Follow Us on Google
Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
For many soccer-loving Nigerians, the problem of Nigerian football apart from administrative, is the inability of the current talents to fit into the big boots retired legends like Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha among others left behind.
Nigerian coaches and administrators have commendably made desperate searches at home and in the Diasporas with little or no success. They have equally harvested talents from the youth teams and even convinced foreign-based players, yet the vacuum still remained evidenced.
However, the continued search seems to have yielded positive result with the triumphant entry of a Canadian-based 16-year old skillful sensational striker, Osinakachi Obasi. He has already rejected tempting offers from Canada, Panama and other foreign countries just to wear the green and white colours of fatherland.
Obasi, currently among his peers jostling for a permanent shirt in the Golden Eaglets team, told SportingSun in Abuja that his strength is his dribbling speed, promising to be the replacement many Nigerians have desired for long now.
“My playing position is striking. I can play as an offensive and or support striker. My strength is in my speed. I am very fast,” he boasted while fielding questions from The Sunsports on Saturday.
Asked his role model among the retired and active Nigerian players, he announced without hesitation: “Kanu Nwankwo and Jay Jay Okocha stood out due to their gifted skills when they were still active players. I am always attack-minded. That is why I like scoring goals.”
For Obasi, playing football has been a dream he nursed from the cradle and he proudly revealed that: “I have been playing since I was four years old and actually played competitive football when I turned six years.”
How hopeful has been his journey with the Golden Eaglets, he said: “I will say so far so good. I have done my best to prove myself but at the end of the day, it is up to the technical crew to take the final decision. However, I am very optimistic.
“I try to show more or make myself available, and when I am playing in the wings, I come in more to get the ball. My sole aim always is to assist any team I am playing for to win.
“I want to get to the top of my profession as a young footballer. Even though my major concern is ensuring my team do well, it is my desire to gain more experience and advance my career,” he said.
On those challenges he facing him in the team, Obasi junior said: “Since I am new, it will take longer time for my teammates to take me as one of them. Many of them don’t know my skill and what I can do as a striker. They have been playing together for a while. I am still learning to get use to how to communicate with them because that is an interesting part of the game. Every team achieves cohesion by the players understanding each other.
“I believe that teamwork is very important. You have 11 men working together for a goal. One day during my trial, I had opportunities to score but I gave to another I felt was in better position to score. I am not a selfish striker who wants to take the glory of scoring alone,” he said. Interestingly, he has already started looking beyond the Eaglets, announcing: “My dream club is Chelsea despite their performance now. I liked how Lampard, Drogba and now Hazard play. It will be dream come true if I play for Chelsea in future.”
