Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri was the star attraction after the world number 73rd rated player inspired GD Toledos in their 3-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the final of the Portuguese table tennis league Super Cup.
A large number of fans watched the match played at Porto at the weekend but it was Quadri that lifted the trophy ahead of his compatriot, Bode Abiodun who could not feature in the encounter for Sporting.
Since moving to Portugal in 2010, Quadri has clinched two league titles, two Portuguese Cups and two Super Cups.
Explaining how difficult it was for his team to overcome the Sporting side, Quadri said: “I must say the truth that beating Sporting to the title was not easy at all as they now have new faces in their line up. They have Portuguese international, Diogo Cavalho and Chinese-born Meng Xuan and this made them a bit stronger than last season. Although my compatriot, Bode Abiodun was in the team but he did not feature in the match.”
He added: “I am really happy and this is one of the finest moments for me so far in Portugal. I felt so great for doing it again for my club. It is the beginning of the season and I am so happy for the good start especially with the fact that I was able to win two matches in the encounter.”
The Nigeria Civil Defence Corps officer, however, plans to move to another European league next season.
“I must move to more stronger league by next year and it’s the best thing so far at this moment but I must concentrate on this present season before thinking of next season. I am presently ranked 73 in the world and I think with this ranking and God on my side, I stand a good chance of getting offers in top European leagues and I will be very happy if offers can come from Germany or France. I also know that for me to get good offer next season I really need to step up my game and keep the level going. I must continue playing Pro Tours so that clubs will continue to monitor my progress and from there better offers might come my way.
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