WHEN he swapped Lugano for Leeds United in 2017, there was little to hint at the adventures that have ensued for Ezgjan Alioski.
The club he had joined were preparing for an eighth successive season in England’s second tier, and ended that campaign mired in mid-table mediocrity.
His national team was faring worse still, having sunk to an all-time low 162nd in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking after a run of 14 losses in 18 matches.
Alioski himself was 25. Though clearly talented, he remained little-known outside Switzerland and his North Macedonian homeland – and no-one seemed to know his best position. Having started out as a left-back, he had been converted to a right winger at Lugano, then reshaped again into a centre-forward.
His subsequent rise reflects that of his teams. As Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds became an impressive, much-lauded addition to England’s Premier League, and North Macedonia made history
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