One of the nominees for the Sports Man of the Year in this year’s Nigerian Sports Award, Aruna Quadri, improved his chance of clinching the prestigious diadem after claiming the Portuguese Super Cup with his new club Sporting Lisbon.
Quadri, a two-time winner of the Ball Sports Award of the Nigerian Sports Award, was in fine form when he marshaled the resurgence of the Lisbon-based team against his Former club, GD Toledos, at the weekend.
For four years while at GD Toledos, Quadri single-handedly prevented Sporting from winning the Portuguese Super Cup but after pitching his tent with the Lisbon-based side, the 2014 ITTF Star Player was instrumental to the team’s reclaiming of the title at the weekend.
In what looked like homecoming for Quadri occurred when he led Sporting against GD Toledos in the Portuguese Super Cup.
From the five matches played, Quadri won two of them to give Sporting Lisbon a 4-1 win to reclaim the trophy to the Lisbon-based team.
According to Quadri, the win really meant a lot to Sporting as the fans celebrated throughout the night. “It was not easy playing against the team I had featured in for more than three seasons. But as a professional I must do my job to ensure that my team claims the victory. I am happy winning my first title with Sporting, which also has my compatriot, Bode Abiodun,” he said.
“We are hoping to win two more titles this season and we will continue to work harder to ensure that we claim the two titles. This victory has really increased my confidence to do more in the French league. At Toledos, I won three Super Cup titles and this is my fourth titles and I hope it will gear me up for this week’s Polish Open,” he added.
Meanwhile, Quadri will this week return to the ITTF World Tour in Warsaw, Poland after being seeded in number 25 among the 32 seeded players listed for the men singles event.
Quadri will start his campaign from the main draw of the men’s singles at the five-day tournament holding in Warsaw.
In the men’s doubles, the Nigerian will partner his continental archrival and friend, Egypt’s Omar Assar. Assar has also been seeded 21 in the men’s singles of the competition, which serves on Wednesday October 21.
The 2015 Nigerian Sports Award event is schedule to hold on Friday, November 20, 2015 at the Marquee, Oceanview, Eko Hotel , Lagos.
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