Ismaily’s newly-signed forward Okiki Afolabi said moving to the club was a big step forward in his career.
The Brazilians of Africa signed Okiki from Jimma Aba Jifar on a four-year deal to bolster their frontline.
In an interview with Footballlive.ng, the 23-year-old said playing in the Egyptian league could give him the chance to join a European side in the future.
“I’m taking it one step at a time. I rose to prominence in Ethiopia and decided to make a bigger move to Egypt,” he said when asked why he had chosen to leave the East African country to play in an Arab competition.
“Ismaily are a great team with a glorious history and the level of football is very high in Egypt.
“I want to make a fine impact here and prove myself and by then I would be able to move to Europe through the Egyptian path. I just need to have self-confidence.”
Okiki, 23, ended up as the Ethiopian Premier League top scorer in his debut season after scoring 23 goals, helping Jimma Aba Jifari win their first-ever league title.