Rocky Lekaj

Rocky Lekaj
Personal information
Full nameRocky Rexhap Lekaj[1]
Date of birth12 October 1989
Place of birthPeć, Kosovo
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Playing positionMidfielder, Left winger
Club information
Current team
Raufoss
Number8
Youth career
–2006Grei
2006–2007Sheffield Wednesday
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2007–2010Sheffield Wednesday4(0)
2009→ Sandefjord (loan)3(0)
2010Lyn7(1)
2010Romsås
2011–2013Grorud38(15)
2013–Raufoss8(8)
National team‡
2007Norway U-185(0)
2007Norway U-193(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 September 2013.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 31 December 2008

Rocky Rexhap Lekaj (born 12 October 1989) is an Kosovo-born footballer, who has represented Norway at an international youth level, and formerly played in midfield for Sheffield Wednesday.[3] He currently plays for Raufoss.

Playing career

Lekaj hails from Ammerud in Oslo,[4] and was inspired by footballer Dagfinn Enerly, who was his school teacher in the early years.[5] He started his career in SF Grei.[6] He was signed by Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 2006. He first appeared for the first team on 13 March 2007 at Hillsborough,[4] entering the game as an 86th minute substitute for striker Steve MacLean in a 2–0 league victory against Colchester United. Lekaj became the youngest Norwegian player who has ever played in the professional English league system. He played one more game in the 2006–07 season.[7]

Lekaj did not play first-team football in the 2007–08 season, but made his first appearance of the 2008–09 season against Rotherham United in the League Cup.[7] He came on as a substitute for Jimmy Smith and showed signs of promise, despite not playing in his favoured left wing position. He also played two games in the Football League Championship and one game in the FA Cup.[7] Following the close of the 2008–09 season, Lekaj was reported to be a transfer target for Grimsby Town, this was quashed by Mariners manager Mike Newell, mentioning that Lekaj's agent had approached Newell while he was scouting at a Wednesday Reserves game. Newell commented that Lekaj was not the sort of player he was looking for.[8] In 2009, Lekaj scored fourteen goals in ten appearances for the reserve team and was recommended by the manager a loan move. Lekaj ended up in Sandefjord, but an ankle injury kept him out of the football. When he returned to Sheffield Wednesday, manager Brian Laws was replaced. Lekaj then left Wednesday after his contract was cancelled in March 2010, having made six appearances for the Owls.[9]

He ended up in Lyn and played for them until the club went bankrupt in the summer of 2010.[10] He then signed for the Norwegian Fourth Division team Romsås to help them win promotion.[11] In 2011 he played for Grorud IL in their promotion campaign to the Second Division.[12]

Personal life

Rocky also has a younger brother, Leon Lekaj, who also played for the Owls under-17s.

References

  1. ↑ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 1 January 2010 and 31 January 2010" (PDF). The Football Association. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  2. ↑ Rocky Lekaj at ESPN FC
  3. ↑ "Rocky ny SF-spiller". Sandefjords Blad (in Norwegian). sb.no. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thorsen, Kay Grue (17 March 2007). "Knalldebut for Rocky". Akers Avis Groruddalen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  5. ↑ Mellingsæter, Hanne (23 June 2004). "Rocky (14) er Greis nye landslagsspiller". Akers Avis Groruddalen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  6. ↑ Thorsen, Kay Grue (2 May 2009). "Hjem på lånt tid". Akers Avis Groruddalen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Rocky Lekaj career statistics at Soccerbase
  8. ↑ http://www.sportgrimsby.co.uk/football/grimsby_town/mariners_news/displayarticle.php?ID=8851
  9. ↑ http://www.swfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10304~1997163,00.html
  10. ↑ "Jeg er arbeidsledig for første gang i mitt liv" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten.no. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  11. ↑ "Tap mot et bedre lag" (in Norwegian). Oppegård IL. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  12. ↑ Thorsen, Kay Grue (24 October 2011). "Rocky er blitt voksen". Akers Avis Groruddalen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 October 2011.