Slovenia club NK Maribor has completed the signing of reigning NPFL champions, Rivers United forward, Ishaq Kayode Rafiu.
The forward joined the Slovenia club on a three years contract after a stellar performance in the just concluded 2021/2022 NPFL season.
Kayode played a crucial role to help Rivers United win the NPFL title for the first time since the merging of Sharks and Dolphins as one club by the Rivers State government.
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Maribor in a post on it’s official website welcomed the forward who was courted by clubs in Europe.
The club wrote;
“Transfer window, next chapter. We can introduce another new player: Ishaq Kayode Rafiu, a 21-year-old winger from Nigeria, from Rivers United to NK Maribor with the title of national champion.
Welcoming Kayode to the club, the sports director Marko Šuler described him as a player for the present and the future.
“If he hadn’t been part of the national team’s trip to the USA, where he wore the team’s jersey for the first time in the match against Mexico, he would have finished the season as the most efficient individual in the league.
“We had to react, to expand the staff we also need a new solution in the wing positions.
“I’m glad we got the deal done, Ishaq is here as a player for the present and the future.
“He comes with good recommendations, like the Nigerian champion.
“Last season he scored 14 goals, if he played all the matches until the end, he could also become the top scorer of the championship.
“He is a player with penetration, speed and concreteness and with rarely seen physical strength.
” It can mean an appropriate choice for the purpose of realizing our competitive goals, but also for a further step forward from Maribor, which the players from Nigeria often prove as a breeding ground for talent.
“In the meantime, he has already found himself under the scrutiny of many clubs, so we managed to catch the right moment to lure him to Ljudski vrt.
“From the beginning of the talks, he had a desire to come, all matters came together in the desired mosaic and we got a player who brings us a new dimension in the offensive part.
“The contract has been signed for three years, but it will still be necessary to wait for the arrival to arrange the paperwork.
“The transitions between continents are specific at the moment and will require some time to coordinate all the necessary matters, so Ishaq will join the team later.
An elated Kayode in his first interview said he was happy to have signed with the club and promised to deliver.
“I am very happy that we agreed and that I signed the contract.
“After playing in the top tier of the competition in Nigeria and after winning the championship, I had quite a few offers from clubs from Europe, I decided to move to Maribor, because I believe that the best Slovenian club is currently the most suitable choice for me as the next step on the development path.
“As a multiple national champion and a long-term participant in European competitions, Maribor makes it possible for a football player to do what he wants.
“I am looking forward to a new challenge in my career, I want to contribute my share on the field and I can’t wait to meet my teammates, the professional staff and join the training sessions.
” I got a lot of information about the club, also heard about the great support of the fans.
“I believe that together we will bring them many reasons to be satisfied, with new victories and winning trophies,” said Ishaq Kayode Rafiu in anticipation of the purple challenge.