By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian striker Rafiu Durosinmi is in high spirits following his remarkable return to form after a long and challenging injury layoff.
The 22-year-old Viktoria Plzen forward was sidelined for 15 months due to a career-threatening knee injury that dashed his high-profile move to Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023.
Durosinmi had agreed to a four-year contract with Frankfurt but failed his medical test due to the injury.
However, the young striker has bounced back with a vengeance, making an impact in his recent matches for Plzen.
In his last few outings, Durosinmi has netted three goals and provided one assist. He scored a brace in Plzen’s 2-0 win over Teplice last weekend and followed up with another goal and an assist in their dominant 3-0 Europa League victory against Ferencvaros on Thursday.
Durosinmi credits his successful return to the support of those around him and his strong desire to contribute more to his club.
“It has not been easy for me to return from injury, but with the help of the doctor, my family, the physio, and the team, I came back stronger,” Durosinmi told Nova Sport.
“[On Sunday] I scored twice in the league; today, I scored again. I am really happy,” he added.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
