UEFA.com's weekly wonderkid: Milot Rashica
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Article summary
"He is a winner who knows what he wants," said Vitesse coach Rob Maas of winger Milot Rashica; and what does he want? To go to UEFA EURO 2016 with Albania.
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Article body
Having transfixed Vitesse fans in his debut season, Milot Rashica is hoping to prove as big a hit with Albania at UEFA EURO 2016, after making his international debut in March.
Name: Milot Rashica
Club: Vitesse
Debut: 30 July 2015 (UEFA Europa League vs Southampton)
Position: midfielder
Nationality: Albanian
Date of birth: 28 June 1996
Preferred foot: right
Height: 178 cm
They say …
"Milot Rashica is an extraordinary player. I can see that he has great skills and high-quality technique. We have to keep an eye on him as he is a player with a great future. I am not sure if he is ready for the EUROs or for 'Project Russia'. I just know that if he continues to play the way he has done for Vitesse, he will be a great asset."
Gianni de Biasi, Albania coach
"He is a winner who knows what he wants. That is what you see in every match he plays – he goes straight for the target. But he does it all in a positive way, as he is a nice lad too. I hope he continues to develop in the same way as he is a joy to watch."
Rob Maas, Vitesse coach
Background …
Born Kosovo, he made his debut for local side Kosova Vushtrri aged 16, and years old, and joined Vitesse in July 2015 after a successful trialperiod. He made his professional debut in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round on 30 July 2015 against Southampton, and after representing Albania at Under-17, U19 and U21 levels, made his senior debut in a 29 March friendly against Luxembourg.
Playing style …
A skilful, right-footed winger, Rashica has won the hearts of Vitesse fans with his dribbling down the right, his pace and his ability to score goals – seven in 27 Eredivisie games to date.
Shades of …
Cristiano Ronaldo is Rashica's idol, and there are some similarities; when he gets the ball, his first instinct is to head forward and make things happen, and get a shot in on goal if he can. A few have dubbed him Albania's answer to Neymar.
Eureka moment …
He scored his first Eredivisie goal against De Graafschap on 20 September last year, but it was a 20 December fixture against Twente that cemented his reputation, Rashica scoring twice and tormenting the visitors in Arnhem, before leaving the pitch to a huge round of applause from the stands.
Best-case scenario …
After making his senior debut, Rashica is hoping he has done enough to earn himself a place in Albania's UEFA EURO 2016 squad. If he does and all goes well, the 19-year-old's creativity and attacking verve could be the talk of Europe by the time he returns from France.
He says …
"When I get the ball, I go forward, then I look for to take on opponents and make things happen. Once I am up front, I can make use of my speed and my technique."
"My dream is to go to France with Albania in the summer and I hope we can perform well there."