Kyrgyz club Bishkek City have signed 31-year-old Albanian midfielder Valon Ahmedi, one of the most decorated players to arrive in the Kyrgyz Premier League.

Ahmedi’s career has followed an uneven path. Born in North Macedonia to Albanian parents and developed in Italy, he began in Slovenia before reaching his peak years in Belarus. Now he is preparing for a new chapter in Kyrgyzstan.

He first came to prominence at Slovenian side Celje. Over two seasons Ahmedi established himself as a key figure and earned a move to the country’s leading club, Maribor, whose sporting director at the time was the legendary Zlatko Zahovic.

At Maribor, however, he never fully settled. Injuries interrupted his momentum and competition for places was fierce, though the coaching staff continued to trust him in European matches. The Balkan press were less forgiving, with Zahovic criticised for failing to make the most of his talent.

It was still a productive spell. Ahmedi won the Slovenian league and cup, earned his first Albania call-ups and featured twice in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, including against Italy. Zahovic later said the club had helped him overhaul his lifestyle and become a professional.

“Ahmedi was with us for a long time and had a lot of injuries, but his talent was never in doubt. We identified problems in his diet, he changed it and began living differently. Today he is almost a new player — a new person and a professional who is a pleasure to watch,” Zahovic said.

Maribor later allowed him to leave and he moved to Israel, becoming one of Kiryat Shmona’s leading creators. After a year he returned to Europe with Croatia’s Inter Zapresic but struggled to establish himself and opted to play at home with Shkendija.

He quickly became a regular starter and in early 2021 joined Belarusian side Shakhtyor. That season the club won both league and cup, while Shkendija lifted the title in North Macedonia — making it a hugely successful year for Ahmedi.

In Soligorsk he reached his peak valuation of €750,000, according to Transfermarkt. Former coach Sergei Gurenko later admitted he found Ahmedi difficult to manage and spent a long time searching for the right approach. Ahmedi remained at the club for more than three years and collected another league title.

The club later fell into crisis and effectively disappeared. Ahmedi said Shakhtyor would always remain close to his heart but declined to discuss possible debts or a falling-out with coach Stanislav Suvorov, who had dropped him to the bench.

In 2024 Ahmedi returned to Shkendija but faced stiffer competition and no longer had a guaranteed starting role. At the start of 2025 he moved to Rabotnicki, winning bronze medals and collecting another title as part of Shkendija’s championship squad.

That summer he joined Belarusian club Neman, where Amantur Shamurzaev was also playing. The move attracted scepticism from Gurenko, who publicly questioned Ahmedi’s profile and demand in Europe.

“I don’t know what shape he is in, but he’s not my type of player. I value discipline and organisation. Maybe Neman will find a way to work with him. But why isn’t he wanted elsewhere in Europe? If he were truly in demand, he would be playing even in Italy’s second or third tier. You have an EU passport. Coming to Grodno… maybe the beer is good, the girls are pretty — I don’t know. I never figured him out. He was always full of excuses. He would miss six games and everything fell apart. He was the most difficult player I have ever worked with,” Gurenko said.

The prediction proved accurate. Ahmedi struggled for minutes at Neman and left at the end of the season.

He has now joined Bishkek City, a club undergoing a rebuild after a disappointing year.

Despite criticism and his reputation as a demanding character, Ahmedi has the quality to become a leading figure. The squad is young and he could emerge as its creative hub, dictating tempo, delivering the final pass and linking midfield and attack.

Freedom on the pitch will be crucial — and that is where the main risk lies. Zahovic and Gurenko were unable to fully unlock him, while Suvorov preferred to keep him on the bench. Bishkek City’s current head coach is 31-year-old Nikita Gunderin, who has no previous experience at senior professional level. In such a pairing, tension could affect the dressing-room atmosphere.

Ahmedi could yet become captain and the face of a new project. But his relationship with the coaching staff appears the defining — and perhaps only — major risk of this transfer.

Apart, perhaps, from Kyrgyz cuisine. Zahovic once said Ahmedi had struggled with diet.