Rey Manaj made his debut with the Barcelona first crew within the preseason of the 2021-22 marketing campaign and did so by scoring three objectives in opposition to Nàstic. Higher cowl letter, inconceivable. Later, he added one other in opposition to Girona, 4 objectives in 117 minutes performed.
They had been (and proceed to be) tough instances for the Barça crew’s coffers. It was the summer time by which Messi left. Piqué lowered his wage in order that the membership may register Memphis, Eric García… and Rey Manaj. He was included within the squad for the primary three league video games (Actual Sociedad, Athletic Membership and Getafe), however remained on the bench. Dashing the switch market that summer time, he went on mortgage to Spezia. “Koeman was relying on me, however I most well-liked to exit to play extra video games,” he acknowledged.
He had already entered one other call-up in 2020, in opposition to Getafe, shortly after signing for the Barça reserve crew from Albacete. The coach was Quique Setién. He did not play both. He didn’t make his debut within the first crew in an official duel, however he did practice many instances. “I felt like I used to be enjoying FIFA on the Ps… but it surely was all actual. For a number of months I had the consideration of operating and coaching alongside Messi. In actuality, I did not speak a lot, however I heard every part. In these days, one other La Liga membership needed me, however Barcelona determined to maintain me. Ultimately I used to be the one who requested to go away. In Barcelona after Messi left there was quite a lot of confusion,” he confessed in an interview within the “Gazzetta dello Sport”.
He was loaned to Spezia, to the nation the place all of it started for him. Rey was born in Albania, in Lushnje, however his dad and mom emigrated to Italy and there he ended up being a part of the Inter Milan youth crew. There he did get to play with the “seniors”, beneath the steerage of Roberto Mancini, however primarily he was loaned to a number of groups: Cremonese, Pescara, Pisa… And to Granada, his first expertise in Spain. The second was Albacete till Barcelona seen him in January 2020.
This second expertise in Italy after leaving the Camp Nou was not passable and his subsequent vacation spot was England, Watford, the place he was hampered by an harm. He solely performed seven video games (275 minutes) and in February 2023 he terminated his contract. At simply 26 years previous, the promising ahead had been left with no crew.
The resurrection in Türkiye
He discovered the lifeline in Turkey, at Sivasspor, the place he has scored 22 objectives in 33 video games. Of them, 18 had been within the League, which positioned him third within the scoring desk, solely behind two classics like Icardi (25) and Dzeko (21). This rebirth will certainly imply that subsequent season he’ll return to a serious league and has opened the doorways of the nationwide crew and the Euro Cup. Sylvinho, the coach, has referred to as him after two years of absence. With Albania, by the way in which, he could not have had a greater debut: in a pleasant in opposition to Kosovo, he got here on within the second half and had time to go from the wing to the realm, as a result of there was a lateral foul in favor of his crew, and end off head when barely ten seconds had handed because the change.
It was, logically, the primary ball he touched. Rey is among the threats that Italy, the defending champion of the title, will encounter right this moment.
