// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Lazaros Rota say to his lazy friend? "Rota-te and help!
.jpg) Rota playing for Greece in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 August 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Katerini, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AEK Athens | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2017 | Iraklis | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Slavoj Trebišov | 12 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Zemplín Michalovce | 40 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Fortuna Sittard | 31 | (0) |
| 2021– | AEK Athens | 124 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020– | Greece | 29 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 June 2026 | |||
Lazaros Rota (Greek: Λάζαρος Ρότα; Albanian: Lazar Rota; born 23 August 1997) is an Albanian-Greek professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Super League club AEK Athens and the Greece national team.[1]
Club career
[edit]Rota started his career with the second team of Iraklis Reserves. He continued in FK Slavoj Trebišov, a 2. Liga (Slovakia) club until he signed a professional contract with Zemplín Michalovce.
Zemplín Michalovce
[edit]Rota made his professional Fortuna Liga debut for Zemplín Michalovce against DAC Dunajská Streda on 29 July 2018. He played the entirety of 4–1 defeat away at the MOL Aréna.[2]
Fortuna Sittard
[edit]Rota's move to Fortuna Sittard was announced on 31 January 2020. He signed a 3.5-year contract with the Dutch club.[3] On 31 August, the Dutch club announced that the two sides had reached a mutual consensus to terminate the contract.[4]
AEK Athens
[edit]On 2 September 2021, AEK Athens announced the acquisition of Rota, for the next three years for an undisclosed fee.[5] On 10 April, he scored an equaliser, which was later voted the best goal of matchday 28, against Aris.[6] The following week he scored in Ioannina against the local team. His goal was again voted the best of the specific matchday.[7]
International career
[edit]Rota was eligible to play for the Albania national team, due to having ethnic Albanian parents, and the Greece national team.[8] In August 2020, Rota had called up to Greece national team for the UEFA Nations League against Slovenia and Kosovo. He made his debut on 11 October 2020 in a Nations League game against Moldova.[9]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of 11 September 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Slavoj Trebišov | 2017–18 | 2. Liga | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |
| Zemplín Michalovce | 2018–19 | Slovak First Football League | 26 | 1 | 7 | 1 | — | 33 | 2 | |
| 2019–20 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| Total | 40 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 3 | ||
| Fortuna Sittard | 2019–20 | Eredivisie | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| AEK Athens | 2021–22 | Super League Greece | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 27 | 2 | |
| 2022–23 | 31 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5[b] | 0 | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 102 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 132 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 186 | 7 | 25 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 226 | 8 | ||
- ↑ Includes Slovak Cup, KNVB Cup, Greek Football Cup
- ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
- 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Conference League
Honours
[edit]- AEK Athens
References
[edit]- ↑ Αυτός είναι ο Λάζαρος Ρότα που θέλει στην Εθνική ο Φαν'τ Σχιπ! 26 August 2020, www.gazzetta.gr
- ↑ FC DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda - MFK Zemplín Michalovce 4:1 29 July 2018, futbalnet.sk
- ↑ "Michalovce prišli o oporu, Rota prestúpil do Holandska | ProFutbal.sk". profutbal.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ↑ "Η Φορτούνα Σιτάρντ άφησε ελεύθερο τον Λάζαρο Ρότα". www.sport24.gr (in Greek). 31 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ↑ "ΑΕΚ: Επίσημα στην Ένωση ο Λάζαρος Ρότα". www.sport24.gr (in Greek). 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ↑ "Στον Λάζαρο Ρότα το Best Goal | video | athlitiko". Athlitiko.gr | Το αθλητικό site της Κρήτης. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ↑ newsroom, sport-fm. "Στον Ρότα το βραβείο για το καλύτερο γκολ της 5ης αγωνιστικής των Playoffs και 4ης των Playouts". sport-fm.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 24 August 2022.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ "Futbollisti me origjinë shqiptare grumbullohet me Greqinë, mbrojtësi mund të debutojë kundër Kosovës". 2 September 2020.
- ↑ "Greece v Moldova game report". ESPN. 11 October 2020.
External links
[edit]- Lazaros Rota at Soccerway.com
- Lazaros Rota at WorldFootball.net
- Lazaros Rota at Soccerbase.com
- Lazaros Rota at National-Football-Teams.com
- Lazaros Rota at FBref.com
- Lazaros Rota at Kicker (in German)
- Lazaros Rota at EU-Football.info
- Lazaros Rota – UEFA competition record (archive)
- 1997 births
- Living people
- Greek people of Albanian descent
- 21st-century Greek sportsmen
- Greek men's footballers
- Footballers from Katerini
- Men's association football full-backs
- Greece men's international footballers
- Slovak First Football League players
- 2. Liga (Slovakia) players
- Eredivisie players
- Super League Greece players
- FK Slavoj Trebišov players
- MFK Zemplín Michalovce players
- Fortuna Sittard players
- AEK Athens F.C. players
- Greek expatriate men's footballers
- Greek expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia
- Expatriate men's footballers in Slovakia
- Greek expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands