Nigerian U-20 midfielder Simon Cletus has joined Croatian side HNK Rijeka from Nigerian academy side Mavlon FC, Footy-Africa can exclusively confirm.
The youngster has enjoyed a remarkable rise in his young career and first played under former Golden Eaglets head coach Nduka Ugbade at the 2023 U-17 African Cup of Nations when he was only 15-year-old and was still in secondary school.
He was only given a few minutes at that tournament, but was appointed as captain by Ugbade’s successor Manu Garba for the WAFU B U-17 African Cup of Nations tournament in Ghana in 2024, where they defeated the hosts to finish third.
The 18-year-old was among the two players promoted to the U-20 team last year for series of friendly matches, alongside teammate Abdulmuiz Adeleke.
Cletus played twice at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in 2025 and provided one assist in Nigeria’s second game, during a 2-2 draw against Kenya, as the Flying Eagles finished third at the tournament.
He has now secured a high-profile move to Croatia, joining the growing list of Nigerian youngsters to move to the Southeastern part of Europe, where he will be hoping to build on his impressive form and create a pathway for an even bigger move in the future.
