Croatian top-flight side snap up teenage Nigerian midfielder from Mavlon FC on a three-year deal.
Croatian top-flight club HNK Rijeka have completed the signing of Flying Eagles midfielder Simon Cletus from Mavlon FC.
The 18-year-old Nigerian midfielder was part of the Flying Eagles squad that claimed bronze at the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, and he has now put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the Croatian outfit.
Cletus previously captained Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets under renowned coach Manu Garba, achieving the feat while still an SS1 student at Palm Ville College, Lagos. He is expected to play a key role within Rijeka’s U-19 team structure as part of his development pathway.
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The talented midfielder is the latest export from Mavlon FC, continuing the academy’s growing reputation for producing elite talent bound for Europe.
Cletus joins a list of recent Mavlon graduates already plying their trade abroad, including Momoh Muntari at NK Istra, Elisha Ephraim with CD Castellón, and Wahab Musa at Malaga CF.
The move further underlines Nigeria’s rising footprint in European youth football, with Simon Cletus now set to begin the next chapter of his career in Croatia.
