# Maldini Kacurri
**Maldini Kacurri** (born 2005) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a center-back for Grimsby Town in [EFL League Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-league-two).[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri) Born in Lewisham, England, he came through the academies of Fulham and Arsenal, made one senior Arsenal appearance in the [EFL Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-cup), and moved to Grimsby Town in January 2026 after loan spells at Bromley and [Morecambe](https://www.edgepedia.org/morecambe).[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/) • [3](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2005, Lewisham, England; Albanian nationality[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/) |
| Position | Defender, center-back; right-footed[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri) |
| Arsenal senior record | One EFL Cup appearance, 20 minutes as a substitute against Bolton Wanderers on 25 September 2024; zero league appearances[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/) • [3](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career) |
| Loans | Bromley (2024/25, 3 League Two apps, 123 minutes); Morecambe (2025/26, 18 National League apps, 1,570 minutes, 1 goal, 1 red card)[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career) |
| Grimsby Town | Joined January 2026; 18 League Two appearances in 2025/26, then 8 league appearances (720 minutes, all starts) in 2026/27[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri) |
| International | Full Albania international; one international friendly appearance in 2025-26[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/) |
| Height | 1.83 m[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/) |
## Youth career and Arsenal
Kacurri began in Fulham's academy before moving to Arsenal's academy in 2022.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/) • [4](https://www.bola.net/profile/maldini_kacurri/) He progressed through Arsenal's age-group teams, appearing in the U18 Premier League, FA Youth Cup, UEFA Youth League, and Premier League 2; the Opta career record shows 14 U18 Premier League appearances in 2022/23 and 13 in 2023/24, all as a defender.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career)
His senior Arsenal involvement was brief. He was first named on the substitutes' bench on 15 September 2024 in a Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur, and made his only competitive first-team appearance on 25 September 2024, coming on for 20 minutes in a 5-1 League Cup third-round win over Bolton Wanderers.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/) Across 2024/25 he sat on the Premier League bench four times without playing and added two [EFL Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-trophy) appearances for Arsenal's side in that competition, but made no league appearance for the club.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career)
## Loans: Bromley and Morecambe
**Bromley, 2024/25.** Kacurri joined Bromley on loan on 3 February 2025, returning to Arsenal at the end of May 2025. The spell produced 3 League Two appearances and 123 minutes, with two of the appearances as a substitute.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/) • [3](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career)
**Morecambe, 2025/26.** A season-long loan to Morecambe in the [National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-league) gave him his first sustained senior football: 18 league appearances, 1,570 minutes, one goal, one assist, five yellow cards, and one red card.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career) A scouting report by [Shaun Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaun-thomas), an EFL scout writing as Scout Theory, judged him an integral part of a struggling Morecambe backline and not a chief architect of the team's defensive problems, describing a physical "enforcer" who wins individual battles with his frame but shows weaknesses in mobility on the turn and acceleration over the first five yards.[5](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maldini-kacurri-eye-test-6-shaun-thomas-uacke) The same report ranked him in the upper percentiles among League Two center-backs for interceptions, progressive passing, and duels, and graded him "B - Monitor Going Forward".[5](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maldini-kacurri-eye-test-6-shaun-thomas-uacke) Arsenal recalled him from the loan in January 2026.[5](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maldini-kacurri-eye-test-6-shaun-thomas-uacke)
## Grimsby Town
Kacurri switched to Grimsby Town in January 2026 from Arsenal, for whom he had made zero league appearances.[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri) He became a regular immediately: across the rest of 2025/26 he made 18 League Two appearances for Grimsby, and the club reached the promotion play-offs, in which he played 90 minutes at center-back in the semi-final defeat to Salford City FC on 10 May 2026.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career) • [6](https://fbref.com/en/players/7be4311f/matchlogs/2025-2026/Maldini-Kacurri-Match-Logs) Combining both clubs, his 2025/26 season totaled 36 League Two and National League games with one goal and one assist.[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri)
In 2026/27 he started all eight of his League Two appearances, accumulating 720 minutes, with two yellow cards and no goals or assists by late September.[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri) FotMob's season data for the same campaign shows 68 clearances, 33 aerial duels won (58.9 percent), and four clean sheets among his first nine matches.[7](https://www.fotmob.com/players/1531739/maldini-kacurri)
## International career
Kacurri represents Albania, the country of his family, and has progressed from youth international to full international.[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri) • [5](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maldini-kacurri-eye-test-6-shaun-thomas-uacke) The 11v11 record lists one appearance for Albania in an international friendly in 2025-26.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/)
## Playing style
Scouting coverage describes Kacurri as a right-footed, physically strong stopper who is comfortable circulating the ball in deep build-up but limited when asked to pass long, and whose aggression can lead to over-committing and leaving space behind the defensive line.[5](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maldini-kacurri-eye-test-6-shaun-thomas-uacke) The report suggested his lack of lateral agility may eventually suit a central center-back role in a back three rather than the right center-back position he occupied at Morecambe.[5](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maldini-kacurri-eye-test-6-shaun-thomas-uacke)
## References
1. [Maldini Kacurri, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri)
2. [Maldini Kacurri Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/maldini-kacurri-276723/)
3. [Maldini Kacurri Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/3777/maldini-kacurri/career)
4. [Profil Terbaru Maldini Kacurri, Bola.net](https://www.bola.net/profile/maldini_kacurri/)
5. [Maldini Kacurri - The Eye Test #6, Shaun Thomas, LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maldini-kacurri-eye-test-6-shaun-thomas-uacke)
6. [2025-2026 Maldini Kacurri Match Logs, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/players/7be4311f/matchlogs/2025-2026/Maldini-Kacurri-Match-Logs)
7. [Maldini Kacurri - stats, career and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/players/1531739/maldini-kacurri)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license