Ernest Muçi (Albanian pronunciation: [ɛɾnɛst mutʃi]; born 19 March 2001) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor, on loan from Beşiktaş, and the Albania national team.[1][2] He is known for his versatility, technical ability, and scoring from long range.[3][4][5]
A product of KF Tirana’s youth academy, Muçi made his senior debut in 2018 and played an important role in helping the club return to the Kategoria Superiore, later contributing to their 25th league title. In February 2021, he joined Poland's Legia Warsaw, winning Ekstraklasa in his first season as well as the Polish Cup in 2023. After over 100 appearances, Muçi left the club in February 2024 to join Beşiktaş for a club-record transfer fee of €10 million, winning the Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup in his first months with the team. The following year, he joined Trabzonspor on loan for the 2025–26 season in search of regular first-team play.
Muçi represented Albania at under-19 and under-21 levels before making his senior debut at the age of 20 in 2021 during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He was also part of the team's successful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign as Albania qualified for the tournament as group leaders, subsequently being named in the squad for the finals.
Born in Albania's capital Tirana, Muçi began playing football at the age of 10 with local sides Tulipanët and Dinamo Tirana, before joining KF Tirana in 2017, the club he supported growing up.[2][6] He initially joined the club's under-17 side, and in January 2018 received his first call-up to the senior squad for a mid-season training camp in Turkey.[7]
Muçi made his professional debut at the age of 16 years and 10 months on 28 January 2018, coming on as a 56th-minute substitute for Bedri Greca in a 3–0 home win against Shkumbini in the 2017–18 Kategoria e Parë.[8] He scored his first senior goal on 3 March 2018 in a 4–1 victory over Shënkolli, netting in the 78th minute shortly after being introduced from the bench.[9] Later that month, he scored twice in a 5–1 home win against Apolonia.[10] He finished the campaign with 11 appearances and three goals, helping Tirana win the championship and secure promotion back to the Kategoria Superiore.
He made his top-flight debut on 2 September 2018, scoring in a 3–1 away defeat to Kukësi after coming on as a half-time substitute for Yunus Sentamu.[11] During the 2018–19 season, Muçi made eight league appearances and scored once as Tirana narrowly avoided relegation. While featuring sporadically for the first team, he was a regular for the under-19 side, scoring four goals in eleven matches as they finished third in Group A of the national youth league.[2]
In the 2019–20 season, Muçi became one of the club’s most promising young players as Tirana won their 25th league title. Although often used as a substitute,[12] he made decisive contributions, including braces in the 2–1 away win over Laçi on 22 December 2019,[13] and in the 5–1 derby victory over Partizani on 28 February 2020.[14] He ended the campaign with 12 goals in all competitions, setting a personal best.
At the start of the 2020–21 season, Muçi signed a new one-year contract with Tirana.[15] Following the departure of main striker Michael Ngoo, he became a regular starter and made 20 league appearances in the first half of the campaign.[16] He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–1 Albanian Cup win over Shkumbini,[17] and his first league goal in a 3–2 defeat against Vllaznia on 21 November 2020.[18] In February 2021, Tirana announced his departure after more than three years with the club, during which he scored 23 goals and won two trophies.[19]
On 23 February 2021, Muçi signed with Polish champions Legia Warsaw.[20] The club reportedly paid €500,000 for his transfer, with Tirana entitled to ten percent of the amount from the player's next sale.[21] Muçi made his debut four days later in a 2–1 away win over Górnik Zabrze, coming off the bench in the second half.[22] He ended the season scoreless in seven appearances, starting twice, as Legia won their 15th Ekstraklasa title.
Muçi scored his first goal for the club on 24 July 2021, a winner against Wisła Płock on the opening day of the 2021–22 season.[23] On 4 August, he netted his first ever UEFA Champions League goal in the third qualifying round away against Dinamo Zagreb, equalizing late in a 1–1 draw.[24] Although Legia were eliminated after the return leg 1–2 on aggregate, they eventually managed to advance to the Europa League group stage.[25] He registered an assist in his first Europa League group match against Spartak Moscow on 15 September, which Legia won 1–0.[26] He finished the season with six goals in 36 appearances as Legia ended tenth in the league.
In the 2022–23 season, Muçi became a regular starter under manager Kosta Runjaić. He scored on the opening day against Korona Kielce, in a 1–1 draw.[27] He made 37 appearances and scored six goals as Legia won the Polish Cup and finished third in the league.
Muçi began the 2023–24 season on 21 July in a 3–0 victory over ŁKS Łódź. He scored his first goal of the season in the UECL third qualifying round against Austria Vienna on 10 August, and added another in the return leg as Legia advanced to the group stage.[28][29][30] On 21 September, he scored twice in a 3–2 win over Aston Villa in the group stage.[31] He concluded the campaign with nine goals in 34 appearances, totaling 21 goals and three trophies during his time with Legia Warsaw.
On 9 February 2024, Süper Lig club Beşiktaş announced the signing of Muçi on a three-and-a-half-year contract, for a reported fee of €10 million, with Legia retaining a 10% sell-on clause.[32] Club president Hasan Arat personally flew to Warsaw to accompany Muçi to Istanbul on a private jet.[33] The transfer made him the club’s most expensive player ever.[34] Muçi made his debut on 12 February in a 0–0 draw against Kayserispor,[35] and scored his first goal on 25 February in a 2–0 win over İstanbulspor.[36] He concluded his first half-season with four goals in 17 appearances and helped Beşiktaş win the Turkish Cup.
At the start of the 2024–25 season, following the arrival of Portuguese forward Rafa Silva, Muçi struggled to secure a consistent starting position under newly appointed manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.[37] Media reports linked him with potential moves to Aston Villa and West Ham United,[38][39] but he ultimately remained at the club. He opened his scoring account for the season on 18 August in a 4–2 win over Antalyaspor.[40] Despite flashes of form, he was criticized by sections of the media and former club officials for inconsistency.[41][42] Following a poor run of results, van Bronckhorst was dismissed in January 2025 and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjær.[43] Solskjær publicly backed Muçi, describing him as a “talented player with potential” and expressing his intention to help him develop.[44] Muçi finished the season with 38 appearances and seven goals in all competitions, as Beşiktaş ended the campaign winning only the Turkish Super Cup.
On 6 September 2025, Beşiktaş sent Muçi on loan to Trabzonspor until the end of the 2025–26 season, with an option to make the move permanent;[45] the loan included a fee of €1 million and a purchase option, with a potential permanent transfer fee of €8.5 million plus VAT.[46] Shortly after joining, Muçi made his debut as a substitute on 14 September against Fenerbahçe in a 1–0 loss,[47] and during the opening weeks of the season he featured in a limited number of matches, generally from the bench, as he adapted to his new surroundings and sought more consistent playing time.[48][49]
Muçi began his international career in May 2018 when Albania under-19 manager Erjon Bogdani called him up for friendlies against Kosovo, during which he made his debut.[50] On 8 September 2018, he scored his first goal for the under-19 side in a 1–0 friendly win over Iceland at the Roza Haxhiu Stadium.[51]
In September 2020, Muçi received his first call-up to the Albania under-21 team by coach Alban Bushi. He scored twice in a 5–1 victory over Austria during the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers on 4 September.[52] On 7 October 2021, he netted another brace in a 2–0 win against Andorra.[53]
Muçi was first called up to the senior national team by Edoardo Reja on 28 August 2021 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Poland, but did not make an appearance.[54] He made his senior debut on 15 November 2021 in another qualifier against Andorra.[55]
Under head coach Sylvinho, Muçi became a regular member of the national squad during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. He made four substitute appearances and scored his first senior international goal in a 3–1 win over the Faroe Islands on 20 June 2023, contributing modestly as Albania finished first in their group and qualified for the finals only for the second time in their history.[47][56][47] He added two more goals in friendlies against Bulgaria on 17 October 2023 and Liechtenstein on 3 June 2024.[57][58]
In June 2024, Muçi was named in Albania’s final 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[59]
In a late 2019 interview, Muçi revealed that Real Madrid was his favorite club and named Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol, noting that he frequently watched videos of the Portuguese star as a child, a habit he continued as an adult as well.[60]
Muçi is in a relationship with Klea Verri, an Albanian basketball player who plays for Tirana. They have reportedly been together since high school. While Muçi plays football in Turkey, his partner supports him from Albania as she continues her own sports career.[61] In May 2025, it was revealed that they were expecting their first child, a piece of news that Klea herself shared on social media through a photo showing her baby bump.[62]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tirana | 2017–18 | Kategoria e Parë | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19 | Kategoria Superiore | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20 | Kategoria Superiore | 20 | 7 | 7 | 5 | — | — | 27 | 12 | |||
| 2020–21 | Kategoria Superiore | 20 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 25 | 7 | |
| Total | 59 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 74 | 23 | ||
| Tirana B | 2019–20 | Kategoria e Dytë | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Legia Warsaw | 2020–21 | Ekstraklasa | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ekstraklasa | 24 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8[d] | 1 | 1[e] | 0 | 36 | 6 | |
| 2022–23 | Ekstraklasa | 32 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 6 | |||
| 2023–24 | Ekstraklasa | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12[f] | 5 | 1[e] | 0 | 34 | 9 | |
| Total | 81 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 114 | 21 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 27 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8[g] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 7 | |
| 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 1 | 0 | — | 5[h] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Total | 41 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 11 | ||
| Trabzonspor (loan) | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 187 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 36 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 255 | 55 | ||
| Team | Year | Competitive | Friendly | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Albania U19 | 2018 | 2[a] | 0 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1[b] | 0 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 6 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 7 | |
| Albania U21 | 2020 | 4[c] | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 4[d] | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2022 | 3[d] | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 11 | 4 | — | 11 | 4 | ||
| Albania | 2021 | 1[e] | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 4[f] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 5[g] | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1[h] | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 11 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 3 | |
| Career total | 25 | 5 | 19 | 9 | 44 | 14 | |
| Indicates Albania won the match | |
| Indicates the match ended in a draw (a penalty shootout is statistically a draw regardless of shootout results) | |
| Indicates Albania lost the match |
| No. | Cap | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 20 June 2023 | Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands |  Faroe Islands |
3–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [65] |
| 2 | 6 | 17 October 2023 | Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania |  Bulgaria |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [66] |
| 3 | 10 | 3 June 2024 | Haladás Sportkomplexum, Szombathely, Hungary |  Liechtenstein |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [67] |
Tirana
Legia Warsaw
Beşiktaş
 | ||
