{"id":87246,"date":"2024-07-02T18:05:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T15:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apollon.com.cy\/?p=87246"},"modified":"2024-07-02T18:08:17","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T15:08:17","slug":"babacar-dione-first-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apollon.com.cy\/en\/babacar-dione-first-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Babacar Dione first interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our new signing, Babacar Dione, introduced himself on the official website of the club, <\/strong>www.apollon.com.cy.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Tell us a bit about yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am Babacar Dione. I am 27 years old. I grew up in Belgium, but I was born in Senegal. I come from Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria. I play as a winger. I think my main attributes are speed, dribbling, and creating dangerous situations from the flanks. This is what I hope to bring here \u2013 creating opportunities, scoring goals, providing assists, and generally contributing to the team’s success.<\/p>\n

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How do you feel about this transfer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think for me, it\u2019s a step forward. That\u2019s why I was excited when my agent told me about the opportunity and interest from this club. I know it\u2019s a big club. I know that, if I\u2019m not mistaken, three years ago, they won the championship and often compete in Europe. I\u2019m familiar with the club, so I was very happy with the interest and excited to accept the challenge.<\/p>\n

Do you have any friends who have played for Apollon or in Cyprus?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I know Amine Khammas a little, who played here before. We have some mutual friends who have played here. Also, with Instagram, it\u2019s easy to follow and stay informed. I know some people who play in Cyprus. Now, some of my former teammates, like Pedro Costa, are at Omonia, Georgi Minchev at AEL. Also, from AEK, I know Imad Faraj. We played together at Mouscron. So, I was already following Cyprus a bit.<\/p>\n

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What kind of player are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am left-footed, but I like to play on both sides. Cutting inside, going outside. I believe the right side suits me better.<\/p>\n

Was there interest from other clubs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, there was some interest because I was a free agent and I think I had a very good season last year. However, when I learned about the interest from this club, I made it clear to my agent that I wanted to come here. There were offers from the Netherlands, Poland, and Arabia.<\/p>\n

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This is not the first time you are playing outside your home country, how was your experience in Bulgaria?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was my first experience abroad. I think it was a positive first experience. I met good people. The club was great for me, the fans, the culture. I appreciated it and learned a lot there. I hope to continue here in the same positive way.<\/p>\n

What can the fans expect from you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A player who will give everything for the badge and the team. I\u2019m a winger, but I know that in the modern era of football, as a winger, you have to contribute defensively as well. I\u2019m someone who fights, who as a winger, tries to create many dangerous situations for the team to score, to shoot, to cross, to dribble, and generally contribute to the team’s success. I put the team first and then myself.<\/p>\n

A message to the fans.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hope they will support us this year, and we will do everything to achieve our goals.<\/p>\n