Who is Jasir Asani? The Super Mario-loving Albania star sidelined in Korea

The Gwangju FC forward has seen a steep decline in playing time since the start of the K League 1 season despite being the top scorer for the team in 2023, with seven goals and three assists in 33 league fixtures.

Croatia's Josko Gvardiol, right, runs after the ball next to Albania's Jasir Asani during a Euro 2024 Group B match in Hamburg, Germany on Wednesday. [AP/YONHAP]

Gwangju FC forward Jasir Asani provided the assist for Qazil Laci's opening goal in Albania’s 2-2 draw with Croatia on Wednesday, salvaging a point for his side with one group stage match left to go at the Euro 2024 — doing it in his now-famous Super Mario boots.

It marks the second assist Asani has picked up this year. Both have been for the Albanian national team, not for Gwangju, where he has only played one match in the 2024 K League 1 campaign.

The Gwangju forward has seen a steep decline in playing time since the start of this season despite being the top scorer for the team in 2023, with seven goals and three assists in 33 league fixtures.

Gwangju manager Lee Jung-hyo previously questioned Asani's spot on the Albanian national team and criticized his performance.

“He has gained a lot of weight and is not good enough in training," Lee told reporters ahead of a match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on April 13, which Gwangju lost 2-1. "Even if we lose 10 games in a row, Asani will still not play games with his current performance as long as I am still manager."

Who is Asani, and how did Gwangju's top scorer go from hero to zero in the K League while still playing for the Albanian national team?

Goals on goals in Gwangju

Asani, 29, started his pro career at North Macedonian team FK Vardar in 2013 and bounced around clubs in Albania and Hungary before joining Gwangju ahead of the 2023 K League 1 season.

It was the southern club’s first season in the K League 1 after earning promotion to the top tier the previous year, and Asani rose to prominence from the start.

The Albanian forward scored his debut goal in his first appearance for Gwangju in a 1-0 win over the Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Feb. 25, 2023 and notched a hat-trick against Incheon United weeks later, on March 18.

He continued to display solid form, making proactive movements to create space for his teammates and even contributing in defense to lead his side’s impressive run through the end of the season. Gwangju ended their first year in the top tier in third place on the 12-team table and with a ticket to the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite.

Caps for Albania

During his notable run in the 2023 K League 1 season that ran from February to December of that year, he also made his first senior cap on March 27, 2023 in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Poland.

He has been a regular national team pick since that debut, scoring his first goal for Albania in a qualifier against Moldova on June 17 and adding three more goals afterward.

The assist Asani recorded against Croatia on Wednesday was his first assist in a major international tournament — with his Super Mario boots, which went viral during the match to give Asani a brief moment of social media fame. No evidence suggests Asani has ever worn those boots during his time in Korea.

A turn of the tables

Despite his strong performance in the 2023 season, Asani lost his place in Gwangju's best XI, having played just one game with zero assists and goals so far.

Head coach Lee has not made any critical reference about the Albanian forward since his remarks on April 13. The remainder of the K League 1 season will see whether he can regain his spot — despite Lee's vow to effectively banish Asani from even the bench.

His performance at the Euro 2024 could prove to be crucial ahead of the second half of the K League 1 campaign, as his resurrected form could put him back in Gwangju’s starting XI.

Gwangju sit in sixth place on the table as of Thursday, five points behind Suwon FC.

Albania, meanwhile, has recorded one draw and one loss in Group B at the Euros. They are two points behind second-place Italy, who has played one game fewer as of press time.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]