The former Badalona, Anguera, and El Masnou player has scored five goals in seven matches for Rio Ave.
Jalen Aleix Miller Blesa (Barcelona, February 5, 2001) arrived quietly at Rio Ave on February 2, right as the winter transfer window closed. Four goals and two assists in 21 matches for Cesena in Italy’s Serie B justified the €1.7 million transfer fee.
“It’s an incredible story because of that curious journey he’s had,” says Pedro Barata, former MARCA journalist now at Tribuna Expresso, referencing Blesa’s globe-trotting background. The son of a Spanish mother and an American father (he could play for the U.S.), Blesa played for Badalona, Penya Barcelonista Anguera, and El Masnou before trying his luck abroad.
His 16 goals in 29 matches for modest English side Arlesey Town weren’t enough. According to Record, he was rejected for being “too skinny.” His goals in Kosovo—whether in the second division with Istogu or in the top flight with Rahoveci and Prishtina—earned him his first titles: a cup and a super cup. Georgia (Dinamo Batumi), Romania (Universitatea Craiova), and Italy (Cesena) were his next stops before this ‘Globetrotter’—known for inflating a balloon in his goal celebrations—turned Vila do Conde upside down: he has scored five goals in the seven matches he’s played.
“He rivals Oskar Pietuszewski, who’s playing at a high level for Porto, but the great winter signing in Portugal is Blesa. He has revived a team that was ‘dead’: fans were calling for the coach’s resignation, waving white handkerchiefs at the board, and criticizing Marinakis,” Barata adds.
The departures of Clayton and André Luiz—sold cheaply for €5 million and €7.5 million to Olympiacos, also owned by Marinakis—during the winter market seemed to doom Rio Ave. “Between Clayton (10) and André Luiz (7), they had scored 17 of the team’s 22 league goals. Only three other players (Darío Spikic (2), Vrousai, Aguilera) had found the net. The other was an own goal by Espigares. Well, in one month, he has saved them. Rio Ave—eight points above the relegation playoff spot—won’t go down because of Blesa. Not just for his goals, but for how he has revived the team mentally,” emphasizes Pedro Barata.
This trend continues. Since his debut, Blesa has scored five of Rio Ave’s six league goals. The Spaniard, who signed until 2030, downplays his impact: “Scoring goals makes me happy. I’m here to help the team win and contribute my grain of sand. When I have the ball at my feet, I only think about shooting.” However, he doesn’t take survival for granted. “We’ll fight until the end, Rio Ave always does,” warns the Spaniard, who has become indispensable for his coach, Sotiris Sylaidopoulos. “He has the ability to finish with both feet, can play as a center forward or a second striker. We like to use different formations with him, and his performance is very important,” the Greek coach acknowledges.
Blesa’s ‘balloon’ keeps growing.