Rafiu Durosinmi didn’t waste any time announcing himself at Genk, heading in a debut goal and immediately setting his sights on the Belgian Golden Boot.
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Super Eagles striker Rafiu Durosinmi has set his sights on finishing as the Belgian Pro League’s top scorer this season after marking his competitive Genk debut with a goal, even though the club suffered a 2-1 defeat to Zulte Waregem on the opening weekend.
Durosinmi rose above the Zulte Waregem defence to head Genk into the lead in the 39th minute, finishing off a cross from Junya Ito. Genk couldn’t hold onto the advantage, with the hosts scoring twice late on to complete a comeback win, but Durosinmi’s individual performance still earned him the Man of the Match award.
“I want to score, I want to finish high in the standings, and I also want to go for the top scorer title. I have always dreamed of that,” Durosinmi told DAZN after the match. He also acknowledged the frustration of the result taking some shine off his personal milestone. “Of course I would have preferred to win, because then this would have been a great moment to celebrate,” he said.
Durosinmi’s arrival at Genk this summer came with genuine fanfare. He joined from Italian club Pisa for a reported 10.5 million euros, a fee that made him the club’s record signing, and beat out competition from Turkish side Trabzonspor to complete the move on a four-year contract running until June 2030. Fans following his start in Belgium can check Bet9ja’s current promo code ahead of Genk’s next fixture.
His career path to this point has been built on serious goalscoring form. Durosinmi scored 35 goals in 86 appearances during his time at Czech club Viktoria Plzen, output that eventually earned him a move to Pisa in Italy, though his spell there ended with the club’s relegation to Serie B before he made the switch to Belgium.
Standing at 1.92 metres, Durosinmi steps into a role with real recent pedigree at Genk. He effectively inherits the central striking spot vacated by fellow Nigerian Tolu Arokodare, who finished the 2024/25 Belgian Pro League season as top scorer with 14 league goals before his move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, giving Durosinmi a clear early benchmark to chase. New Bet9ja users following Nigerian strikers in Belgium can check how to get the Bet9ja promotion code before the season builds further.
Genk head coach Jess Thorup was quick to praise what he saw from his new striker despite the defeat. “Ito’s left footed cross was also top notch. But there you could see the qualities on which Durosinmi was scouted and signed,” Thorup said afterward.
On the international stage, Durosinmi is a recently capped Super Eagles international who scored in the final as Nigeria beat Jamaica 3-0 to win the 2026 Unity Cup in London, a result that offered an early glimpse of his big match temperament before this summer’s move. Punters following his progress in Belgium can check Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code as the new Belgian Pro League season continues.
Genk will look to bounce back from the opening-day defeat when they host Westerlo at the Cegeka Arena on Saturday, with Durosinmi already having given supporters a strong reason to believe his Golden Boot ambitions are more than just talk.
📌 Did You Know?
- Durosinmi arrived at Genk for a reported 10.5 million euros, making him the club’s record signing.
- He beat competition from Trabzonspor to complete the move to Belgium.
- Durosinmi scored 35 goals in 86 appearances during his time at Czech club Viktoria Plzen.
- He scored in the final as Nigeria beat Jamaica 3-0 to win the 2026 Unity Cup in London.
- Durosinmi stands 1.92 metres tall and now leads Genk’s attack after previous record scorer Tolu Arokodare moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
- His Genk contract reportedly includes an 18 million euro release clause.
- Genk head coach Jess Thorup singled out both Durosinmi’s finishing and Junya Ito’s cross after the striker’s debut goal.
