The Adelaide United Youth Team will travel to Renmark for their next match against West Adelaide, striker Samed Altundag’s hometown.
18-year-old Samed Altundag of the Young Reds has proved to be an important player in the team’s 2016 National Premier League campaign, creating chances and having a strong presence on the field.
Altundag played for his hometown club, Renmark Olympic, for the entirety of his junior career, and moved to Adelaide at 14. His passion for the sport and the will to play in Adelaide drove him to continuously work hard in order to reach his goal.
“I was training and working hard with my dad to improve my skills as a football player so I could get the opportunity to play in Adelaide,” Altundag said.
“My work paid off and I got the opportunity to play for Adelaide Blue Eagles, and I was travelling to and from Renmark to Adelaide twice a week, and then played for the Adelaide United Youth Academy.
“In 2012, I moved overseas to embark on another opportunity, with Perugia, and played for the Brisbane Roar Youth Team for six months.
“I was stoked when Adelaide United called me up again, and to play in the youth system of where I’m from.”
And in returning to Renmark on the weekend, Altundag is ecstatic to be able to show-off his skills in front of a home crowd and is eager to win, confident that playing in his hometown will be extra motivating.
“I’m really looking forward to going back to play in Renmark, I still have a lot of family and friends there so I think it will be really good to be back where it all started for me.
“For me personally, it will definitely be a motivating factor to get the win in Renmark, as I would love to walk off the pitch in smiles, especially playing in front of my home town there’s nothing better than a win.”
Commenting on his team’s progress so far, the striker is confident in the abilities of his teammates and that they can get the job done every week and play their best football.
“I think we will do well against West Adelaide, and I think we can get the win,” he continued. “We are a confident side and that hasn’t changed heading into this game, so it will be an exciting challenge for us to play in the country.
“We will play our best football, like we have done week in week out, there is always something to work on but we are getting better each day.”
Adelaide United Youth Team will face West Adelaide in Round 6 of the PlayStation 4 National Premier League on Saturday, 16 April at Renmark Oval. Kick-off is at 3.00pm ACST.
