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South Africa striker Thembi Kgatlana has signed a two-year deal with Atletico Madrid Femenino, leaving fellow Spanish top flight side Eibar after a successful spell. Kgatlana was a frustrated star player for Eibar in the 2020/21 season, scoring 10 goals in 21 league fixtures as the team finished 14th out of 18 with only nine wins. Her new side, however, finished fourth in a pack of three sides clumped a good distance behind league winners Barcelona, who also won the women's Champions League. Kgatlana said at her unveiling on Tuesday: "I am very happy to arrive at Atlético de Madrid. As a footballer you always dream of playing for the best clubs. "My first goal is to be a team player and to work hard for the team. I am very happy to be able to join you soon, I can't wait to meet you all." Kgatlana is the most high-profile player in the South Africa team at the moment, with the 2018 CAF women's Player of the Year enjoying a spell at the Houston Dash in the United States, as well as in China and Portugal before her move to Eibar. Her national team coach, Des Ellis, was thrilled with the move, telling SAFA: "She had a fantastic season at Eibar, but I am super excited and looking forward to the next stage of Thembi's growth. "She knows exactly what her next steps are to make her one of the best players around the world. "She has joined a top team and will be playing alongside Rasheedat (Nigeria) and Ajara (Cameroon) which will make for an exciting strike force in trying to bring back the glory to the club whose men's team has just won the league and hopefully they can follow that success in the next season."
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