Super Eagles forward Rafiu Durosinmi has attributed his difficult six-month spell in Italian football to the sacking of the coach who signed him, revealing that he never settled under the manager’s successor at Pisa.

The 23-year-old striker arrived in Italy with huge expectations after Pisa completed an €11m deal to sign him from Czech champions Viktoria Plzeň on January 14, 2026, a transfer that included an initial €9m fee and €2m in performance-related bonuses.

The move made Durosinmi the most expensive signing in the club’s history, surpassing the €6.7m Pisa paid for Henrik Larsen during the 1990.91 season, and the club handed the 1.92-metre striker a contract running until June 2030.

Durosinmi’s start in Italy could hardly have gone better. Days after arriving, he came off the bench against Atalanta and rose above the defence in the 87th minute to power home a header that rescued a dramatic one-all draw.

That goal, however, proved to be his only Serie A strike, as Pisa slid towards the bottom of the table and were eventually relegated to Serie B, with the Nigerian managing just one goal and one assist in 12 league appearances, or 14 in all competitions.

Reflecting on his time in Italy, Durosinmi said everything changed once Pisa parted ways with the coach who had pushed for his signing.

“Nevertheless, I got off to the perfect start at Pisa,” he told HBVL.

“I scored on my debut against Atalanta, but two weeks later the coach, who had insisted on my arrival, was sacked. His successor took me off at half-time in his very first match, and a week later I started on the bench. I didn’t click with him; I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin.”

The forward’s frustration deepened after he was shown a red card in a game against Cagliari following an incident involving experienced Colombian defender Yerry Mina.

“I got caught out by the experienced Yerry Mina; a stupid reaction kept me sidelined for two weeks. I learned from that too,” he said.

“For me, Serie A was disappointing; everything revolves around fighting out duels and defending. The change of manager added to that, but it remains an experience that has made me stronger.”

Despite the setback, Durosinmi remains grateful for the opportunity to play professional football, saying, “I am very religious and am grateful to God for giving me this opportunity to become a professional footballer. I realise every day that I am a lucky man. In Lagos, there were many boys walking around who had even more talent than me but did not get this chance.”

On July 23, Durosinmi completed a €10.5m move to Belgian Pro League side KRC Genk on a four-year contract, bringing his difficult spell in Italy to an early end.

The transfer follows an important breakthrough with the Super Eagles, for whom he has earned three caps since receiving his first call-up from head coach Éric Chelle for the 2026 Unity Cup in London, making his debut in a 2-0 win over Zimbabwe, starting the 3-0 victory over Jamaica and featuring in the 2-2 draw with Poland. He is yet to open his international goal account.