Spain-born striker targets Hong Kong selection, after overcoming knee injury anguish

Manuel Bleda said he was “dreaming” of a first call-up for the Hong Kong team after recovering from three operations on a badly damaged knee, and gaining a new contract with Eastern.

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.