Abdul Abdulmalik is already a fans’ favourite at top Swedish club Djurgarden following his transfer from the English fifth division.
The biggest cheer of the night was for the forward when he was brought on to make his Djurgarden debut.
Abdulmalik made his debut in Thursday’s 7-1 win against Haninge in the Swedish Cup. When he came on in the second half, the evening’s biggest cheer at the Stockholm Stadium was undoubtedly heard.
“It was fun. I enjoyed myself with the fans. They appreciated me and made me feel safe,” he said after the match.
It was close to being a dream debut. After only being on the pitch for two minutes, he showed off his quickness and technique and got past an opponent and was free in the penalty area, but the shot went straight to Haninge’s goalkeeper who saved.
“It’s still hard to replay the situation in my head. I should have scored. Next time I’ll score and celebrate with the fans,” he said.
Djurgården were awarded two penalties. First Max Larsson missed and then Christos Almyras scored. But with each penalty, the supporters shouted that they wanted Abdul Abdulmalik to shoot.
“Haha, yes. I said no. I’m not entirely comfortable taking a penalty right now, but I’m going to practice my penalties so I can take one and celebrate with the fans,” he said.
There was so much transfer interest around Abdul Abdulmalik and according to Sky, Djurgården initially had several bids rejected by Boreham Wood.
The winger himself then expressed a desire to leave the English fifth division team and in an open letter, the club’s chairman Danny Hunter stated that the 23-year-old refused to train and play. He also accused Djurgarden of a possible breach of regulations.
In the end, the transfer was completed. Eleven days ago, Djurgården presented Abdulmalik and according to the BBC, the transfer fee was the largest by a club in the English fifth division.
