Torino defender Rafik Belghali stated in an official club interview that he likes Torino very much and revealed that he had rejected an offer from Qatar while playing for KV Mechelen, insisting on staying in Europe to develop his career.

Belghali said, "I really like it here. I've been here for a few weeks, and I truly enjoy being in Torino."

How much did you know about Torino before?

Belghali replied, "Honestly, not much, but I talked to some people who live here, and they only had good things to say. Now that I've been here for a few weeks, I've seen with my own eyes that it's really beautiful, and I like it a lot."

How have the first few weeks been with your teammates?

Belghali stated, "Really good. All the players welcomed me with a lot of kindness. Everyone has been very friendly to me from the beginning, and I think we are a good team and get along well."

This summer, you played in your first World Cup for Algeria and scored your first national team goal. How did you feel at that moment?

Belghali said, "Playing in the World Cup has been a dream since I was a child. It's a moment I will never forget in my life, and I think it was the best moment of my football career."

You grew up playing football in Belgium, but you've also had some experience with Italian football. What do you think are the differences between the two leagues?

Belghali stated, "I think the Italian league is really important, very competitive, and very intense. It's very different from Belgium in that respect, and many more people follow the Italian league than the Belgian league. Overall, I think it's much bigger than the Belgian league."

Is it true that when you were playing for KV Mechelen, you rejected a significant offer from Qatar to continue developing in Europe?

Belghali replied, "Yes, it's true. I was injured at KV Mechelen at the time and received an offer to go to Qatar, but that was never my dream. I also wanted to play for Algeria, and I hadn't played for Algeria yet at that time. So I really wanted to stay in Europe, to have a good professional career, and to keep progressing in my career path. So I rejected that offer."

What did the head coach ask of you during these training sessions?

Belghali stated, "He talked to me before training. He told me that he knows how I play and just asked me to play like I did last year. He also gave me some instructions, but basically, he just told me to play as usual."

Who were your idols when you were a child? Were there any players you particularly admired?

Belghali said, "I didn't have many idols, but I think one of my idols was Riyad Mahrez. Now he's my teammate, which is quite different. But when I was very young and just started playing, I admired him greatly because he is also Algerian and had a great career in Europe. So he was one of my idols when I was a child."

How do you feel about your first game for Torino? You also provided a wonderful assist for Che Adams.

Belghali replied, "It felt really good because we also won the game. I felt like I directly impacted the game, and it was great to have such a performance in my debut. So for me, the result of the first game made me very happy."

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