Rayon Sport football club, on Tuesday announced the signing of experienced center-back Abdul Rwatubyaye on a two-year contract.

The 25-year-old joins the team as a free agent, after serving out his contract with FK Shkupi, a Macedonian outfit.

A popular name for many who follow Rwandan football, Rwatubyaye is a key addition for the Blues as they try to reinforce their ranks ahead of the new season.

In this article, Times Sport takes a look at what he can offer on the pitch.

Versatility

Rwatubyaye’s good physique and height makes him a good centre back, but he is also endowed with good pace that facilitates him to play as a right back.

Such a player is always a good addition since he can always fill the void in the respective positions in case some players are injured or off-form.

Boosting the team’s attack

If deployed as a right back, Rwatubyaye can do a good job as an overlapping defender with his pace, swinging in the crosses that would turn out to be great goal scoring opportunities for the team’s strikers.

His attacking contribution can still be realised even when he plays as a centre-back, because he always presses forward even from such a position.

In addition to this, he is a threat to the opponent when his team gets set pieces like corners and free kicks, since he is a good header of the ball.

If you have been following his playing career, you might have noticed how fairly good he is at scoring some goals with the head.

He is also a good passer of the ball, a quality that can beef up Rayon Sport’s ball possession and build-up play.

Experience

Rwatubyaye is experienced since he has featured for the national team and a number of clubs in Rwanda and outside.

He represented the national team at various levels, from the U-17 to the U-23 and finally to the senior team.

He earned his first national team call-up for the U-17 team in 2012.

In 2013, he received his first cap in the Olympics (U23) team for Francophone Games in France.

In 2014, he also played for the team in AFCON U23 qualifiers where Rwanda was knocked out by Uganda 4-0 on aggregate.

He has played many games for the senior national team and still features for it.

Besides, he has featured for APR and Rayon Sports, in addition to teams in the United States of America and Macedonia.