albanian journalist and historian,[22] while another brother, Agron (also referred as "Genti"), who has served as Consul General of Albania inIstanbul and later as director of thePort of Durrës.[23][24][25]
He has two sons,Etienne (born 2003), a professional footballer, who started as a youth at Lazio[26] and Liam.[27]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Partizani Tirana | 1993–94 | Albanian Superliga | 14 | 2 | — | — | 14 | 2 | ||||
| VfR Mannheim | 1994–95 | 2. Bundesliga | 23 | 5 | — | — | 23 | 5 | ||||
| SV Südwest Ludwigshafen | 1995–96 | Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar | 21 | 5 | — | — | — | 21 | 5 | |||
| Karlsruher SC II | 1996–97 | Regionalliga Süd | 23 | 4 | — | — | — | 23 | 4 | |||
| Karlsruher SC | 1996–97 | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 1997–98 | 2. Bundesliga | 34 | 13 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 13 | ||
| 1998–99 | 29 | 11 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 32 | 14 | ||||
| Total | 63 | 24 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 66 | 27 | ||||
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 1999–2000 | Bundesliga | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 25 | 4 | |
| 2000–01 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2[b] | 1 | — | 9 | 2 | |||
| Total | 26 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 34 | 6 | |||
| Brescia | 2000–01 | Serie A | 17 | 4 | — | — | — | 17 | 4 | |||
| 2001–02 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 30 | 6 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 75 | 15 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 81 | 16 | ||||
| Bologna | 2003–04 | Serie A | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 7 | ||
| 2004–05 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 1 | 30 | 6 | |||
| Total | 55 | 11 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 62 | 13 | |||
| Lazio | 2005–06 | Serie A | 22 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 28 | 3 | |
| 2006–07 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | ||||
| 2007–08 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | |||
| Total | 54 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 70 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 372 | 74 | 35 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 416 | 83 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1997 | 6 | 2 |
| 1998 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 68 | 10 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 1997 | Niedersachsenstadion,Hanover, Germany |  Germany | 2–2 | 3–4 | 1998 World Cup qualifier |
| 2 | 14 October 1998 | Ullevaal Stadion,Oslo, Norway |  Norway | 2–2 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualification |
| 3 | 5 June 1999 | Qemal Stafa Stadium,Tirana, Albania | Norway | 1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualification |
| 4 | 27 March 2002 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Azerbaijan | 1-0 | 1-0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 29 March 2003 | Loro Boriçi Stadium,Shkodër, Albania |  Russia | 3–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 6 | 10 September 2003 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Georgia | 2–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualification |
| 7 | 11 October 2003 | Restelo,Lisbon, Portugal |  Portugal | 2–1 | 3–5 | Friendly |
| 8 | 4 June 2005 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Georgia | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 3–0 | |||||
| 10 | 16 August 2006 | Stadio Olimpico,Serravalle, San Marino |  San Marino | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly[32] |