Marash Kumbulla recounts highs and lows in Roma spell prior to Espanyol switch: “I grew up a lot under Mourinho.”

Roma defender Marash Kumbulla – currently serving his loan at Espanyol – recounted his experience in the capital prior to his successful move to La Liga.

Having emerged as one of the best defenders in Spain this season, Kumbulla spoke to Zach Lowy in an interview with RG Media about his years with the Giallorossi, including the challenges that came in the aftermath of his ACL injury in 2022/23.

“Out of all the coaches who I’ve worked with, Jurić has had the biggest influence on me as a player,” Kumbulla recalled of his playing days at Hellas Verona.

“He took a chance on me when I was just 19. I will be thankful for him every single day because he helped change my life.”

When asked about his move to Roma in 2020, Kumbulla replied, “I wasn’t thinking about the price tag at first, I just wanted to play football. There was a lot of pressure – Roma is a big team in Italy whose fans demand a lot – but I really enjoyed my time in Roma, and the pressure, even in the bad times, helped me mature.”

“I grew up a lot under Mourinho in terms of my character and mentality – he tells you the truth to your face. He helps you see football in another way, and that makes it easier to play at a higher level.”

When asked about the brutal injury suffered at the end of the 22/23 campaign, Kumbulla remarked, “It’s tough. When you play football every day and train every day and feel really good, it’s very difficult to stop that for eight months.”

“Even after these eight months, you will feel good, but your body isn’t doing the things it was before the injury. You need a lot more time to get back to 100%. I was sure I would return to my best, but the only question was when.”

On his decision to join Espanyol: “I had a lot of other teams interested in signing me, but after speaking with the club’s coach and director, I immediately wanted to go to Espanyol,” said Kumbulla.

“They didn’t promise that I would play every game, but they made me feel very confident by the way they talked to me. At the beginning, I was a little afraid because this was my first time outside of Italy. However, after one week, it seemed like I had already been there for months.”

“Compared to where I was two years ago, I’ve grown up a lot mentally. I enjoy each day more, I go to training with a smile on my face, and I’m happy to be with my teammates and just laugh and enjoy everything even more.”

I was always playing for Albania before my ACL injury, but after that, the coach had no other choice but to play other people in my position. I had to get back to top form, so it was very important for me to play these three matches. I’m very happy to be playing for Albania again.”

“Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior are the toughest players I’ve played against in my entire career,” he added. “When you play against them in real life, you understand why they are so good – they’re at another level. It was incredible playing at the Santiago Bernabéu, it’s the best stadium I’ve played at.”

“In Espanyol, I’ve found an atmosphere where I only have to think about what’s happening on the pitch and can concentrate on every single detail. I train every day to prepare myself for each game,” said Kumbulla.

“After a year and a half of recovering from injury, I was a little bit in doubt, but now, I feel very good both physically and mentally. I finally feel like myself again as a footballer.”

“What I love about Manolo is he’s a very straightforward guy,” Kumbulla said of his new coach, “who always tells you the truth to your face, and he’s also very good in terms of tactics. Thanks to him, I’m a lot more calm when I have the ball, I’ve developed a lot in terms of driving the ball out of deep areas.”

“He’s given me a lot of confidence, which I had been looking for, and it’s why I had no doubts about joining Espanyol. After every game, he analyzes the match footage with all of the players – if there’s something I did well, he’ll tell me, and if there’s something I did poorly, he’ll tell me.”