By Bolaji Okunola
• (Middle) Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi at a facility tour in refurbished Maracana Stadium, Ajegunle, Lagos.
Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi has stated that facilities at the refurbished Maracana Stadium in Ajegunle, Lagos will help unearth more footballers.
Ndidi who donated facilities to the new-look stadium built by Chairman, Nathaniel Idowu Foundation, Yemi Idowu, stated this Wednesday.
After inspecting the sporting arena which now has two residential buildings named after him and Dortmund star, Karim Adeyemi, Ndidi vowed to do more in maintaining the edifice which now has a 192-bed space hostel, basketball and tennis courts, table tennis hall, canteen and restaurant under construction, 24-hour power and solar backup, treated water supply, top-notch shower and changing rooms.
“I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen so far and I can assure you this will serve as eye opener to grassroots footballers in the state and across the country. To be honest, this is really amazing; it wasn’t like this during my playing days as a young footballer. I’m happy to be here and to see how it’s moving on. “This is unbelievable because when we were young, we didn’t have facilities like this, special thanks to Mr Yemi Idowu, he made me understand what he was doing and I said I would get involved for the kids.”
“This is going to go a long way in helping the kids and I can see they are happy playing here. In our time, when we played on the streets and roads, we fell and got injured, so, having facilities like this is an encouragement,” Ndidi observed.
The Leicester City playmaker noted further that such facilities would help in grooming more talents.
“Our football would have been amazing if we had these kinds of facilities then. We actually underrated grassroots football, where the kids want to play. “When we nurture them from a young age, it gives them confidence to believe in themselves going forward. You can’t just bring a 20-year-old to play football without them having that structure from a young age.
“So, I think this is amazing and I look forward to seeing the kids progress from here,” he stated.
The erstwhile Genk star, alongside Yemi Idowu donated football and other sporting items to upcoming footballers.