Next month will mark two years since Samir Nurkovic joined Kaizer Chiefs, and it had never happened in his career that he lasted this long at a single club.
The 29-year-old striker has since opened up about his rare prolonged stay at Naturena, arguing his previous nomadic predisposition was because he was playing for smaller clubs. Nurkovic joined Chiefs from Slovak club Kormano.
“The other clubs I played for before were not big like Chiefs. When I came here I was so overwhelmed and excited to play in front of amazing fans. To play in front of 90,000 fans was an amazing experience,’’ Nurkovic told Sowetan.
“I am so happy to be part of such a big club. In July it will be two years since I arrived here and I am really enjoying every moment here in South Africa. Even lifestyle wise, I like it here.’’
As much as he scored some crucial goals like the bicycle-kick that sunk arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby and the cool finish that stunned Moroccan Wydad Casablanca in the CAF Champions League semifinal first leg two weeks ago away, Nurkovic admits this season hasn’t been his best, lamenting injuries.
“Personally, this season hasn’t gone well for me. I missed a lot of games at the start of the season because of that injury [he underwent a groin surgery before the season started], I think I missed 15 games. The injury made it hard for me to reach the form of last season again but I am working very hard. Hopefully, next season I will rediscover my old form,’’ said Nurkovic.
Overall this season, “Kokota Piano” as Nurkovic is known in local football circles, has netted six goals from 31 games. Last season, his first at Naturena, he managed 14 strikes from the same number of games in all competitions. Even with his promising goal ratio, Nurkovic isn’t liking the idea of winning the Golden Boot.
“I put the team first, that’s very important. I don’t really think about winning individual awards. Yes, I want to score more goals but challenging for the top-scorer award isn’t important,’’ noted Nurkovic.
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