Raphael Lea’i has landed in Europe for trials with proffessional soccer clubs.
The 19-year-old Solomon Islands’ rising star will spend two months training with FK Velez Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina before going on trial with top flight club in Turkey, Antalyaspor. If successful, he will sign his first professional contract.
This is the second time Raphael has travelled to Europe to get a chance as a professional footballer. The first, in August last year, had a negative outcome as he was not allowed to enter Turkey due to a visa problem. Now, five months later, he returns to Europe to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Lea’i is the current top scorer in the 2022-23 Telekom S-League with 21 goals in ten games for Henderson Eels. So far in his career, he has scored 91 goals in 59 games, including his homeland’s domestic league, OFC Champions League and senior appearances for the Solomon Islands National Team.
Source: OFC Media