Kaizer Chiefs new boy Samir Nurkovic is looking forward to making his mark at the club starting with their opening Absa Premiership clash against Highlands Park on Sunday.

The Serbian striker made the switch from Slovakian side FK Pohronie as Chiefs look to rebuild their side after an underwhelming 2018-19 campaign.

Nurkovic played 28 games where he scored 23 goals and bagged five assists, while the season before he played 20 games scoring 16 goals which attracted interest from clubs from all over the world.

‘I appreciate the warm welcome I received when I arrived at Kaizer Chiefs. I really like being here and look forward to doing well for the team,’ Nurkovic told his clubs official website.

The 27-year-old striker, who was born in Tutin, opened up about how he’s interested in sports started:’Tutin is a small town in the south of Serbia.’

‘How I started playing football is a very long story but will try to cut it short. As a young boy, I played basketball for a year. At that time football was a very popular sport in my city. After a year of playing basketball, I changed my mind about the sport. I was nine when I started playing football.

‘I then moved to the capital city, Belgrade. I joined the academy of the famous Partizan Belgrade. At school there was one school teacher who believed I would break into professional ranks as a player. I did not believe it much because there has never been anyone who played any professional sport in my family. I really did not know I would go this far in my career. My mother though always told me I would become a good footballer.’

The Serbian international signed his first professional contract when he was eighteen years old and played for Slovak outfit VSS Kosice. Nurkovic says that his most unforgettable moment at the club was scoring five minutes into his debut.

‘I was brought up at one of the best academies, Partizan Belgrade,’ he added.

‘It truly is one of the best academies in the world, I think it is in the top 10 of the best academies. I learnt a lot there. One of the lessons was learning that my strength is in movement and scoring, the coaches taught me that at Partizan.’

Speaking on his arrival at Chiefs and making his debut in the Soweto derby, he said:’The call came just after the end of the previous season in Slovakia. My agent called and said Chiefs was interested in my services. He told me one great team in South Africa is interested. I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer. I think it took me about the 10 min to accept the offer.

‘I was amazed when I arrived at the Chiefs Village. We have all what it is required for professional football. It is amazing. The support we get is another exciting and unbelievable aspect here. The peace sign fascinates me, and I look forward to contributing in making the supporters happy.

Nurkovic concluded by sating that he is relishing the chance to showcase his talent in his first official game for Chiefs when they take on Highlands Park on Sunday.

‘I want to give my best to help the team and looking forward to my first official match for Chiefs,’ he concluded.

The match at the Makhulong Stadium kicks off at 3pm.