Gael Bigirimana today signed for Newcastle United from Coventry City, speaking to nufcTV he explained his fascinating story on how he joined Coventry City, his appreciation of Coventry, his delight of joining Newcastle and more.

“One day I was just going with my brother to buy some milk at Asda and then I looked to my right and there was this centre where the Coventry youth team Academy trained. There was something in me – like a voice – just said ‘go and ask to train.’ The next day, I went there and I just asked if I could train and stuff. They were kind of like, ‘this is awkward, you can’t just come in here and ask to train. We have to come and watch you and scout you if you’re good!’

So I gave them the name of my school and they told me ‘if you’ve got a school match, we’ll come and watch you.’ Iwas excited – I was like ‘yes, they’ll come and watch me and I’ll have my chance’ – and I just started jogging off because I was excited.Then as I was running, they stopped me. They called me back and I thought ‘there’s no-one around me so it’s got to be me that they’re calling.’ So I went back and they asked me: ‘are you good enough?’. I just said: ‘well you’ll have to wait and see if you give me a chance.’

They asked me if I had any shin pads and stuff and I said yes – but I didn’t! The next day, I went and trained with them and from then it’s just been an amazing journey.”

“They havebeen like my second family because for the last seven or eight years I’ve been with them most of the time. They’re just like my family and they’ve changed me so much as a person and as a footballer.”

“I used to be a centre-back but Greg Rioch [Coventry Academy Manager] said ‘I don’t want you to play there, I want you to play somewhere where there’ll be bodies around because it’s kind of too easy for you at centre-back.

And now I realise that’s where I belong, in the middle. They were great people to have and they were like a great family.”

“But you never get too many opportunities like this. It mightcome once in a lifetime and sometimes you just have to take it and go and learn. It might be hard but life is not promised to be easy so that’s why I took the chance”

“I’m an all-rounder, if I have to do a job for the team, I do the job for the team; if I have to play as a holding player, I’ll hold; if I have to play more as a creator, I love creating and I love the style that Newcastle play.

I’m a team player and to be around such good players, I will learn every day so hopefully I can break through.”

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