Ardian Kozniku

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ardian Kozniku

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|10|27|df=y}}

| birth_place = Đakovica, SAP Kosovo, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia

| height = 1.82 m

| position = Forward

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1988

| youthclubs1 = Vëllaznimi

| years1 = 1988–1990

| clubs1 = Priština

| caps1 = 58

| goals1 = 17

| years2 = 1990–1994

| clubs2 = Hajduk Split

| caps2 = 98

| goals2 = 44

| years3 = 1994–1996

| clubs3 = Cannes

| caps3 = 55

| goals3 = 20

| years4 = 1996–1997

| clubs4 = Le Havre

| caps4 = 30

| goals4 = 6

| years5 = 1997–1998

| clubs5 = APOEL

| caps5 = 11

| goals5 = 12

| years6 = 1998

| clubs6 = Bastia

| caps6 = 12

| goals6 = 5

| years7 = 1998–2000

| clubs7 = Croatia Zagreb

| caps7 = 28

| goals7 = 5

| years8 = 2000–2001

| clubs8 = Kärnten

| caps8 = 7

| goals8 = 0

| years9 = 2001–2002

| clubs9 = Hrvatski Dragovoljac

| caps9 = 11

| goals9 = 2

| totalcaps = 310

| totalgoals = 111

| nationalyears1 = 1993–2002

| nationalteam1 = Kosovo

| nationalcaps1 = 2

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 1994–1998

| nationalteam2 = Croatia

| nationalcaps2 = 7

| nationalgoals2 = 2

| medaltemplates = {{medalCountry|{{fb|Croatia}}}}

| manageryears1 = 2014–2015

| managerclubs1 = Shkëndija

| manageryears2 = 2016–2017

| managerclubs2 = Vrapče (youth coach)

| manageryears3 = 2017–2018

| managerclubs3 = Rudeš U19

| manageryears4 = 2018–2019

| managerclubs4 = Croatia U19 (assistant)

| manageryears5 = 2018–2020

| managerclubs5 = Lokomotiva (youth coach)

| manageryears6 = 2021

| managerclubs6 = Al-Arabi (assistant)

| manageryears7 = 2022-2023

| managerclubs7 = Al Faisaly (assistant)

}}

Ardian Kozniku (Croatian: Ardijan Kozniku; 27 October 1967) is a Kosovan-Croatian professional football coach and former player who most recently was the assistant manager of Al Faisaly.

Playing career

=Club=

He started his career at Vëllaznimi from Gjakova and was later picked up by Prishtina. He moved to Croatian side Hajduk Split in 1990 and played there until 1994, scoring 90 goals in 169 games in all competitions for them.[https://www.dnevno.hr/sport/sportski-muzej/kakav-sam-bio-igrac-takav-sam-trener-uporan-zeljan-znanja-iznemoglosti-816856/ ‘Kakav sam bio igrač, takav sam i trener – uporan i željan znanja do iznemoglosti’] - Dnevno {{in lang|hr}} He then went on to play for French clubs Cannes, Le Havre and Bastia, as well as Cypriot side APOEL, before making his comeback to Croatia in the summer of 1998, signing with Croatia Zagreb. After two and a half seasons at the club, he made a move to Austrian side Kärnten in the winter break of the 2000–01 season and left the club after only six months for Croatian side Hrvatski Dragovoljac, where he finished his career in 2002.

With Hajduk Split, he was the top goalscorer of the opening season of the Prva HNL in 1992, scoring 12 goals. He scored a total of 45 goals in the league.

=International=

He was an occasional member of the Croatia national team in the 1990s, making seven international caps and scoring two goals. He made his international debut in a friendly match against Slovakia in April 1994 and also made three appearances in Croatia's qualifying campaign for the UEFA Euro 1996, scoring one goal. He was a member of Croatia's bronze medal-winning squad at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but was left an unused substitute in all of the team's seven matches at the tournament. His last match for Croatia was a friendly against Australia in early June 1998, during the team's preparations for the upcoming World Cup, where he also netted one goal in his team's 7–0 victory.{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=11243|title=Player Database|accessdate=1 October 2022|website=EU-football}}

He also played for Kosovo in unofficial friendly matches against Albania on 14 February 1993 and again on 7 September 2002 against Albania.[https://www.rsssf.org/intldetails/1993e1.html 1993 MATCHES] at RSSSF[http://www.national-football-teams.com/matches/report/10150/Kosovo_Albania.html Kosovo v Albania (2002)] at National football teams

Managerial career

In September 2014 Kozniku became a coach of Shkëndija.{{cite web |url=http://ekipa.mk/ardijan-kozniku-nov-trener-na-shkendija/ |title=Ардијан Кознику – нов тренер на Шкендија |publisher=Ekipa.mk |date=4 September 2014 |access-date=5 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905072811/http://ekipa.mk/ardijan-kozniku-nov-trener-na-shkendija/ |archive-date=5 September 2014 |url-status=dead }} In May 2021, he assisted Ante Miše to the Kuwaiti league title with Al-Arabi.[https://hns-cff.hr/news/22675/mise-i-kozniku-doveli-al-arabi-do-naslova-nakon-19-godina-cekanja/ OSVOJENA KUVAJTSKA TITULA MIŠE I KOZNIKU DOVELI AL ARABI DO NASLOVA NAKON 19 GODINA ČEKANJA] - Croatia FF He later assisted Miše at Saudi Arabian side Al Faisaly FC.[https://sportske.jutarnji.hr/sn/nogomet/hnl/klubovi/hajduk/bivsi-napadac-dinama-i-hajduka-modri-imaju-lijepu-prednost-ali-ne-smiju-se-opustiti-to-donosi-probleme-15277673 Bivši napadač Dinama i Hajduka pomoćnik je Anti Miši u Al-Faisalyju, u Saudijskoj Arabiji] - Sportske Jutarnji {{in lang|hr}}

Diving Federation

Kozniku has served two years as the president of the Croatian Diving Federation.{{cite web | url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Ostalo/tabid/87/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/112154/Default.aspx | title=Diana Kozniku: Skakačko čudo s nogometnim genima (VIDEO) | date=23 September 2010 | access-date=13 October 2012}} His daughter Diana (born 1995{{cite web | url=https://www.tportal.hr/sport/clanak/za-juniorsko-prvenstvo-u-skokovima-u-vodu-trenira-pet-sati-dnevno-20110525#.UHilJ67Rl_M | title=Za juniorsko prvenstvo u skokovima u vodu trenira pet sati dnevno | first=Branko | last=Zadnja | date=25 May 2011 | publisher=tportal.hr | language=hr | access-date=11 January 2020}}), a diver, placed 11th in 1 m springboard at the 2010 European Aquatics Championships.

International goals

:Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kozniku goal.

class="wikitable sortable" \|+ List of international goals scored by Ardian Kozniku
scope="col"\|No. !scope="col"\|Date !scope="col"\|Venue !scope="col"\|Opponent !scope="col"\|Score !scope="col"\|Result !scope="col"\|Competition
align="center"\|1 \|9 October 1994 \|Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia \|{{fb\|Lithuania}} \|align="center"\|2–0 \|align="center"\|2–0 \|Euro 1996 Qualifying
align="center"\|2 \|6 June 1998 \|Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia \|{{fb\|AUS}} \|align="center"\|6–0 \|align="center"\|7–0 \|Friendly

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ List of international goals scored by Ardian Kozniku

scope="col"|No.

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Venue

!scope="col"|Opponent

!scope="col"|Score

!scope="col"|Result

!scope="col"|Competition

align="center"|1

|9 October 1994

|Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia

|{{fb|Lithuania}}

|align="center"|2–0

|Euro 1996 Qualifying

align="center"|2

|6 June 1998

|Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia

|{{fb|AUS}}

|align="center"|6–0

|align="center"|7–0

|Friendly

Honours

;Hajduk Split

;Cannes

Coupe Gambardella: 1995

;Croatia Zagreb

Croatian First League: 1998–99, 1999–00

;Kärnten

;Orders

50px Order of the Croatian Interlace - 1998{{cite news | url = http://www.hrt.hr/arhiv/98/07/12/h2_hrv.html|title = PREDSJEDNIK TUDJMAN ODLIKOVAO HRVATSKU NOGOMETNU REPREZENTACIJU | language = hr | publisher= hrt.hr}}