MARCO TAKES SHOT IN THE DALK
Lilies ace well used to travelling
BEFORE Stephen Kenny phoned to lure him to Dundalk, Marco Tagbajumi’s only link to Ireland was playing against Cillian Sheridan in Cyprus.
But packing the bags to embark on a new adventure abroad is nothing new to the big striker and his Norwegian partner, Isabelle.
Tagbajumi, 29, has played in Portugal, Cyprus, Thailand and Norway, so he took the move to Ireland in his stride.
“You’re never sure what the experience will be like but even at this early stage I can say there’s a big difference from previous places I’ve played,” he told Mirror Sport.
“People are so friendly and we’re settling in really well. The weather has been a little strange but let me tell you, having spent a lot of time in Norway that’s not snow!
Born to an Italian father and Nigerian mother, Tagbajumi was brought up in Norway and lived there until he was 17.
Naturally, he’s fluent in that adopted tongue – but doesn’t hold a Norwegian passport. Trips to Nigeria are rare enough these days, although he gets to Italy most summers.
Tagbajumi moved to Cyprus in 2011 and spent four years there with four different clubs and remembers Sheridan as a standout striker. They never played together but Tagbajumi said: “We spoke a few times and he was excellent – tall and strong.
“He got a move to an excellent Polish club and he deserves to be at that level. Cyprus made him a more technical player. I loved it there. Good people, the weather was great and the standard of football was good with a lot of foreign players in the league.
“It helped me a lot. In Ireland, the game is played with more intensity and I’ve learned that anything can happen in those situations.”
Two years ago, Tagbajumi swapped Cyprus for Thailand after a permanent move to Norwegian side Stromsgodset fell through and ended up just being a loan.
The standard in Thailand was a hit or miss, with a top-heavy element between the top of the table and the chasing pack and Tagbajumi was soon back in Norway.
Spells with Stromsgodset and Lillestrom followed before Kenny’s approach earlier this month. And Tagbajumi laughed: “It came out of the blue from my agent. I’d never heard of Dundalk and said ‘sorry, who?’.
“I had a good feeling. Isabelle took a little convincing but now that she’s here, she loves it and so do I.
“I just want to get going on the pitch. That first goal as a striker is always the most difficult but I feel I can help the team.”