Adana Demirspor forward Babajide Akintola is relishing the chance to link up with Mario Balotelli ahead of his debut against Fenerbahce on Sunday.
After completing his loan move to Hatayspor – where he scored six times in 35 Super Lig outings – the 25-year-old was transferred to the Blue Lightnings from Midtjylland for an undisclosed fee.
He will make his Adana bow when they take on Fenerbahce at the New Adana Stadium as the Turkish elite division gets underway.
While hoping for a positive outing against a "powerful" Yellow Canaries side that boasts Bright Osayi-Samuel, Mbwana Samatta, Marcel Tisserand and Nabil Dirarin in their ranks, the Nigerian is hoping to partner the former Manchester City and Inter Milan star in the attack.
"We have the quality to get a result against Fenerbahce and I'm looking forward to the game," Akintola told Goal.
"Adana are keen on a positive campaign and our impressive run in pre-season gives us good confidence ahead of the game against Fenerbahce.
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“I also hope for a positive debut playing alongside Mario Balotelli. He has been a great guy since I joined, and I can't wait to help the team get a win in front of our home fans.”
Akintola’s experience is expected to prove pivotal for Samet Aybaba’s men, who were promoted to the Turkish elite division in the 2020-21 campaign.
Born in Oyo state, Nigeria, the winger began his career at Nigerian lower division side FC Ebedei. His impressive displays in Churchill Oliseh’s team caught the attention of Danish top-flight side Midtjylland.
In this maiden season in 2015, Akintola featured prominently for Midtjylland U19s, where they won the league, scoring nine goals.
Nonetheless, his inability to tie down a regular place in the club’s senior team saw him loaned to Thisted. The following season, he was sent to FK Jerv to garner more experience.
Before leaving the MCH Arena, he had represented Haugesund, Rosenborg, Omonia and Hatayspor, all on loan spells.
Blessed with blistering pace and dribbling ability, the youngster is eligible to represent three-time African champions Nigeria at international level.
