BascoVanVeli:
I’m still the same person, says Arsenal's Alex Iwobi

The 21-year-old winger has risen through the ranks at the Gunners and has not let the fame that accompanied it get into his head

Alex Iwobi has declared he is still the same person despite rising through the ranks at Arsenal and becoming an established member of the first team.

The Nigeria international broke onto the scene last season with eye-catching performances whilst making 38 appearances and scoring four goals in all competitions for the Emirates Stadium outfit.

And those performances have also seen him become an integral part of the Super Eagles core but he is adamant those successes haven’t changed who he was.

"I still hang with the same friends when they’re back from uni, every time after training I still go home and sleep," Iwobi told club website.

"Nothing’s really changed, just playing in the first team I guess. I do get recognised more, people are like ‘ahhh’.

"Two years ago you could just come in, I’d normally go back to my old area and play in my cage and no one would bother me, but if I go and play in my cage now - ‘ahhh Alex Iwobi’s here’. I’m still getting used to that because I still feel like I’m the same as my friends and the same person as two years ago, but when people are like ‘do you know what you’ve done?’

"Obviously I was lucky to have an uncle that played football, so he still gives me advice from time to time, but my mum and dad keep me grounded.

"The more I’m progressing, the more money, the more the fame comes with it, but they’re helping me invest because football is a really short career, so they’re also making me think about life outside of football as well a bit more, but I’m not one to go spending and living a flashy lifestyle, I try to keep as humble as I can and I’m still the same.

"That’s what I’m going to keep on saying, I’m still the same person as I was two years ago."

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/alex-iwobi-im-still-the-same-person/1u4v6z4fx43ry13r6xqcybvbhd

Danielnino00:


I think the problem lies more with our league. You see most of those u-17 boys, once they hit it at international tournaments, they get carried away. Some greedy agents won't hesitate to get them deals in countries like Greece,Turkey,Malta,Finland etc and they would accept not because those countries are better than Nigeria in football but because their league are better.
The rate at which our best players are running abroad(even countries like Tunisia,Egypt and SA is abroad to them) is rather alarming. It shouldn't be like that. We need to build our homegrown talents at home..


But like you said,corruption has affected virtually every sector of this country.


Its a pity

Danielnino00:
Abeg where's Abdullahi Alfa?
That short dude that played at the 2013 u-17 WC

Humility017:

so pathetic....
onething about we Nigerians we over do things....all because we wanna parade young folks wit the right age....
we begin to parade under age...partly the reason for the failure of amunike and garba boys....just automatically graduating all under 17 to under 20....all with an average age of 17-18 ages.
why can't we just borrow the Germans model

tbaba1234:

In Latvia

tbaba1234:

In Latvia

Danielnino00:



I used to like the guy sha.. He was good..

Icon4s:


Thank you.

You understand this issue perfectly.

When the Germans parade an U20 team you see over 90% as 19 and 20 years olds. But ours will be 90% 17 and 18years olds. We paraded the youngest team at the 2015 U20 where did it take us?

Apart from natural talent age matters a lot in football. That is why FIFA separate U17s from U20s. Europeans separate U19 from U21.

The way the NFF are going about it we will parade the youngest ever U17 squad and be prouding ourselves in it only to crash out at the 1st round of qualifiers. Then subsequently the players will be discarded and that generation goes like that thereby creating another gap in the system.

Joebie:
Dennis Okon nko. That left back was solid. Akwa United signed him in 2015. He was a regular in the previous season, but not heard much about him this season. Also Aliyu Abubakar, was arguably our best center back. Until now he played together with the likes of Egwuekwe and Salami in Sweden before he was loaned to an obscure league. Let's not forget Saharadeen Bello who progressed to the U23 team but did not make the cut to Rio.

tbaba1234:


Bello is a DM in Kano Pillars.

Aliyu Abubakar could not make the cut in Finland.

Humility017:

exactly.....
it is so painful...
I believe we can operate a system...where we won't go begging these foreign born to come play for us....
though we might go after some still....but not on route of going to beg them .
why can't the nff start a regional tournament of under 15 league....under 17 league and under 19....
the problem we have been recreating is heading on a journey to nowhere...
why go embark on an under 15 promise tournament if there are no plans to progress the kids to the next level...
promoting the outstanding under 15 players to the NPFL clubs main team...is not a brainer idea and such can stunt these lads development
managing these age grade leagues can be less expensive...and should be entirely left wit corporate organisations to manage...

BascoVanVeli:
Nigeria's Ogenyi Onazi denied work permit to join Birmingham

By Oluwashina Okeleji
BBC Sport, Lagos
16 August 2017

Nigeria's Ogenyi Onazi played at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil however the Super Eagles have failed to qualify for the past two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations

Nigeria international Ogenyi Onazi has been denied a work permit to play for English Championship side Birmingham City.

Birmingham had agreed terms with the 24-year-old to sign him from Turkish club Trabzonspor.

However the Football Association turned down a first application for a work permit for Onazi last week.




An appeal made by the club was rejected on Wednesday despite Onazi being a regular in the Nigeria national team.

BBC Sport understands that the player and his representatives are bitterly disappointed that the panel rejected an appeal.

Onazi has played 38 times for the Super Eagles and helped them to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and reach the last 16 of the World Cup in Brazil a year later.

However Nigeria's failure to qualify for the past two editions of the Nations Cup has affected his chances of securing a work permit to play in the English Championship.

Despite appearing in over 80% of the national team games, Onazi failed to earn a permit after the FA considered the West African nation's world ranking in the past two years.

They are ranked 38th in the August 2017 ranking, but Nigeria finished 54th on aggregate over the past two years.

Onazi joined current club Trabzonspor from Lazio last year and scored twice in 27 Turkish Super Lig matches last season.

cromz:
I pray this doesn't happens it might create Mafia among the players because enyeama will want to return as captain I don't think we need him anymore

Humility017:

exactly.....
it is so painful...
I believe we can operate a system...where we won't go begging these foreign born to come play for us....
though we might go after some still....but not on route of going to beg them .
why can't the nff start a regional tournament of under 15 league....under 17 league and under 19....
the problem we have been recreating is heading on a journey to nowhere...
why go embark on an under 15 promise tournament if there are no plans to progress the kids to the next level...
promoting the outstanding under 15 players to the NPFL clubs main team...is not a brainer idea and such can stunt these lads development
managing these age grade leagues can be less expensive...and should be entirely left wit corporate organisations to manage...

komekn:


Can you explain your negative prejudice and assumptions as seen in bold.

What do you mean by begging them

komekn:


Can you explain your negative prejudice and assumptions as seen in bold.

What do you mean by begging them

Joebie:
Thank you.

It's just like me saying let the South South develop football so that most of the players from the SE will be from the South South. My people, foreign-born players are Nigerians like everyone else. Let's stop all those labeling, division and sentiments.

Modified
It's just like Trump and white nationalists feeling like they are the real Americans, at the expense of blacks, Jews etc. It's actually prejudice my brother. We show these signs even in our many cases of tribalism. It's a pity.

Joebie:
The Championship yesterday:

Hull 2-3 Wolves
Ola Aina was on from start to finish for the home side.
Enobakhare had an assist for Wolves' second goal, and later made way in the 60th minute.

do4luv14:




what about MUSA

TheGoodJoe:



January, 05, 2016
Contrary to most belief, I see Zidane succeeding. He spent time with the junior team of Madrid mastering his craft. He ran some programs in Germany with Guardiola to sharpen his understanding of possession football.

He gained a lot from coaches refining his game and played a part in the development of young bright talents like Sarabia, Morata, Jese, Carvajal.

I think Zidane is the right coach for the job but I feel Benitez deserved more time.

Joebie:
Thank you.

It's just like me saying let the South South develop football so that most of the players from the SE will be from the South South. My people, foreign-born players are Nigerians like everyone else. Let's stop all those labeling, division and sentiments.

Modified
It's just like Trump and white nationalists feeling like they are the real Americans, at the expense of blacks, Jews etc. It's actually prejudice my brother. We show these signs even in our many cases of tribalism. It's a pity.