Ishaq Kayode Rafiu who was unveiled by Slovenian side, NK Maribor yesterday will have his first training session with his new club today.
Rafiu arrived Maribor on Monday after his visa issue was sorted from the Slovenian Embassy in Cairo Egypt and the club wasted no time by unveiling him yesterday.
“Ishaq Kayode Rafiu has arrived. It took longer than we would have liked, but it went according to plan. After the intermediate presentation and remote registration, we officially welcomed the 21-year-old Nigerian to the People’s Garden on Tuesday afternoon,” the club announced on its official website and social media networks.
Rafiu who has been handed the club’s number 13 jersey expressed his delight at his switch to his new club and enthused about the prospect of playing for the first time in European club competitions.
“I’m excited to be here. It took a very long time, but I am happy that I became part of NK Maribor. I promised myself that I would do everything to show what I can do and help my team,” he said.
“Knowing that I will be playing in Europe for the first time is a dream comes true. I was active during the visa process and did not miss any training. Now I’m here and I can start working right away. I won’t have to wait, I can join the work as soon as possible.”
He added: I watched Maribor’s matches all the time and encouraged the team. I learned a lot because I think it’s important as a player to know how your team plays before you arrive. That you have no problems when you join. So I watched a lot of games, the last one we played with three defenders. Since the match was away, we had to concentrate in the middle and thus achieve the desired result and a 1-0 victory.
“I like to score goals, but I also contribute assists. When you pass, your teammate will pass back to you and this is the basic rule of the game. I can’t wait to play in front of the Maribor fans for the first time. It will be a special moment and I know that everything will be different for me from now on,” he concluded.