Vedat Muriqi is a man who thrives under pressure.
With eight goals and an assist so far this season in LaLiga our striker is among the top scorers in the division, but as the lone striker in Javier Aguirre’s system, the Kosovo international says he enjoys the responsibility of being our focal point in attack.
"I like pressure a lot,” Muriqi told club media. “Pressure pushes you to do things better. Without pressure, you go out on the field without desire. I know my team-mates need me to score goals, but I'm not worried at all. If my team wins and I don't score, I don't care. I don't want to score, I just want RCD Mallorca to win, but if I score and we win, I'm twice as happy. The goals are sure to come.
"Before the break I had eight goals in 14 games. For a RCD Mallorca striker to score eight goals in 14 games is very good. Of course, after that everyone is going to expect more. I'm a striker and I'm always anxious to score goals. When a striker doesn't score it's hard to bear, but I think I'm lucky to have a coach and teammates who know that I'm helping the team in another way.”
“There were two or three games that I went out on the pitch thinking: 'I don't have to think about scoring', but that's not my character. After those games I decided to play the way I know how to play. Since that day I've been happy."
Our centre forward combative and physical style of play often puts him at risk of being fouled, and following a debatable decision against Sevilla after a collision Badé, Muriqi says he is a player who will always try to stay on his feet.
"I have a very good relationship with all the referees,” he continued. “I'm not a player who shouts at them, because referees don't want to fail, but they are human. I'm a little tired with the issue of fouls because they don't believe me.
“When I go to the ground, they don't believe me, they don't call fouls. I'm not one of those who dive every time I collide with an opponent. If you see Vedat Muriqi on the ground, something is really wrong.”
