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"One day I will be very big", Myrto Uzuni confesses to the Spaniards: We walked for three days to go to Greece...

2023-05-20 13:09:26Sport SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"One day I will be very big", Myrto Uzuni confesses to the Spaniards:
Myrto Uzuni

The Granada forward tells his story of overcoming himself as a teenager in an interview, which has created an ultra-competitive character

No sane person would have bet on Myrto Uzun (Berat, 1995) in the starting field. The Albanian footballer was born into a modest family trying to get ahead, in a country plunged into chaos and, like many other stories, his could have been lost in the crowd. However, fate had reserved a different path for him, paved with perseverance, sacrifice and unwavering faith: "My journey started with my father, from the beginning, he always wanted me to become a footballer, to learn English, because he would helped in life. He was my first coach and he supported me from the first day", - remembers the Italian striker of the red and white team.

When Uzuni, 27, was barely ten years old and faced with an unstable situation, his family decided to pack all their belongings into several suitcases and leave their lives behind in Berat, to take a clandestine flight to a more hopeful future: "Albania is not in the European Union and we had to walk for three days, we had no money, we had to pay 15 thousand euros to get out, which is a lot of money in that country, since you earn 300 or 400 in months. My uncle gave us a loan. We went to Greece in search of a better life", - a cathartic experience for Myrton: "This is where my strength lies. It makes me appreciate where I am today, I don't want to go back to those times, my family had nothing, it was a difficult life".

Although football continued to fulfill his dreams, reality, harsh and inescapable, kept him away from the ball, washing dishes to help his mother: "Playing football was complicated, we had the opportunity to work only to keep the family in the dark, without a contract, because we didn't have papers. I worked in many jobs", recalls the Granada attacker.

Despite the marathon days of work, Uzuni continued to play tirelessly and football appeared very quickly as a way of salvation: "I found strength in my family, we sacrificed a lot to stay together. I knew that the only solution to get out of this the situation was football", - an insistence that ended with results around 2010, when Olimpiacos took an interest in him. The goal seemed achievable, but the lack of a visa interrupted the operation and the dream, once again, evaporated like a mirage.

"One day I will be very big"

With few options on the table, Uzuni and his family returned to Albania, back to square one: "We had no home, no money, we had nothing, we were living in a difficult situation," but no obstacles would divert Uzuni from his goal his, was revealed almost as a divine apparition: "One day I was running at six o'clock in the morning, it was very cold and my nose was red, I looked up and said to myself: One day I will be very big. I have always believed to myself".

At the age of 18 and with an unwavering determination, Uzuni burns the stages. He started to stand out in the branch of Tomori Berat, in the team of his hometown and after scoring 27 goals, he quickly made the jump to the first team, from where he signed for 2000 euros for FK Apolonia: "Two thousand euros are nothing". he recalls with a smile. The spotlight would never leave him and for 20,000 euros he signed a new contract with FK Laçi, where he made history by reaching the Europa League qualifiers.

Lokomotiv Zagreb was the next club that knocked on his door, a new country, a new language, but no challenge, no matter how difficult it was, already scared Uzun: "It was a springboard for young players. I was training very clear, I was clear about what I wanted in life, nothing was going to get me off my path, I was always clear about what I wanted. I worked hard to become who I am today."

Signing with Ferencvaros

With prominent figures in Croatia, Uzun's rise was unstoppable and Ferencvaros bet on him, opening the doors of the old continent, reaching the next level by enabling him to play in the Champions League, where he met Cristiano Ronaldo, his great idol. : "Ronaldo. is an example for me. Everyone knows the sacrifice he has made to become who he is, the winning mentality is the most important thing."

In that match against Juventus, the Berata striker stepped into the Whites' goal and celebrated by mimicking the Portuguese star, in a gesture of admiration: "I've always seen him on TV, it was incredible for me to play against Ronaldo. I scored the goal and it was a dream come true".

The penalty he couldn't take...

Despite his overflowing confidence, Uzun's first few months in Spain were not easy, the ball did not go in and the team was relegated. "In life things don't always go the way we want, but that's in the past, we're here to get back to the First Division," he says. It was something that did not damage his confidence: "I was not afraid. Alfredo (García Amado, general coach) and Nico (Rodríguez, sporting director) called me and told me that I will be the leader of the team, I always believe in myself years ago when I was waiting with my friends at the bus stop to play football I told them I was going to score 25 goals that season they all thought I was joking I knew I was serious I scored that game the four goals and look where I am now".

A drop, that of Granada, which was consumed after an unpleasant memory penalty missed by Jorge Molina, a maximum penalty that could have had a different outcome with Uzun as the shooter: "I wanted to take the penalties, but Milla and Luis Suarez were forward. Without them on the field, I took the ball to execute the penalty, but from the bench they told me that it shouldn't be me, I supported my teammate and I respected the decision".

Uzuni combines non-conformity and ambition, virtues that pushed him to pursue new heights and to play in LaLiga, in the same competition that Messi and Ronaldo had done, was the new peak to climb for the Albanian. The opportunity, after his arrival in Mallorca was frustrated, took a little longer than expected, but Granada appeared and did not hesitate: "I felt very happy and proud, all the work I did, all these years of sacrifice, finally I took it. where they deserved it".

An opportunity from the red and white team that has allowed him to become an idol of Los Cármenes, where he hopes to be for many years: "Granada opened the doors of La Liga for me, made my dream come true. Of course I appreciate the support and help, I never forget those who have helped me before."

With four languages ​​on his hard drive and a backpack full of experiences, Uzuni quickly adapted to this new environment. "To be honest, football doesn't need much adaptation, the language of the game is spoken. The most important thing is to feel at home with your teammates. Also, after learning four languages, Spanish was not difficult."

This season, Uzuni has exploded, leading Granada as the top scorer in the division, something the striker naturally faces: "There is no secret, it is to spend your time working hard, and I work hard. Everyone knows how much I love football. I live for football, it's no secret. In every team I go to, I make history, I make a difference, even here at Granada. I'm never satisfied, I always want more", a late motif that has led his life.

Uzun's extraordinary appearance has awakened the interest of another club, which has placed the Albanian on its radar, something that does not change him: "Today there are very few players capable of scoring, Osimhen, Haaland... maybe only a few ten and when someone scores a lot of goals it arouses the interest of other teams. I know that if I keep scoring goals they will call Granada, but I only worry about the present, I focus 100% on the team and its objectives."

"Football was the solution that could fix my life, there was nothing else. My dream was to become a footballer, play for the Albanian national team and reach one of the most important leagues. The only thing I can say is that nothing is impossible, you have to believe in yourself and that's why I'm here. Football is my life, I live for football", - attitude that makes Uzun a greedy competitor who can bring Granada back to the top. Two steps left. Today the first in Miranda de Ebro.


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