Spain-born striker targets Hong Kong selection, after overcoming knee injury anguish
Advertisement
The Spain-born forward obtained his passport in February 2024, when he was still laid up with the torn cruciate ligament he suffered the previous summer. A return at the end of last season proved to be a false start, when Bleda, who was on loan from Lee Man, played as a substitute in Eastern's FA Cup final win over Sham Shui Po, but 'could still feel my knee was not secure'.
'When I got the passport last year, I wanted to play [for Eastern] as a local, but also to help the Hong Kong team,' Bleda said. 'I was unlucky with my injury … I went back to Spain [after the Cup final] and the doctors said my ACL was not working.
'I needed more surgery, and was back to the first day [of rehabilitation].'
The following nine months were 'difficult every day', as Bleda recovered with Eastern. He said he would 'see my teammates training, while I was in the gym'. 'It was a very hard time … I needed a strong mind,' he added.
After recapturing fitness, Bleda was handed a contract with Eastern, where he spent three years after coming to Hong Kong in 2016.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Wimbledon draw: Zheng Qinwen turns to Nadal coach, with Osaka, Sabalenka waiting
Zheng Qinwen has enlisted the help of a coach who guided Rafael Nadal to 22 grand slam titles, ahead of another shot at a Wimbledon title and a draw that has placed her on a collision course with Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka. The world No 5 has struggled in South London in recent years, failing to make it out of the first round since 2022. On Thursday, the 22-year-old was captured training with Spaniard Francisco Roig, who coached Nadal from 2005 to 2023 and was involved in all of his major triumphs. While no details of Roig's involvement have been made public, a split with main coach Pere Riba seems unlikely given their historic 2024 season that peaked with Olympic gold in Paris last summer. The Spaniard also steered Zheng to a career-high world No 4 earlier this month. Rafael Nadal with Franciso Roig after one of his French Open wins. Photo: Handout Roig was part of Nadal's camp for 18 years, working alongside a series of head coaches. In their first year together, Nadal won the French Open, his first grand slam title. Three years later, they won Wimbledon, a feat they repeated in 2010.
South China Morning Post
23-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
Carlos Alcaraz triumphs in longest-ever French Open final with epic comeback
Bad starts in grand slam finals are nothing new for Carlos Alcaraz, and each time it's happened, he has won the tournament anyway. But not in such dramatic style as the French Open final held earlier this month. The Spaniard rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner. It was Alcaraz's second straight French Open title with a comeback after trailing 2-1 in sets to Alexander Zverev in last year's final. In producing one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the clay-court tournament, he emulated Djokovic's feat from the 2021 final at Roland-Garros. It was also the longest-ever French Open final. The game lasted for five hours and 29 minutes.
RTHK
18-06-2025
- RTHK
Panthers retain Stanley Cup by routing Oilers in G6
Panthers retain Stanley Cup by routing Oilers in G6 Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six against the Edmonton Oilers 5-1. Photo: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images/Reuters The Florida Panthers, powered by Sam Reinhart's four-goal effort, captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in the series-clinching game six of the Finals. Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots while Matthew Tkachuk added a goal for the Panthers, who took the best-of-seven series 4-2. The Panthers beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup final after squandering a 3-0 series lead. They became the first team to defeat the same foe in the final two years in a row, since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978. The Oilers, seeking their sixth crown overall, have not won the Cup since 1990. Edmonton selected Stuart Skinner as the starting goaltender after using Calvin Pickard in a 5-2 game-five loss on Saturday. Just 4:36 into the game, Reinhart stole the puck from Edmonton's Evan Bouchard at the blue line, evaded defender Mattias Ekholm and beat Skinner one-on-one to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Tkachuk, named to the 2026 US Olympic squad, made it 2-0 for the Panthers just 47 seconds before the end of the first period, taking a pass from Finnish left wing Eetu Luostarinen and firing the puck past Skinner. Reinhart made it 3-0 with 2:29 remaining in the second period when Skinner surrendered a rebound off a Carter Verhaeghe's shot and Florida's Aleksander Barkov fired a shot that Reinhart deflected into the net. Fans began chanting, "We want the Cup" in the third period as the precious final minutes ran out on Edmonton. The Oilers pulled Skinner in favour of an extra attacker in desperation and Reinhart made them pay, netting his third goal into an empty net with 6:34 remaining and his fourth also into an unprotected net with 5:05 remaining. Vasily Podkolzin scored for Edmonton with 4:42 remaining to avert a shutout. (AFP)
