Daku sobbed bitterly: was the match against Akron the Albanian's last in a Rubin shirt?

Was the match against Akron truly Daku's last for Rubin?

The Rubin vs Akron clash could hardly be called one of the central fixtures of the RPL's second round. However, it drew particular attention from Kazan fans and Spartak Moscow supporters.

The entire week was filled with talk about whether the Albanian forward would move to the “red-and-whites.” Several insiders recently confirmed the buyout amount and Daku's contract terms .

Frank Artiga tried to distance himself from all the transfer talk. He made no statements that Daku was definitely leaving, and even quipped that he would like the RPL transfer window to close tomorrow. But he understood the reality. There is no turning back — Mirind Daku will soon change clubs .

Daku could have sat on the bench, but he played and helped Rubin secure vital three points in Samara

Despite flaws in their play, Rubin managed to beat Akron 2:1. Both teams played freely in the first half, making many mistakes but genuinely wanting to play football. Akron, with a new head coach, essentially gifted Rubin the win. Both Anderson Arroyo's goal and Daku's strike came from unforgivable defensive errors. At 0:2, Akron tried to fight back, but only managed a single goal.

The second half was uneventful. However, what happened after the match was something few expected. Rubin publicly began to bid farewell to Mirind Daku, effectively confirming his departure to Spartak: the player was carried on his teammates' shoulders, and the Albanian himself sobbed bitterly . Over three years, he became more than just a top-class player for Rubin. Since 2023, Daku has been the face of the Kazan club, making Rubin recognizable to neutral fans.

By scoring against Akron, the Albanian reached 37 goals for Rubin, tying Alejandro Dominguez . He fell just short of surpassing Gökdeniz Karadeniz's record and becoming the club's all-time top scorer, needing just two more goals (39). But even without that brace, the Albanian has certainly earned his place in Rubin's history.

Will Daku's departure seriously hurt Rubin's potential to maintain 7th–8th place in the championship?

Losing Daku will naturally leave a mark on Kazan. Frank Artiga voiced his concerns at the press conference, lamenting the lack of squad rotation ahead of the autumn fixture pile-up .

— We have a situation where there are no players to rotate in many positions. And we have a very busy schedule. Today was the first of eight games we have to play in the next month — five weeks. You understand that with such a schedule, the risk of injury increases. So it's very important to have players for rotation. Moreover, many players have left the team, and so far only Samoshnikov and Ignatiev have joined us. And there are positions we would like to strengthen, where we need reinforcement. I would like the process of integrating new players to speed up, — Artiga stated.

Yes, Rubin will earn an extra 11 million euros from Daku's sale. But as the recent experience of CSKA and Spartak shows, even with such a sum, finding a quality goalscoring forward is extremely difficult.

Moving to Spartak is a step forward for Daku

An excellent RPL-level forward is heading to the “red-and-whites.” Exactly the kind who can support the club's title ambitions.

One Rubin player told Realnoe Vremya that Daku was very emotional in the dressing room, leaving the team before the crucial autumn part of the season. Nevertheless, many of his Kazan teammates approached him to offer support and reassurance .

Mirind Daku is taking a step forward in his career. He is moving to a team with a more lucrative contract and a clear goal of winning trophies. No one in Daku's shoes at Rubin could have turned down such an offer.

Now Kazan must learn to live without the Albanian. It will be difficult, but Artiga did manage to beat Lokomotiv and Krasnodar at home without Daku in the squad this spring!