Across his left hand, Albert Rusnák has a tattoo that reads, “Always be grateful for what you have.”
It’s a simple phrase on the surface, but to Rusnák its meaning isn’t quite so superficial.
Ever since he was 13 years old, the rising playmaker has sought the best opportunity to help his game progress and develop and a journey that first brought him to Manchester City’s Academy at that young age has now taken him to Rio Tinto Stadium and Real Salt Lake. And with each new beginning, he has made a point to carefully consider the bird in the hand.
It’s how he decided to leave his family behind in Slovakia to join the prestigious Manchester City Academy. And it’s how he decided to join Real Salt Lake from a Groningen club in Holland that had shown him success in a transitional stage in his career.
It’s a saying that has allowed him to feel both invigorated by his own lofty aspirations and grounded by where he came from.
And it’s an attitude that helped drive Real Salt Lake to sign the 22-year old as a Young Designated Player over the offseason to fill the all-important attacking midfield role – the No. 10, if you will.
In The Beginning
At age 13, Albert Rusnák was a promising young player in Slovakia with booming potential. The son of a coach, Rusnák had attention of clubs from all over Europe, but three in particular stood out – Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Everton.
He planned to check out all three clubs, but after visiting Manchester City, he knew that if he was going to take this massive step in his career path, it would have to be with the Citizens.
So he and his father moved to Manchester, leaving his mother and brother in Slovakia. That led to some difficult nights alone in England for a kid who desperately missed some of the comforts of home. However, even at that young age Rusnák knew that what he was doing was best for his career.
He spent four years in the Academy before getting his first shot with Manchester City’s first team, and it would prove to be a memorable night.
Debuting for City
At 18 years old, Rusnák was one of two academy players that Manchester City brought with the club on a brief U.S. tour following the 2012-13 season. He hoped to see a substitute appearance in one of two matches against Chelsea in St. Louis and New York, but also saw tremendous value in the experience of spending a brief stint training with the first team while on tour.
On the day of the first game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, he got a knock on his hotel door.
“How are you feeling?” asked the assistant coach.
Rusnák admitted to feeling a bit nervous, but it was leaning toward eagerness to make his debut as opposed to anxiety.
The assistant coach explained to him that the club had anticipated that they would be allowed to make 11 substitutes in the match, but had only just found out that only seven subs would be allowed. Rusnák thought that spelled a seat in the stands for him as opposed to on the bench, but before he could strike a dour mood, the conversation turned quickly.
“You’re going to start the game.”
City would start an attack that included Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, David Silva and the young debutant.
“At that moment, my heartrate went up,” Rusnák smiled at the memory. “I made the phone calls to my family. I was 18 at that time and I said to the guys ‘I know it’s night for you, but you’ve got to stay up and watch the game.’ I think they all did.”
City came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the match and Rusnák swapped jerseys with one of his favorite players – Fernando Torres – after the match. Even on a baseball field, it was an unforgettable experience that served to fuel Rusnák’s hunger in the years to follow.
Lifting the Cup
Rusnák played on loan to Oldham Athletic, Birmingham City and SC Cambuur – where he scored in his debut for the Dutch club. However, he finally landed a permanent move to Groningen in 2015 and made a quick impact with the team as he made the adjustment to regular first team football.
He scored in just his third game with the club and in May, he not only helped Groningen lift the KNVB Cup for the first time in club history, but he scored both goals in a 2-0 victory in the championship match against PEC Zwolle, setting up a berth in Europa League.
Big Shoes to Fill
Now 22 and entering his first season with Real Salt Lake, Rusnák will be playing the attacking midfield role in RSL’s 4-2-3-1 formation. He will also be wearing number 11. Both of these are significant to RSL fans because both were previously occupied by club legend Javier Morales.
The Argentine midfielder spent 10 seasons with the Claret-and-Cobalt, leaving following the 2016 season to sign with FC Dallas. In his time with RSL, he posted 49 goals and 81 assists and helped the team win the 2009 MLS Cup, as well as reaching finals in the 2013 MLS Cup, 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League and 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Although Rusnák is aware of the shadow cast over the position and number, he is focused on writing his own story and not serving as an addendum to the story of Javier Morales.
“Everywhere you go in football there’s always a guy going and a guy coming. People like to compare, but of course I’ve heard about Javi, how long he’s been at the club and that the fans love him. Not just at this club, but in the whole MLS … he’s a guy people know,” Rusnák said. “It’s not extra pressure on my shoulders, but an extra motivation for me to succeed. I am not him. But I am somebody new who is going to be maybe a little different from him. I respect Javi and I’ve seen his stats. It’ll be a pleasure for me to play here and I’m looking forward to the first game already.”
