I left Man City when I realised they wanted me for the wrong reasons - now I'm ahead of Messi

In a week where Manchester City's relationship with Slovakian players has come into sharp focus, Vladimir Weiss continues to take the headlines after reportedly retiring immediately after his emotional substitution against the Blues in the Champions League.

He wasn't the only former City player in the Slovan Bratislava ranks - anyone remember Robbie Mak? And while City were in Slovakia for the first time, there is another Slovakian former academy player who has a story to tell from his time in Manchester.

The parallels to Weiss are similar. While Weiss owes a lot of his career to his father (and current, or former, manager) Vladimir Sr, Albert Rusnak was brought to City after his father got a job scouting for the Blues.

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Rusnak signed for City in 2010 when he had just turned 16, swapping MFK Košice for Eastlands. He followed Nemanja Matic in leaving Kosice for the Premier League, moving to Manchester with his dad. He described his time at the City Football Academy as a 'dream come true' and was highly rated in his three years for the under-18s and under-21s.

"I had great times at the Academy. The facilities for young players at City, the pitches, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and gym are everything you need to develop your talent," he said in 2015. "It was more about school than football at the start. I went to Loreto High in Chorlton, learned English and got six or seven GCSEs. I was welcomed."

Rusnak took inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo in the transformation from arriving in Manchester as a scrawny teenager and leaving as a world-class superstar. But he also had to battle constant questions over his physique: "I heard many times that I was too small, not strong enough, that I don't have this or that but in my head I always had the sense that I'm going to make it as a footballer. My dad helped me become a strong character to always fight and believe because he played football himself.

"You have to be born with a talent and then make yourself even better. Ronaldo did. Ronaldo was an idol at that age for me. I knew my technical qualities would come through."

Rusnak was later included on City's pre-season tour in 2013, with Brian Kidd in charge following Roberto Mancini's exit. He struck up good relationships with Pablo Zabaleta and Vincent Kompany, as well as Gael Clichy, James Milner and Micah Richards. A first (and only) senior appearance came in St Louis in a friendly win over Chelsea in front of 48,000 fans.

But a permanent promotion wouldn't come and Rusnak was instead a part of Patrick Vieira's Elite Development Squad. A short-lived loan at Oldham Athletic saw Rusnak make his full debut, but the spell was cut short amid reports from the Manchester Evening News that Rusnak refused to play in a friendly for Oldham.

He returned to City, where Vieira instructed him to return to Boundary Park and apologise, but a statement from Latics simply said: “All parties felt it was better" that Rusnak returned to City permanently. A spell at Birmingham followed before a season at Cambuur in the Eredivisie.

"I didn't really talk to Pellegrini, not face to face,'' said Rusnak in his 2015 interview. "When you look at the City squad, there are over 20 world-class players. In my position there were players like David Silva and [Samir] Nasri, world-class players. So you look at it and think I have to choose somewhere else to play week in, week out. Young players don't get much of a chance.

"To go in a first XI in a Premier League game just out of nowhere for a debut for a 20-year-old is probably impossible. I spoke a few times with Brian Marwood but more with Patrick. He knew what kind of a player I am, having trained with me every day. I listened to what Patrick said. I have a very good relationship with him. He said Holland would be the perfect league. It's a good league for technical players."

Rusnak thrived in Holland and when it came to the end of his contract in 2015, he switched there permanently, signing for FC Groningen in December 2014 for a reported £500,000. Part of his justification for leaving City was that he felt trapped between a lack of progress to the first team but a desire from the club to keep him as a homegrown player.

"I did well at Cambuur but I didn't feel like City really wanted to keep me, to play me," he admitted. "I didn't want to be at a big club just to make up the numbers because I'm a home-grown player. That's why I chose to come to Groningen and it's worked out as a good step for me in my career."

A brace in the KNVB Cup final in his first season, Europa League qualification and a Slovakia debut in his first year attracted Premier League interest, including talk of a return to City, but he would remain at Groningen for another year.

And then his career really took off.

Despite stating ambitions to return to the Premier League, Rusnak instead made a bold transfer to Real Salt Lake in the MLS which made him a household name in the USA, and his knack for assists saw him record 14 in his first year - only three players got more. He reached double figures for goals in his second and third seasons, and captained the side during a successful period for the franchise. He ended his time in Utah with 42 strikes and 29 assists in 146 appearances.

With his contract expiring, an uncertain ownership situation at Salt Lake saw Rusnak join Seattle Sounders in 2022. “It was excuses,” Rusnak told the Seattle Times. “The front office [owners], the General Manager, everybody can make excuses for the whole last season. Saying, ‘We don’t have an ownership. We don’t know how to do this.’ I’m sure there’s ways and you can figure it out. I’m sure you can speak to the league and you can come to a conclusion if you wanted to figure it out.

“We overcame many, many obstacles. For what we really had, we overachieved for many reasons as well. Being five years and being the captain, I would imagine they come up with some sort of offer. I’m not saying if they made an offer I would’ve stayed. That’s probably not the case anyway. It’s just the respect thing.”

In three seasons in Seattle, Rusnak has over 100 appearances and helped the Sounders win the CONCACAF Champions League in his first season, scoring in the first leg of their semi-final win over New York City.

This season, he has nine goals and 12 assists - more assists than Lionel Messi - as the Sounders have booked a place in the post-season play-offs for the MLS Cup and sit third in the Eastern Conference. If he can help Seattle to another trophy, he might end the season with a better assist record than Messi (albeit from a lot more games).

There is every chance he gets a reunion with City next summer at the Club World Cup, with his current employers qualifying for the tournament and will host matches at their home stadium.

But even if he doesn't he will remain grateful to City for their role in his career - and he will feel his decision to gamble and join Groningen back in 2014 has certainly paid off.