// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho did Manolo Bleda call to fix his shoe? His sole mate.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Bleda Rodríguez | ||
| Date of birth | 31 July 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Sagunto, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Castellón | 5 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Levante B | ||
| 2012 | Burriana | 15 | (8) |
| 2013 | Catarroja | 7 | (5) |
| 2013 | Alzira | 12 | (9) |
| 2014 | Belshina Bobruisk | 19 | (7) |
| 2014–2015 | Istiklol | 20 | (9) |
| 2016 | Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț | 5 | (1) |
| 2016–2019 | Eastern | 43 | (33) |
| 2019–2020 | Kitchee | 9 | (4) |
| 2021–2024 | Lee Man | 22 | (11) |
| 2023–2024 | → Eastern (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | Eastern | 24 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | Hong Kong | 4 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Manuel Bleda Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈnwel ˈβleða roˈðɾiɣeθ];[a] Chinese: 洛迪古斯; born 31 July 1990), also known as Manolo Bleda, is a professional footballer who currently plays as a striker. Born in Spain, he plays for the Hong Kong national team.
Club career
[edit]After playing for Alzira,[1] Bleda had a six-month spell with Belshina Bobruisk in Belarus.[2]
In August 2014, Bleda moved from Belshina Bobruisk to Tajik League side FC Istiklol on a contract until November 2014.[3][4] Bleda scored twice on his competitive debut, Istiklol's 10–0 Tajik Cup victory over Khosilot Farkhor.[5] Bleda scored on his league debut for Istiklol after 16 minutes versus Parvoz on 16 October 2014.[6] On 22 November 2015, Bleda scored Istiklol's 500th league goal.[7] He was also a part of the starting XI in the 2015 AFC Cup final, in which Istiklol lost 0–1 to Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. Bleda left Istiklol at the end of the 2015 season after his contract was not renewed.[8]
At the start of March 2016, Bleda signed for Romanian Liga II side Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț.[9]
Due to an alleged salary dispute, on 23 August 2016, Bleda left Ceahlăul and signed for Hong Kong Premier League side Eastern. He made his Eastern debut on 16 September 2016 in the Hong Kong Community Cup, scoring a goal in a 3–1 victory over Kitchee SC.[10] In the 2017 AFC Champions League Group G match on 1 March 2017, Bleda converted a penalty against visitors Kawasaki Frontale, which goes down as the first goal for any Hong Kong side in a top-level continental competition. Domestically, he tallied 16 goals in his first HKPL season, which included a four-goal appearance against Biu Chun Glory Sky.
Bleda's impact was limited by injuries in the 2017–18 season, and was not offered a contract extension by Eastern after the season.
On 3 July 2019, Kitchee announced the addition of Bleda.[11] On 20 October 2020, Kitchee head coach Chu Chi Kwong stated that Bleda had unilaterally terminated his contract with the club.[12] However, two weeks later, Chu stated that the club were still locked in a dispute with Bleda over his contract and Kitchee may resort to legal action.[13]
On 12 March 2021, Bleda signed with another HKPL club Lee Man and was given the number 9 shirt.[14]
On 7 July 2023, Bleda returned to Eastern on loan for a season,[15] but only managed one appearance as a loanee at Eastern before being released by Lee Man after the 23–24 season ended.
On 20 March 2025, Bleda rejoined Eastern for a third stint with the club.[16] In his first match back with the team on 22 March 2025, he recorded an assist in a Sapling Cup fixture in a 1–1 draw with Kitchee, which propelled Eastern into the semi-finals of the competition.
International career
[edit]On 16 February 2024, it was announced that Bleda had received his HKSAR passport after giving up his Spanish passport, making him eligible to represent Hong Kong internationally.[17]
On 5 June 2025, Bleda made his international debut for Hong Kong in a friendly match against Nepal.
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Belshina Bobruisk | 2014 | Belarusian Premier League | 19 | 7 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 22 | 8 | ||
| Istiklol | 2014 | Tajik League | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | – | – | 9 | 7 | ||
| 2015 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 8 | ||
| Total | 20 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 15 | ||
| Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț | 2015–16 | Liga II | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||
| Eastern | 2016–17 | Hong Kong Premier League | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 17 |
| 2017–18 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 9 | ||
| 2018–19 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 15 | ||
| Total | 43 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 64 | 41 | ||
| Kitchee | 2019–20 | Hong Kong Premier League | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 9 |
| Lee Man | 2020–21 | Hong Kong Premier League | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 3 | ||
| 2021–22 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 2 | 8 | 3 | |||
| 2022–23 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 19 | 10 | ||
| Total | 22 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 36 | 16 | ||
| Eastern | 2023–24 | Hong Kong Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Career total | 119 | 62 | 17 | 6 | 17 | 3 | 33 | 16 | 186 | 90 | ||
International
[edit]- As of 31 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 2025 | 3 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Honours
[edit]Istiklol
Kitchee
Eastern
- Hong Kong FA Cup: 2023–24, 2024–25
- Hong Kong Top Footballers (Best XI): 2016–17
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Manuel Bleda, un goleador valenciano en las antípodas lasprovincias.es
- ↑ La aventura tayika de Manuel Bleda as.com
- ↑ Manuel Bleda, un valenciano en Tayikistán plusfutbol.es
- ↑ "Tajik FC Acquires Spanish Goalscorer". shanghaidaily.com. Shanghaidaily. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ↑ Истиклол устроил разгром Хосилоту. fc-istiklol.tj/ (in Russian). FC Istiklol. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- ↑ "ON-LINE: "Истиклол" - "Парвоз" - 5:1". fc-istiklol.tj (in Russian). FC Istiklol. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ↑ "Бледа Родригес стал автором 500-го гола "Истиклола" в чемпионатах Таджикистана". fc-istiklol.tj/ (in Russian). FC Istiklol. 23 November 2015.
- ↑ "Истиклол расстался с пятью игроками". fc-istiklol.tj (in Russian). FC Istiklol. 3 January 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ↑ "Manuel Bleda Rodriguez este alesu!". fcceahlaul.ro (in Romanian). FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț. 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ↑ Tsang, Pak-hung (16 September 2016). "傑志半力出擊 東方龍獅捧走社區盃" [Eastern LL brings home Community Cup over half-strength Kitchee]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ↑ Yuen, Chi Ho. "傑志聘波斯尼亞新帥執教 3000萬班費望重奪聯賽冠軍" [Kitchee aims at recapturing league title with new Bosnian head coach and 30m budget]. HK01. Retrieved 3 July 2019. (in Chinese)
- ↑ Gao, Si Kei. "傑志兩中鋒離隊讓小將上位 伍健：打造亞洲阿積士". HK01. Retrieved 20 October 2020. (in Chinese)
- ↑ Lai, Wing Kam. "菁英盃A組榜首大戰鬧「前鋒荒」 傑志 理文悶和0：0". Wenweipo. Retrieved 1 November 2020. (in Chinese)
- ↑ "穿9號球衣替尼迪利 洛迪古斯加盟理文". Apple Daily. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021. (in Chinese)
- ↑ "理文簽胡晉銘 外借洛迪古斯至東方". Now Sports. Retrieved 7 July 2023. (in Chinese)
- ↑ 港超聯 東方重簽「洛9」洛迪古斯 on.cc 20 March 2025
- ↑ "港超聯 洛迪古斯獲發特區護照". on.cc東網 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ↑ "Manolo Bleda". Soccerway. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ↑ 2014 FC Istiklol season
- ↑ 2015 FC Istiklol season
- ↑ ""Истиклол" досрочно выиграл чемпионат Таджикистана!". fc-istiklol.tj/ (in Russian). FC Istiklol. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "ИСТИКЛОЛ – ПЯТИКРАТНЫЙ ОБЛАДАТЕЛЬ КУБКА ТАДЖИКИСТАНА!". fc-istiklol.tj/ (in Russian). FC Istiklol. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "Истиклол – Хайр – 2:2". fc-istiklol.tj/ (in Russian). FC Istiklol. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
External links
[edit]- Manolo Bleda at Soccerway
- Manolo Bleda at WorldFootball.net
- 1990 births
- Living people
- Spanish emigrants to Hong Kong
- Spanish men's footballers
- Spanish expatriate men's footballers
- Hong Kong men's footballers
- Hong Kong men's international footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- Segunda División players
- Tercera División players
- Belarusian Premier League players
- Tajikistan Higher League players
- Liga II players
- Hong Kong Premier League players
- CD Castellón footballers
- Atlético Levante UD players
- UD Alzira footballers
- FC Belshina Bobruisk players
- FC Istiklol players
- CSM Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț players
- Eastern Sports Club footballers
- Kitchee SC players
- Lee Man FC players
- Expatriate men's footballers in Belarus
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Belarus
- Expatriate men's footballers in Tajikistan
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Tajikistan
- Expatriate men's footballers in Romania
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Romania
- Expatriate men's footballers in Hong Kong
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Hong Kong
- Naturalised footballers of Hong Kong
- 21st-century Spanish sportsmen