Vasil Ruci (born 17 February 1958) is an Albanian retired

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and coach from

Vlorë Vlorë ( ; ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, third most populous city of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surr ...

who spent his entire career with

Flamurtari Vlorë Flamurtari Football Club is an Albanian professional football club based in Vlorë, Albania. The club plays in the Kategoria Superiore, which is the first tier of football in the country. Founded in 1923, the club is one of the oldest in Alba ...

between 1976 and 1993. He is most noted for being an important figure in the club's famous

1986–87 UEFA Cup The 1986–87 UEFA Cup was the 16th season of the UEFA Cup, the third-tier club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The final was played over two legs at the Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden, and at ...

and

1987–88 UEFA Cup The 1987–88 UEFA Cup was the 17th season of the UEFA Cup, the secondary club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The final was played over two legs at the Estadi de Sarriá, Barcelona, Spain, ...

runs.

Club career

He is a one-club man, having spent the entirety of his playing career at

, where he scored 93 league goals between 1976 and 1993,Xhevdet Zekaj: Për Vasil Rucin, bomberin klasik dhe të paparashikueshëm të Vlorës. Ja skeda e një kampioni
- Telegraf making him the current 16th top goalscorer in Albanian history. He made his debut for Flamurtari under coach

Bejkush Birçe Bejkush Birçe (13 February 1943 – 30 June 2024) was an Albanian football player and coach who coached the Albania national team. Managerial career During a 25-year career, Birçe managed Partizani Tirana, Dinamo Tirana, Flamurtari, Loko ...

in 1976 against

Besa Kavajë Besa or BESA may refer to: Arts & entertainment * ''Besa'' (newspaper), a newspaper published in Albania * ''Besa'' (TV series), a Serbian-British television series produced by Adrenalin and Red Planet Pictures * ''The Besa'', a novel by Albanian ...

and won a 1991 league medal with them, despite Ruci being out injured for the season. He twice topped the Albanian league's goalscoring charts in 1982 and 1984. He put Flamurtari 1–0 up against Spanish giants

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

in the famous 1–1 UEFA Cup draw in Vlora on 16 September 1986 with Barcelona qualifying for the next round on away goals two weeks later. He also scored a consolation goal in the 4–1 loss at Barcelona on 25 November 1987, the second successive season the clubs met each other in the UEFA Cup.

Honours

Albanian Superliga Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...

: 1 ::

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

Albanian Cup The Albanian Cup () is the main "knockout" competition in Albanian football. The competition started in 1939 as Kupa e Mbretit ( English:"The King's Cup"). The cup was suspended for the next eight years as the Second World War started. It start ...

: 2 ::

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

Albania - Albania - List of Cup Finals
- RSSSF

References

1958 births Living people Footballers from Vlorë Albanian men's footballers Men's association football forwards Flamurtari FC players Kategoria Superiore players Albanian football managers KS Turbina Cërrik managers KF Himara managers Flamurtari FC managers 20th-century Albanian sportsmen {{Albania-footy-forward-stub

Club career

Honours

See also

References