Kate Obodo
13 January 2012
Nigeria Under-23 goalkeeper Dele Ajiboye has revealed why he left his Spanish club, Pontevedra to join the Nigeria Premier League side Shooting Stars Sporting Club of Ibadan.
Ajiboye declared that he refused to renew his contract with Pontevedra, contrary to wide spread believe that he was sacked by the club, which he joined in 2009.
“I was not sacked, I even played their last game. What really happened was that I signed a two year contract with them and it expired in June 2011. So they wanted me to renew my contract but I could not, because the team was relegated to third division.
He continued: “For me, the best thing I could do was to quit, because I see it as something that will tarnish my image especially my career, if I continue. So, I thought it wise to come back to my father’s land and start with the Nigeria Premier League,” he said.
The 21-year-old is best remembered for his penalty-saving heroics as Nigeria won a third FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2007 at the expense of Spain. He has also represented Nigeria at U-20 level.
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