Number 2, the unforgettable defender Petro Ruci (1957-2009), a model of the professional footballer!

Intro.
Saarbrucken 20 November 1983!

The representatives of West Germany and Albania are lined up before the execution of the national anthems on the eve of the qualifying match for the European Championship.

The camera of the German television, ZDF, as it passes the Albanian footballers one by one, shows among others a smiling boy, singing with great zeal the anthem of his country, Albania. This is the energetic right-wing defender of the “Flamurtari” of Vlora, Petro Ruci, the first Vlora native who paved the way for others to the red-black formation of the Albanian National Team.

As you watch him smiling and singing with such passion, it seems as if in a moment before your eyes, his entire career as a footballer flows.

At the age of 18, he made his debut with the first team of Flamurtari thanks to coach Birce, who very quickly created confidence in this energetic young man with a lot of desire for football.

Meanwhile, thanks to his skills as a full-back, he was fully credited with the Albanian National Team, debuting on September 22, 1982.

The well-known coach Shyqyri Reli will entrust him with the starting lineup in the national team in the defensive department alongside Targaj, Hametaj, Bimo, and Omuri for eight consecutive matches in the years 1982–1983.

Meanwhile, in these years, the great “Flamurtar” also grew. The powerful duels for the championship title and Cup winner in those years between “Flamurtari”, “17 Nentori”, “Vllaznia”, “Dinamo” and “Partizani”, have within their chronicles also the strong duels of Petro Ruci against Minga, Kola, Vukatana, Luci, Muca, Ballgjin, Lame, Tomorri and others.

Flamurtari would remain the runner-up and Cup finalist until February 1985 when Flamurtari’s boys, led by Leonidha Curri, would bring the Republic Cup trophy to Vlora with quality football. This success would be repeated in June 1988 where without a doubt Petro Ruci had his part in these successes……

Meanwhile, the anthems have finished being played and both teams have begun the challenge that will prove to be very difficult for the German champions, a match that is already part of the archive of history, especially of Albanian football, which will precisely mark the first stage of change, the gradual increase in the level of the National Team of the 80s as one of the most qualitative in this football.

And Petro Ruci was part of this historical change as the first Vlora but not the last!

1.

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Petro Ruci was born in Vlora on March 3, 1957.
He comes from a family with a tradition in sports, his father Aleksi and brother Foto Ruci were athletes and footballers in their youth. Perhaps this is what made Petro fall in love with the game of football.

From a very young age, Petro Ruci was active in pre-youth teams and later in the youth chain teams of “Flamurtari”

After leaving behind his childhood years, those long hours behind the ball in the round of matches with his peers in the neighborhoods of Vlora, very soon he would participate in the first youth team of Flamurtari, where coach Feredun Bejkosala would evaluate him as a good wing defender.

A year later, coach Skënder Elmazi would do the same thing to the youth team, who would decide on the right-back position.

In September 1975, in the match against Besa, when Petro Ruci had just turned 18, his former first coach Bejkush Birçe would entrust him with this task.

The beginnings were exciting for the young boy due to his very young age. Nelaj, Çuri, Haxhiu, Zilja, Liçaj, Xhaho, Braho Çipi were his colleagues in the first years in the team.

Coach Bejkush Birçe very quickly formed the right trust in this energetic young man with a great desire for football.

A little later, in the renovated “Flamurtari”, the next generation will approach the great history of “Flamurtari” with Berberi, Birçe, Arapi, Çipi, Taho, Lushaj, Iljadhi, Ziaj, Ferko, Gjondeda, Ziu, Daullja, Kushta, Bubeqi, Memushi, Vasil Ruci, Muça, Laluci and many others.

Petro Ruci, the right-back, showed from time to time an excellent form, standing out for his energy and forward runs on the wing, which were often motivating for the team’s attack and his teammates.

Participation with “Flamurtari” in the Balkan Cup matches against “A.E.K” Athens and “Velež” Mostar would be the first signals that the great “Flamurtari” was coming.

The unforgettable coach Agron Sulaj, among this contingent of quality footballers, would also rely heavily on Petro Ruci. Positional, fast and very energetic on the right wing of the defense, Petro Ruci would be the insurance of the Vlora defense.

The duels with opposing attackers, the interventions, the speed, the maneuvers and many other skills that form a professional footballer do what was expected.

On September 22, 1982, he will be the first Vlora native to wear the national team jersey in more than 35 years.

A beautiful and very interesting chapter in his sports career are the international matches with the “Flamurtari” jersey, starting with the Balkan Cups against “Velež” Mostar and “A.E.K” Athens and up to European teams such as “H.J.K” Helsinki, “Barcelona”, “Lech” Poznan, “Partizan” Belgrade and “Vismut” Aue.

Petro Ruci is there contributing, present, the captain and motivator of the team

Even today, the strong and beautiful duels on the field of play against Kola or Minga of “17 Nentorit” have remained indelible in the memory of that generation of sports fans, those with the dangerous striker of “Apolonisa” Kujtim Majaci, Roland Luci, Luan Vukatana, (Vllaznia); Genc Tomorri and Hasan Lika, Ilir Lame (Partizani), Sh. Ballxhini, A. Marko of Dinamo and many others.

Even in the international arena, the duels against the world football stars of the time such as: C. H Rrummenige, Gary Lineker or the Albanian of Kosovo, Fadil Vokrri against “Partizan” of Belgrade will always be remembered!

2.

And here, at the age of 33, after 15 years of career, in May 1990 Petro Ruci handed over the jersey to the defender from Vlorë Gjergj Dëma, closing an impressive and rich career.

He will play a full 346 official matches with the Flamurtari jersey, scoring 31 goals, which is not a few even for a defender.

284 matches are for the championship, 43 for the Cup and 19 international matches.

This career is rich when added to it the 8 matches with the national team held in the period from September 22, 1982 to November 20, 1983, where the matches against Turkey, Austria, Denmark and the former W. Germany are rightly singled out as the most appreciated for him. A positional defender with full performance

With his beloved team, “Flamurtari”, Petro Ruci in the period from 1975 to 1990 has taken three second places in the championship and has appeared six times in the final of the Albanian Cup, winning it only twice in 1985 and 1988.

But like his friends of his generation, Petro Ruci ended his sports career without having the opportunity to enjoy even once winning the national champion title with Flamurtari.

After the 1990s, Petro Ruci is a former footballer who was a youth selector in the championship of the neighboring country of Greece.

In 1996, together with his former coach Leonidha Curi, Petro Ruci returned for a few months to manage “Flamurtari”.

The date of July 2, 2009, will be the saddest day for relatives, colleagues, friends and “Flamurtari” when he will pass away, bringing much pain to Vlora and our entire sports community.

File:
Career as a footballer: 1975 – 1990

Role in the team: Right defender

Matches played: Flamurtari 327 matches

International matches: Flamurtari 16 matches and with the national team 12 matches

Trophies won: Flamurtari 2 Republic Cups in 1985 and 1988

Evaluations: “Master of Sports”, “Merited Master”, “Legend of Albanian Football” and “Great Master” posthumously.

Exclusivity on this page is dated November 19, 2025

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Sports Vision / Hour of Champions in activity since 2013

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