Following the announcement of Rey Manaj’s move to Watford, we take a look at some of the stats, facts and figures that surround the Albanian striker and his career.
17 years, 6 months and 14 days old – Manaj’s age when he made his professional debut for then Serie C side Cremonese. He would make over 25 appearances for the Italian side and would score his first professional goal a month later against Alessandria Calcio.
51 – career goals scored. The forward is heavily involved in the attacking play, regularly notching a goal or an assist.
18 – goals from penalties. Manaj is adept at converting from the spot, with 35 per cent of his goals coming from 12-yards out.
85th – minute Manaj made his Serie A debut for Inter Milan against Atalanta. The Albanian joined I Nerazzurri in the summer of 2015 and was included in first-team training under the tutelage of Roberto Mancini. He would start his first game in the Coppa Italia against Cagliari.
4 – loan moves. Having played at Pescara, Pisa, Granada and Spezia on-loan, Manaj has played in a variety of football styles in Italy and Spain.
10,897 – minutes played in his career. At only 25 years old, Manaj has enjoyed a career that has covered eight years. He will be certain to use all of his experience to his advantage at Vicarage Road.
40 – appearances for Albacete. The highest number that Manaj has earned at a single club, the dynamic footballer spent a season and a half at the Spanish club before leaving in January 2020.
15 – Managers and Head Coaches. Manaj has learnt from some of the very best coaches including Mancini, Thiago Motta, Gennaro Gattuso and Marco Giampaolo.
12 – seconds was all it took to score his first international goal. Manaj notched his first strike for the Albanian national team against Kosovo, breaking the record for the youngest goalscorer and the fastest goal scored by a substitute for Albania.
30 – caps for Albania’s national team. After regularly featuring for the youth sides, Manaj has established himself as one of the key players for his country in competitions such as the World Cup qualifiers, European Championship qualifiers and the Nations League.
