Monday’s opening match day at the OFC Futsal Nations Cup can’t come soon enough for Elliot Ragomo who has arrived in Noumea with the sole aim of leading the Solomon Islands to their fourth consecutive FIFA Futsal World Cup.

The 29-year old can’t hide his excitement about his side’s prospect of an another campaign on the global stage.

“I’m so proud to come here and be part of history for my country and my team,” he enthused.

“Being here trying to qualify for the World Cup for the fourth time is something I will always cherish.

“To come back to this type of tournament is what every single futsal player looks forward to and I’m very fortunate and privileged to be with Kurukuru again for this qualifier and I’m really looking forward to this tournament,” Ragomo explained.

With his impressive international resume which includes playing in Brazil for Minas Tênis Clube, the Solomon Islands first ever professional futsal player brings unparalleled experience to the tournament in New Caledonia.

Currently at Marist FC, Ragomo is confident he is in the best possible shape for the upcoming competition.

“Personally I feel ready physically, I want to do well and I want to qualify for my fourth World Cup,“ he said.

“I look forward to improve myself, I want to be the best and I want to be the best at what I do especially being with such a motivated players like these Kurukuru players, I have a lot of confidence in them.

“I grew up with these boys and all of them are part of my family, I’ve spent most of my life being a Kurukuru player and moments like this is what I live for,” the Solomon Islands captain added.

Destined to command plenty of respect from his own teammates as well as from opposition players alike, one of our region’s biggest ever futsal stars is keenly aware of the importance of the upcoming Nations Cup in terms of growing the sport he loves both in the Solomon Islands and across the Pacific.

“We want to keep improving and build our team for the future and also to build futsal in OFC.

“We know this competition will be one of the hardest, everyone has prepared well  to qualify for the world cup and our team is ready and set to go on Monday,” Ragomo said.

The Solomon Islands will kick off the OFC Nations Cup with the opening match of the tournament against debutants and Group B rivals Tonga at 1:00 pm on Monday 28 October at Noumea’s Arena du Sud.

Ends