Myrto Uzuni (born 31 May 1995) is an Albanian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a winger for Spanish club

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

and the Albania national team.

Club career

Early career

Uzuni was born in

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in th ...

but moved to

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Za ...

, Greece along with his family as a child, where he remained for six years until 2012, which is when he returned to his hometown Berat. He joined his local side Tomori and began playing for the club's under-17 side, where he was the 2012–13 under-17 First Division top goalscorer with 14 goals. The following season he scored four times in his first four games, before joining the under-19 side for a football tournament in Spain in September 2013. Tomori won the tournament and Uzuni was the top goalscorer with seven goals, which led to a call up to the senior team by the head coach Madrid Muxhaj.

Tomori

He made his professional debut in an

Albanian Cup The Albanian Cup ( sq, Kupa e Shqipërisë) is the main "knockout" competition in Albanian football. The competition started in 1939 as Kupa e Mbretit (English:"The King's Cup"). Just after a year the cup was suspended as the Second World War st ...

fixture against Pogradeci on 24 October 2013, where he came on as a 53rd-minute substitute for Fatjon Lajthia in the goalless draw. He quickly became an important first team player for the under-19s, but he was once again called up to the senior team for the return leg of the Albanian Cup fixture against Pogradeci. Uzuni started the game and he quickly marked his first start with his first senior goal in the second minute, before adding a 71st-minute winner in the 3–2 win that saw his side progress to the next round of the cup. He soon made his league debut in the

Kategoria e Parë Kategoria e Parë is the second level of professional football in Albania, behind the Kategoria Superiore and above the Kategoria e Dytë. Format Kategoria e Parë was founded in 1930. It is made up of 14 teams. The 2 best ranked teams gain prom ...

against Veleçiku on 14 December 2013 in a 1–0 away win, where he came on at half time for

Salvador Gjonaj Salvador Gjonaj (born 26 September 1992) is an Albanian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up att ...

. Overall, he made 11 league appearances and scored one goal to help his side finish in 4th place, as well as adding two goals in four Albanian Cup games in his debut professional season, taking his tally to three goals in 15 games. Having established himself in the first team during the second half of the previous season under Madrid Muxhaj, the club saw a change of management as Eqerem Memushi took charge of the squad ahead of the 2014–15 campaign. The new head coach showed faith in the young player, by starting him in the opening game of the season in a 1–0 win against Shkumbini. He continued to remain in the first team with his good displays, and in December he scored twice in 11 days before the winter break. His performances throughout 2014 won him the Tomori Player of the Year award, which was given to the player shortly before he would go on to join top flight side Apolonia in the January transfer window of 2015.

Apolonia

In January 2015 Uzuni joined

Kategoria Superiore The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...

side Apolonia by penning a four-year contract.

Laçi

On 17 August 2017, after being a target of several top flight clubs, Uzuni completed a transfer to Laçi for €20,000. On the same day, he played and scored in a friendly against

Iliria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

which ended 2–2. He made his competitive debut later on 10 September in

2017–18 Kategoria Superiore The 2017–18 Albanian Superliga was the 79th official season, or 82nd season of top-tier football in Albania (including three unofficial championships during World War II) and the 18th season under the name Kategoria Superiore. The season began ...

matchday 1 against Partizani, playing full-90 minutes as Laçi caused an upset by winning 2–0. He opened his scoring account on 21 October in the matchday 6 against Lushnja which finished in a 3–0 win with lifted Laçi in 3rd place in championship. Later on 10 December, Uzuni scored his second of the season – the lone goal of the match versus Skënderbeu – to end the latter's undefeated streak in league. It was Laçi's first league win over Skënderbeu since April 2015. He scored his first top flight brace later on 14 March of the following year in the 3–1 win at Lushnja; he also hit the crossbar twice and had a goal canceled for offside. He has scored seven goals with three different teams at Roza Haxhiu Stadium, thus making his favourite stadium to score. In the final matchday, Uzuni scored a brace in the 4–2 home win over Teuta which gave him ten for the campaign, as Laçi finished in 4th place to return to

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

for the first time in three years. In July 2018, Uzuni was included in manager

Besnik Prenga Besnik Prenga (born 5 June 1969) is an Albanian retired football player and current coach who most recently managed Laçi in the Albanian Superliga. Club career Prenga played the majority of his career in Croatia. He was at Dinamo Zagreb between ...

squad list for the

2018–19 UEFA Europa League The 2018–19 UEFA Europa League was the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played at the Olympic St ...

campaign. He made his debut in the competition on 12 July in the first leg of

first qualifying round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

versus

Anorthosis Famagusta Anorthosis Famagusta ( el, Ανόρθωση Αμμοχώστου, translit=Anorthosi Ammochostou), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Anorthosis Famagusta multi-sport club fou ...

. He played the entire match as Laçi lost 2–1. In the returning leg, he scored an 89th-minute header to give Laçi the 1–0 home win and progression to next round through away goal rule. Uzuni's final match for the team occurred on 31 August 2018 in the 1–1 draw versus

Skënderbeu , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

where he scored the opener with a powerful shot inside the penalty area.

NK Lokomotiva

On 3 September 2018, Uzuni moved for the first time aboard and joined the Croatian club

NK Lokomotiva Nogometni klub Lokomotiva Zagreb ( en, Lokomotiva Zagreb Football Club), commonly known as Lokomotiva Zagreb or simply Lokomotiva, is a Croatian professional association football, football club based in Zagreb. It competes in the Croatian First ...

by signing a four-year contract. Laçi reportedly earned

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

350,000 which Lokomotiva will pay in two installments. He took squad number 21, and made his competitive debut on 16 September in the 5–2 hammering of

Slaven Belupo Nogometni klub Slaven Belupo ( en, Slaven Belupo Football Club), often referred to as NK Slaven Belupo, Slaven Belupo or simply Slaven, and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian professional football club based in the city ...

, setting up a goal. His maiden goal for the club came in his third league appearance, a 3–0 win at Gorica.

Ferencváros

On 7 August 2020, Uzuni joined

Nemzeti Bajnokság I The Nemzeti Bajnokság (, "National Championship"), also known as NB I, is the top level of the Hungarian football league system. The league is officially named OTP Bank Liga after its title sponsor OTP Bank. UEFA currently ranks the league 28th ...

champions

Ferencváros Ferencváros () is the 9th district of Budapest ( hu, Budapest IX. kerülete), Hungary. Name The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary. History The development of Fe ...

on a four-year deal for a reported fee of $1.98 million. In Ferencváros's

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

third qualifying round match against

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...

on 16 September, Uzuni scored an own goal to draw the sides level at 1–1 in the first half but then netted a 65th-minute winner to set up a two-legged play-off tie against

Molde Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the m ...

for entrance into the group stage. On 29 September 2020, he was member of the Ferencváros team which qualified for the

2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage The 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage began on 20 October 2020 and ended on 9 December 2020. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout phase of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League. Krasnodar, ...

after beating Molde on 3–3 aggregate (away goals) at the

Groupama Aréna Groupama an abbreviation for Groupe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles ( en , Group of Mutual Agricultural Insurances) is a French insurance group headquartered in Paris with operations in 10 countries. It is listed in the 2007 ICA Global 300 ...

. On 24 November 2020, Uzuni scored his first Champions League goal in a 2–1 away defeat against

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...

in the 2020–21 season. On 20 April 2021, Ferencváros won the 2020-21 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season by beating archrival

Újpest FC Újpest Football Club () is a Hungarian professional association football, football club, based in Újpest, Budapest, that competes in Nemzeti Bajnokság I. Formed in 1885, Újpest reached the first division of the Hungarian League in Nemzeti ...

3–0 at the

Groupama Arena Groupama an abbreviation for Groupe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles ( en , Group of Mutual Agricultural Insurances) is a French insurance group headquartered in Paris with operations in 10 countries. It is listed in the 2007 ICA Global 300 ...

. The goals were scored by Uzuni (third and 77th minute) and Tokmac Nguen (30th minute).

Granada

On 31 January 2022, Uzuni moved to Spanish

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

side

on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

International career

Youth

Following some impressive performances in the

Albanian Superliga The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...

with Apolonia, he received his first international call up by Albania under-21s head coach

Skënder Gega Skënder Gega (born 14 November 1963) is an Albanian retired football player and current manager. Playing career Club Gega played the majority of his career at Partizani, an Albanian team, whilst also having a two-year stint with German side ...

in the squad from home league

to participate in for a 3-days mini preparatory stage in

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

from 22–25 February 2015. He was called up then in March 2015 for the opening 2017 UEFA U21 Championship qualifier against

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

on 28 March 2015. He was given the number 10 shirt for his international debut and he started in midfield. He played the full 90 minutes in the 2–0 away victory to get Albania off to a winning start thanks to the goals of Rey Manaj and Liridon Latifi. Later on 20 May 2016, Uzuni scored his first goal with under-21 side in a friendly against

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, netting his team's only goal in the 1–1 draw.

Senior

Uzuni received his first senior call-up on 2 October 2018 by manager

Christian Panucci Christian Panucci (; born 12 April 1973) is an Italian former association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager. In his playing career he played as a Defender (association football), defender. A versatile footballer, he ...

for the friendly against

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and the

2018–19 UEFA Nations League C The 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C was the third division of the 2018–19 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the inaugural season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEF ...

match against

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Personal life

In December 2017, Uzuni unveiled that his inspiration is Portuguese striker

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

. On 24 November 2020 against Juventus, he scored for Ferencváros, copied his celebration, and swapped shirts with him.

Career statistics

Club

International

: :''Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Uzuni goal.''

Honours

Laçi *

runner-up: 2017–18 *

Albanian Supercup The Albanian Supercup is a single match usually at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Kategoria Superiore and Albanian Cup. Supercup final was not played in the occasions when the champion team won the Double (association foot ...

runner-up:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Lokomotiva *

Croatian Cup Croatian Cup may refer to: *Croatian Football Cup *Croatian Football Super Cup * Croatian Women's Football Cup *Croatian Basketball Cup, also known as Krešimir Ćosić Cup *Croatian Handball Cup *Croatian Water Polo Cup *Croatian Minute Movie Cup ...

runner-up: 2019–20 Ferencváros *

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

, 2021–22 *

Magyar Kupa The Hungarian Cup ( hu, Magyar Kupa) is the Hungarian cup competition for football clubs. It was started by the Hungarian Football Association, the ''Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség,'' in 1909, eight years after the commencement of the Hungarian ...

: 2021–22

References

External links

Myrto Uzuni
at the

Albanian Football Association The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the Fir ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Uzuni, Myrto 1995 births Living people Sportspeople from Berat Association football wingers Albanian footballers Albanian emigrants to Greece Albania international footballers Albania under-21 international footballers FK Tomori Berat players KF Apolonia Fier players KF Laçi players NK Lokomotiva Zagreb players Ferencvárosi TC footballers Granada CF footballers Kategoria Superiore players Kategoria e Parë players Croatian Football League players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players La Liga players Albanian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Croatia Expatriate footballers in Hungary Expatriate footballers in Spain Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Albanian expatriate sportspeople in Spain