For Abdussalam Magashy, it has been an eventful four-year journey that has taken him from the fifth-tier league to a top club in the top league in Sweden.
Former FC Hearts star Magashy started out in Sweden in 2018 at Vaxjo United FC and this month he signed for one of the country’s top clubs AIK Solna.
How did he make it all the way to the top of the tree?
“It was not easy to be honest, it took a lot of sacrifice and hard work discipline and prayers,” he admitted in an exclusive interview with SCORENigeria
“In everything you do, you have to have a target, I always told myself that no matter what I want be at the top league, and that with the prayers and hard work nothing is impossible.
“And for any chance you get, there’s no excuse you must give it all and then pray.”
The energetic, box-to-box midfielder made his debut for Vaxjo on April 21, 2018 in a goalless draw with Horvikens IF with 74 spectators watching.
He scored twice in 11 league appearances and in August 2018, he and fellow FC Hearts teammate Hassan Lawrence moved two divisions up and signed for Kristianstad FC.
He established himself at his new team, but they were eventually relegated in 2019.
In the winter of 2019/2020 season, he signed a two-year contract with another Ettan league club IFK Varnamo.
It was at Varnamo that he finally came into his element in Europe.
Magashy said helping the club to gain promotion to the Swedish top league would rank as one of the highlights of his career.
“I have had a couple of best moments in the last three years, but I can tell two of my best moments were first promoting Varnamo from Superettan to Allsvenskan and also signing for AIK,” he told SCORENigeria
He has signed a four-year contract at AIK, who have in recent years been regarded as the sleeping giants of Sweden.
AIK finished a disappointing fourth and outside the bracket for European football next year.
He said the target is to restore the lost glory at the club.
“They are a top team with the big supporters, they belong to the top and that’s what they are working on, they are not happy where they finished this past season, they want be at the top and that why the trying to strengthen the team for next year,” he explained.
“Yes, I am confident this club will be great again, the fans deserve everything.
“They have signed a new coach and he wants play good football and win games and I am sure the team will do great with the quality players we have.”
Such is Magashy’s confidence o the chances of his new employers that he will back them to be champions of Sweden again in the new season.
“My target next season is to focus and work hard and help the team,” he said.
“I want to win the league next season and I also want to be one of the best players in the league .”
It’s about time AIK woke up from their slumber to win their 14th Swedish league championship after their last conquest in 2018, the same year Magashy made his way to Sweden.
