The newly acquired Gor Mahia Burkinabe midfielder Karim Abdul revealed on Friday this was the second time he was reuniting with coach Vaz Pinto, having previously worked with him at Ethiopia's St. George's.
Karim said Pinto convinced him to join the Kenyan champions from an Armenian premiership side during the last player transfer window.
“I came to Gor Mahia because of coach Vaz Pinto. He was my coach at Saint George's before I moved to Armenia,” said Karim.
“When I was 15 years old, I joined Asfa Yennenga in Burkina Faso before penning a deal with Soa FC in Ivory Coast.
“From there, I linked up with Saint George's of Ethiopia and later featured for Gandzasar in Armenia before coming to Kenya,” he said.
After joining the Kenyan champions during the second player transfer window, the industrious midfielder says he is enjoying life in Kenya despite the challenges posed by unfamiliar weather conditions.
“Life is good because Kenya is a cosmopolitan country,” said Karim.
“Only that the weather is a little bit challenging for me. In the beginning, it took me some time to adjust."
“For example, I found our game against Nzoia tricky because of the high altitude. I had difficulties in breathing.
Karim further admitted he was facing tough competition at Gor from equally competent teammates, who are fighting to keep him on the bench.
“There is cut-throat competition among players given everyone wants to break into the starting line-up. To some extent, I think it’s a good idea because it motivates us to give our best performance,” he said.
That notwithstanding, Karim is determined to attain greatness with the 18-time Kenyan Premier League champions.
“Playing for a club as good as Gor is most certainly a new big challenge but I'm ready to rise to the occasion and help this big club charge for silverware,” said Karim.
“Ever since the government announced a ban on gathering, I have been doing some personalized training to maintain form,” he concluded.
