Joining Kaunas Žalgiris – Kosovo national team defender L. Kastrati

2026-07-23 12:08

In March, the UEFA Champions League qualification continues, and FK "Kauno Žalgiris" received another addition. The Lithuanian champions reached an agreement with Lirim Kastrati.

The 27-year-old defender, who holds Italian and Kosovo citizenship, arrives in Kaunas from the Hungarian club "Diósgyőri" (DVTK) in Miskolc.

As a very young player, Kastrati left his native Kosovo and moved to Italy, where he initially joined the "Padova" academy, and later spent six years in the system of the legendary club "Roma," before starting his professional career, he spent another two years in the "Bologna" youth team.

In 2020, the footballer began his professional career in Hungary, playing for "Ujpest" in the country's top league, where he spent four years.

Later, Kastrati's career moved to Poland, where he teamed up with the current "Kauno Žalgiris" coach Željko Sopić at the Łódź club "Widzew."

After a stint in Poland, the footballer spent six months without a club, but in the summer of 2025, he returned to the aforementioned DVTK club competing in the top Hungarian league.

The new Žalgiris player played in the Albanian youth national teams as a teenager, and in men's football, he has represented the Kosovo national team 15 times and is a candidate for it.

At "Kauno Žalgiris," Kastrati will wear the jersey marked with number 62.