Jalen Blesa

Jalen Blesa
Personal information
Full name Jalen Aleix Miller Blesa
Date of birth (2001-02-24) 24 February 2001
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Rio Ave
Number 11
Youth career
Badalona
PB Anguera
–2020 Masnou
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Masnou
2020–2022 Arlesey Town 29 (16)
2022 Istogu
2022–2023 Rahoveci 14 (10)
2023–2024 Prishtina 33 (10)
2024–2025 Universitatea Craiova 4 (0)
2024–2025 → Dinamo Batumi (loan) 23 (9)
2025–2026 Cesena 21 (4)
2026– Rio Ave 13 (7)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 May 2026

Jalen Aleix Miller Blesa (born 21 February 2001) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Portuguese Primeira Liga club Rio Ave.

Early life

Jalen Blesa was born in Barcelona, Spain to American parents, who later relocated to the United Kingdom - holding citizenship of Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom.[1]

Career

Blesa started his career with Spanish side Masnou. In September 2020, he signed for English side Arlesey Town.[2] Subsequently, he signed for Kosovan side Istogu in January 2022 before signing for Kosovan side Rahoveci in July.

On 11 January 2023, Blesa signed for Kosovan side Prishtina,[3] helping the club win the 2023–24 Kosovar Cup and he receiving interest from Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol and Ukrainian side Oleksandriya.[4] On 6 February 2023, he debuted and scored his first two goals for them during a 3–1 home win over Dukagjini in the Kosovar Cup.[5]

Following his stint there, Blesa signed for Romanian side Universitatea Craiova in 2024. During the summer of 2024, he was sent on loan to Georgian side Dinamo Batumi. Georgian newspaper Lelo wrote in 2025 that he "has been playing effectively... and this is a great bonus for the Dinamo Batumi" while playing for the club.[6]

On 2 August 2025, Blesa signed with Cesena in Italian Serie B for one season.[7]

On 2 February 2026, Blesa joined Rio Ave in Portugal and signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the club[8] for an initial fee of €1.7m rising to up to €2m.[9] Blesa was voted Player of the Month for March 2026 in the Portuguese Primeira Liga after scoring 4 goals in 4 games.[10]

Honours

Prishtina
Individual
  • Kosovo Superleague "Star of the Week" Award: 2023–24 (Round 11)[11]
  • Portugal Primeira Liga "Player of the Month" Award: 2025–26 (March 2026)[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Ramblin' man Jalen Blesa climbs the ladder in Europe". Stars And Stripes FC. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  2. ↑ Arlesey Town FC [@ArleseyTownFC] (11 September 2020). "NEW SIGNING UPDATE! Jalen Miller joins us as a striker and was last season playing in Spain. Has already scored in pre-season" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 April 2025 – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ "Prishtina transferon talentin Jalen Miller Blesa" [Prishtina brings in talent Jalen Miller Blesa] (in Albanian). Gazeta Enigma. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "Jalen Blesa, the striker who became a star at FC Prishtina - he talks about life in the capital, successes and the future". Telegrafi. Telegrafi. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  5. ↑ "Blesa, the American aiming for success in Kosovar football". Koha Ditore. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "[სიმბოლური ნაკრები. ეროვნული ლიგა. VI ტური] დაბრუნება დაკარგული დროის შემდეგ..." [[Symbolic team. National League. VI round] Return after lost time...] (in Georgian). Lelo. 7 April 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  7. ↑ "JALEN BLESA IS A NEW FOOTBALLER OF CESENA FC". Cesena FC. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "Jalen Blesa assina pelo Rio Ave FC" [Jalen Blesa signs for Rio Ave FC] (in Portuguese). Rio Ave F.C. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  9. ↑ "Jalen Blesa: o rapaz descartado em Inglaterra por ser "muito magrinho" e que agora brilha no Rio Ave" [Jalen Blesa: the boy rejected by England for being "too skinny" and who is now shining at Rio Ave.] (in Portuguese). Record. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Blesa is the Liga Portugal Betclic Player of the Month". Liga Portugal. 10 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "Jalen Miller Blesa "Ylli i javës"" [Jalen Miller Blesa "Star of the Week"] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 30 October 2023.
  12. ↑ "Blesa is the Liga Portugal Betclic Player of the Month". Liga Portugal. 10 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
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