LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) - Frozen out by his club in South Korea, Albania's Jasir Asani seems determined to make quite an impression at Euro 2024 - for his performances on the wing and for his choice of footwear.
Asani provided the inch perfect cross for Qazim Laci to glance home a header and give Albania an early lead against Croatia on Wednesday but his 'Super Mario'-themed turquoise boots grabbed as much attention.
After the match he posted a photo on his Instagram account of himself wearing the boots, which bore an image of the famous video game character on his left foot, completing the double act with a picture of Mario's brother Luigi on his right.
Asani's starring role for Albania, who are still in with a chance of reaching the knockout stage after a 2-1 defeat by Italy in their opener before the 2-2 draw with Croatia, stands in contrast to the situation with his club Gwangju FC.
The 29-year-old has played only one game in the K-League this season after Gwangju coach Lee Jung-hyo was quoted by Korean and Albanian media questioning his fitness and why he was still being picked for his country.
Asani, who has played 132 minutes in Albania's two games so far, gave the perfect answer against Croatia and will hope to impress again in their final Group B match with Spain on Monday.