Ernest Muçi (; born 19 March 2001) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Trabzonspor and the Albania national team. He is known for his versatility, technical ability, and scoring from long range.
A product of KF Tirana's youth academy, Muçi made his senior debut in 2018 and contributed to the club's promotion back to the Kategoria Superiore, later establishing himself as a regular first-team player and contributing to their 25th league title. In February 2021, he joined Polish side Legia Warsaw, winning the Ekstraklasa in his first season as well as the Polish Cup in 2023. After making over 100 appearances, Muçi left the club in February 2024 to join Beşiktaş for a reported 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, winning the Turkish Cup before completing a permanent move to the club in May 2026.
Muçi represented Albania at under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels before making his senior debut at the age of 20 during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He was also part of Albania's successful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, in which the team finished as group leaders, and was subsequently named in the squad for the finals, making two appearances.
Club career Tirana
Born in Albania's capital Tirana, Muçi began playing football at the age of 10 with local youth sides before joining KF Tirana in 2017, the club he supported growing up. He joined the club's under-17 side before being promoted to the senior squad in January 2018. On 28 January, he made his professional debut at the age of 16 years and 10 months, coming on as a 56th-minute substitute in a 3–0 home win over Shkumbini in the 2017–18 Kategoria e Parë. He scored his first senior goal on 3 March in a 4–1 victory over Shënkolli, netting in the 78th minute shortly after being introduced from the bench. Later that month, he scored twice in a 5–1 home win over Apolonia Fier. In April, he signed his first professional contract with Tirana, keeping him at the club until summer 2020 with an option for an additional year. He made 11 appearances and scored three goals during the season, as Tirana won the Kategoria e Parë title with a 2–0 victory over Kastrioti in the final on 16 May 2018, earning promotion to the Kategoria Superiore.
Muçi made his Kategoria Superiore debut on 2 September 2018, scoring in a 3–1 away defeat to Kukësi after replacing Yunus Sentamu at half-time. He made eight league appearances during the 2018–19 season, starting once, as Tirana finished seventh, five points clear of the relegation places. He also made three appearances in the Albanian Cup, including a late substitute appearance in the second leg of the semi-final against Luftëtari Gjirokastër, as Tirana advanced to the final with a 5–3 aggregate victory. During the same period, he also played for the under-19 side, scoring four goals in 11 matches between September and March as they finished third in Group A of the national youth league.
In the 2019–20 season, Muçi was frequently used as a substitute but was among Tirana's most productive players relative to his playing time. On 22 December 2019, he scored twice in a 2–1 comeback victory over Laçi. On 28 February 2020, he came on in the 76th minute and scored twice in the closing stages, in the 81st and 90th minutes, as Tirana defeated Partizani 5–1 in the Tirana derby. In the following derby on 10 July, he came on in the 87th minute and scored in stoppage time to secure a 1–1 draw for Tirana. On 18 July, he scored from the penalty spot in a 2–0 victory over Flamurtari, moving Tirana seven points clear of Kukësi. The following day, Vllaznia's 1–0 victory over Kukësi mathematically secured Tirana's 25th league title with two matches remaining. Muçi finished the league campaign with 20 appearances, including seven starts, and seven goals in a season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He credited coach Ndubuisi Egbo with giving young players greater freedom and confidence during the title-winning campaign. Muçi was the Albanian Cup's top scorer with five goals as Tirana reached a second consecutive final, where they lost to Teuta. He scored 12 goals in all competitions, a personal best. On 31 August 2020, he played the full 90 minutes in the Albanian Supercup final against Teuta, which Tirana lost 2–1.
Following the departure of main striker Michael Ngoo at the start of the 2020–21 season, Muçi became a regular starter, beginning with Tirana's UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match against Dinamo Tbilisi on 19 August. Tirana won 2–0 away from home to advance to the second qualifying round, with the qualifying rounds played as single-leg ties under special regulations introduced by UEFA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second qualifying round, Muçi played the full 90 minutes against Red Star Belgrade, as Tirana were eliminated following a 1–0 home defeat on 25 August, where he had also two chances to score, including a shot from outside the box that was saved onto the post. Tirana subsequently entered the Europa League play-off round, where Muçi started against Young Boys on 1 October and played until the 85th minute in a 3–0 defeat that ended their European campaign. On 17 October, he signed a new one-year contract with Tirana.
In November 2020, Muçi scored four times, initially a brace in a 4–1 Albanian Cup victory over Shkumbini, before scoring in consecutive league matches, equalising in a 3–2 defeat to Vllaznia on 21 November and then opening the scoring in a 1–1 draw away to Kastrioti eight days later. The following month, he scored in a 3–0 victory over Apolonia Fier on 13 December and opened the scoring in a 1–1 draw against Vllaznia on 30 December. On 16 January 2021, Muçi scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Kastrioti, completing Tirana's comeback six minutes into the second half. Muçi played in all 20 of Tirana's league matches during the first half of the 2020–21 Kategoria Superiore season, establishing himself as one of the team's regular attacking options. 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, before joining Legia Warsaw.
Legia Warsaw
On 23 February 2021, Muçi joined Polish champions Legia Warsaw, signing a contract until 30 June 2025. The transfer fee was reported to be €500,000, while Tirana retained a 10 percent sell-on clause for any future transfer. He made his debut four days later as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 away victory over Górnik Zabrze. During the remainder of the season, he made seven league appearances, including two starts, as Legia secured their 15th Ekstraklasa title. He also made one appearance in the Polish Cup, coming on in the final 10 minutes of the quarter-final against Gliwice on 3 March 2021, as Legia lost 2–1. Muçi started in the 2021 Polish Super Cup on 17 July 2021 against Raków Częstochowa, playing 58 minutes before being substituted off with the score at 0–1, as Legia later equalised but eventually lost 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
He scored his first goal for the club on 24 July 2021, netting a late winner against Wisła Płock on the opening day of the 2021–22 Ekstraklasa season. On 4 August, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in the third qualifying round, equalising in a 1–1 draw away to Dinamo Zagreb. He appeared as a substitute in the second leg, as Legia were eliminated 2–1 on aggregate. Legia then entered the UEFA Europa League play-off, where Muçi came on for the final 11 minutes of a 2–1 win over Slavia Prague that secured a 4–3 aggregate victory and a place in the group stage. He provided an assist on his Europa League group-stage debut against Spartak Moscow on 15 September, contributing to a 1–0 away victory. He went on to make three further appearances in the group stage, including two starts, against Napoli twice and Leicester City once, but Legia lost all three matches, conceding three or four goals in each and scoring twice in total. On 22 March 2022, he scored in the 86th minute of a 2–0 win over Górnik Łęczna in the 2021–22 Polish Cup quarter-finals, helping Legia reach the semi-finals. He finished the season with six goals in 36 appearances across all competitions, while Legia finished tenth in the league.
In the 2022–23 season, Muçi became an established starter under Kosta Runjaić, contributing to a significant turnaround for Legia after a disappointing previous campaign, as the club finished runners-up in the Ekstraklasa and won the Polish Cup. He made 24 starts and eight substitute appearances in 34 Ekstraklasa matches. He scored on the opening matchday against Korona Kielce on 16 July 2022 in a 1–1 draw. He scored five league goals. In the Cup, Muçi featured in all rounds except the quarter-finals, scoring once in four appearances as Legia reached the final. In the final on 2 May against Raków Częstochowa, Muçi was substituted in the 43rd minute following a tactical change after Legia were reduced to ten men early in the match, which eventually finished 0–0, with Legia winning 6–5 on penalties to secure the trophy. Muçi started in the Super Cup on 15 July 2023 against Raków Częstochowa and was substituted in the 64th minute as Legia went on to win on penalties after a 0–0 draw.
On 10 August 2023, Muçi scored his first goal of the 2023–24 season against Austria Vienna in the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round, adding another in the return leg as Legia advanced to the group stage with a 6–5 aggregate. On 3 September, he scored twice in a 3–1 league victory over Widzew Łódź, taking his tally to four goals in the opening seven matches of the season. He scored again the following week, equalising in the 69th minute of a 1–1 away draw against Piast Gliwice. Five days later, he scored twice in a 3–2 victory over Aston Villa in the Conference League group stage, and was highlighted as the decisive figure in the win. His performances also reflected his increasing versatility in Legia's attack, with Muçi later describing himself as capable of playing as a striker, attacking midfielder, false nine or winger, while crediting captain Josué with helping his development. On 25 November, Muçi scored in a 2–2 draw against Warta Poznań, equalising in the 63rd minute after earlier winning the penalty from which Josué scored to reduce Legia's deficit; his performance earned him the Sofascore player-of-the-match award with a rating of 8.4. Five days later, Muçi scored again against Aston Villa, equalising in the 58th minute of a 2–1 defeat at Villa Park. On 14 December 2023, Muçi started and played 87 minutes in a 2–0 victory over AZ Alkmaar, completing appearances in all six of Legia's group-stage matches as the club finished second in Group E and advanced to the Conference league knockout stage. During the first half of the season, Muçi scored nine goals in 33 appearances across all competitions before departing for Turkey to join Beşiktaş.
Beşiktaş
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. Beşiktaş president Hasan Arat accompanied Muçi on a private jet from Warsaw to Istanbul. Muçi quickly established himself as a regular starter, making his debut three days after signing and subsequently starting 12 consecutive Süper Lig matches.