edi287:

Bad move allround. I'd prefer he goes to Kayode's old club in Austria If he's that desperate

Yeah! Bad move. I think Nigerian players just love money. So bad.

I hope he stays in Belgium pro league for another season but if he is desperate, as you said, he should go to Austrian Wien.

But the question is, can they offer him what the Czech club wants to offer him?

I think it has to do with money and not where is better but that is a bad choice from him.

Besides, Czech clubs are doing better than Austrian clubs in Europe competition. Most especially the club that wants to buy him.

That Austrian club just made an impression this last season after qualifying for the group stage after many years.

Kog45:
It seems most of us don't know how Nigeria players behave when it comes to career making decisions,money first irrespective of the country,not a good move to be sincere but these guys don't care,pls see Etebo going to championship the same championship Ebuehi rejected for Benfica and likely Musa would go to Saudi Arabia.

This what I am trying to let him understand but he thinks because he is not good enough that is the reason he is going to Czech league.

That is far from the truth. I personal don't want him to go there but I understand the factor that is pushing him there.

Anyway, na still rumour. Make we see how it goes.

TheGoodJoe:


I will like to see you concentrate at work and perform one hundred percent if any of your parents or siblings is kidnapped.

Some people ehn. Let me not talk

edi287:
Manuel Akanji > Troost Ekong. Big big miss.

Where is Troost going to?

Did u know that Thomas Lemar's grandfather was a former super Eagles player, perhaps, Lemar could have been in Russia representing Nigeria instead of France.



Did u also know that Ousmane Dembele's father is Nigerian/Malien?


Do ur findings guys, this is becoming more and more interesting after the news of Mbappe.

Did u know?


In fact‚ in the current French squad‚ only two players‚ Benjamin Pavard and Florian Thauvin‚ can lay claim to having ancestral strong ties to France going back generations‚ with even the likes of Antoine Griezmann (Germany)‚ Raphaël Varane (Martiniquais) and Olivier Giroud (Italy) having connections from outside of the country.

How come Guadeloupe doesnt have a national team even though they have bigger population and produce immense talents on a daily basis. Before u start doubting, know that their biggest ever product is the legendary Thiery Henry. They also have many other players in the French league including athletico's new acquisition, Thomas Lemar.


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goldfish80:

You can see reports of games where he was man of the match. Personally I know of atleast 5 games he was the MvP. I suspect he has more because there are games we're he scored braces playing the Pirlo position.

Jeorge Bird is not in the business of player hype rather he gives factual reports on Arsenal youth team players. He is like Arsenal's academy mouth piece.

I have watched Sheyi Ojo, Tammy Abhram and Ovie Ejiara. I legit think they are talented players but in my humble opinion, if any of them were born in Nigeria, I wouldn't imagine they will be considered by Liverpool and Chelsea. We all know about the home grown rule. Take it away and see some of these guys end up working in the subway.

K. Nwakali havent had anything handed to him on a plater. The boy has worked his way up the ladder. The coming season is a big one for him as it will be considered a great conquest if he steps up to their senior team and not just spend the whole season with the Porto B(where it is assumed he'd start)

Talking about MOTM awards these are awarded by the league via an independent panel usually set up be the league sponsors in conjunction with the FA. They are completely different from the club awards which reflect your performance in relation to your team mates not the opposing team , for example you could be beaten 7-0 but be awarded MOTM and or MVP by your club. Indeed different journals state who they see as their MOTM however, for a balanced approach we tend to make reference to the official league awards.

I am still unable to find any official and or reputable source that confirms he had 5 MOTM awards at least. See the bold you state he has scored braces, thats clearly plural and it gives the impression he has scored a good number of goals. Forgiveness, is a lot better than that at me, so i would humbly ask if he can confirm or any body else for that matter.

I do not know Jeorge Bird have never met and probably never will, what makes him an authority? Is he a coach Part of recruitment Whats his official Arsenal position The people i do know don't say the same thing he is saying.

Being born in Nigeria or England has absolutely nothing to do with it . Like i said if Nwakali was born here he would not have a FREE RIDE to Arsenal. He would have had to battle through local youth football, get noticed, go on trial impress get signed, by pass the politics, corruption , favoritism, injury, etc and sustain continuous development all the way to U18, 21 & 23 otherwise be dropped. There is no guarantee he would even excel at local level, just too many ifs. The only reason he gets a big boost to fly over all the hurdles and jump into Arsenal is his exploits at Nigeria U17. NOTHING ELSE.

I had a talk with Harry Kane's former HO of development at Tottenham, and he told me they considered dropping him at 18 , indeed many got dropped he survived the rest is history.

In 2013, my friend John Fashanu brought the Nigeria all stars U18 Football team from Nigeria (if I'm right they were sponsored by the then Oceanic bank) , they came to play Manchester united and City some of those boys had been selected for Nigeria's u17 Eaglets. The independent academy I was involved with at the time was called to give them a warm up match to prepare them. My team was made up of boys who were predominantly U16 and almost entirely African origin and not playing for any academy at the time.

Cut a long story short we flogged them 8-1, after that game two boys were called to a EPL club for trials none from Nigeria Al stars. After that i don't think the game to play Manchester united and City materialized. Essentially this example tell you that being part of the National team set up gives you credence to get into the EPL in a sense through the backdoor without going through all the hoops.

In reality I don't think too much should be placed on playing for Arsenal Youth because what counts is playing first team football not growing dust playing academy football. The best way to do that is playing first team at any level and fighting your way up. In my opinion 70% of academy boys would be lost playing lower league football.

So when i think of Nwakali i would say he has had it VERY EASY in comparison . I mean that without prejudice

Finally, some of you think that life is easy in England and everything comes easy, it certainly is not.

I am going post Lukukau's story after this , it made me want to cry. he did not see Skytv until he was 16 and his mum had to mix milk with water because of no money. They would not have electricity for 2/3 weeks, that's extreme abject poverty and he is in Western Europe. Thats the kind of poverty some of you here can not even fathom. Yet he was in Europe where its assumed things are easy.

I've Got Some Things to Say- ROMELU LUKAKU


My father had been a pro footballer, but he was at the end of his career and the money was all gone. The first thing to go was the cable TV. No more football. No more Match of the Day. No signal.

Then I’d come home at night and the lights would be shut off. No electricity for two, three weeks at a time.

Then I’d want to take a bath, and there would be no hot water. My mum would heat up a kettle on the stove, and I’d stand in the shower splashing the warm water on top of my head with a cup.

There were even times when my mum had to “borrow” bread from the bakery down the street. The bakers knew me and my little brother, so they’d let her take a loaf of bread on Monday and pay them back on Friday.

I knew we were struggling. But when she was mixing in water with the milk, I realized it was over, you know what I mean? This was our life.

I didn’t say a word. I didn’t want her to stress. I just ate my lunch. But I swear to God, I made a promise to myself that day. It was like somebody snapped their fingers and woke me up. I knew exactly what I had to do, and what I was going to do.

I couldn’t see my mother living like that. Nah, nah, nah. I couldn’t have that.

People in football love to talk about mental strength. Well, I’m the strongest dude you’re ever going to meet. Because I remember sitting in the dark with my brother and my mom, saying our prayers, and thinking, believing, knowing … it’s going to happen.

I kept my promise to myself for a while. But then some days I’d come home from school and find my mum crying. So I finally told her one day, “Mum, it’s gonna change. You’ll see. I’m going to play football for Anderlecht, and it’s going to happen soon. We’ll be good. You won’t have to worry anymore.”

I was six.

I asked my father, “When can you start playing professional football?”

He said, “Sixteen.”

I said, “O.K., sixteen then.”

It was going to happen. Period.

Let me tell you something — every game I ever played was a Final. When I played in the park, it was a Final. When I played during break in kindergarten, it was a Final. I’m dead-ass serious. I used to try to tear the cover off the ball every time I shot it. Full power. We weren’t hitting R1, bro. No finesse shot. I didn’t have the new FIFA. I didn’t have a Playstation. I wasn’t playing around. I was trying to kill you.

When I started growing taller, some of the teachers and the parents would be stressing me. I’ll never forget the first time I heard one of the adults say, “Hey, how old are you? What year were you born?”

I’m like, What? Are you serious?

When I was 11 years old, I was playing for the Lièrse youth team, and one of the parents from the other team literally tried to stop me from going on the pitch. He was like, “How old is this kid? Where is his I.D.? Where is he from?”

I thought, Where am I from? What? I was born in Antwerp. I’m from Belgium.

My dad wasn’t there, because he didn’t have a car to drive to my away games. I was all alone, and I had to stand up for myself. I went and got my I.D. from my bag and showed it to all the parents, and they were passing it around inspecting it, and I remember the blood just rushing through me … and I thought, “Oh, I’m gonna kill your son even more now. I was already going to kill him, but now I’m gonna destroy him. You’re gonna drive the boy home crying now.”

I remember the exact moment I knew we were broke. I can still picture my mum at the refrigerator and the look on her face.

I was six years old, and I came home for lunch during our break at school. My mum had the same thing on the menu every single day: Bread and milk. When you’re a kid, you don’t even think about it. But I guess that’s what we could afford.

Then this one day I came home, and I walked into the kitchen, and I saw my mum at the refrigerator with the box of milk, like normal. But this time she was mixing something in with it. She was shaking it all up, you know? I didn’t understand what was going on. Then she brought my lunch over to me, and she was smiling like everything was cool. But I realized right away what was going on.

She was mixing water in with the milk. We didn’t have enough money to make it last the whole week. We were broke. Not just poor, but broke


I wanted to be the best footballer in Belgian history. That was my goal. Not good. Not great. The best. I played with so much anger, because of a lot of things … because of the rats running around in our apartment … because I couldn’t watch the Champions League … because of how the other parents used to look at me.

I was on a mission.

When I was 12, I scored 76 goals in 34 games.

I scored them all wearing my dad’s shoes. Once our feet got to be the same size, we used to share.

One day I called up my grandfather — my mum’s dad. He was one of the most important people in my life. He was my connection back to Congo, where my mum and dad are from. So I was on the phone with him one day, and I said, “Yeah, I’m doing really well. I scored 76 goals, and we won the league. The big teams are noticing me.”

And usually, he always wanted to hear about my football. But this time it was strange. He said, “Yeah, Rom. Yeah, that’s great. But can you do me a favor?”

I said, “Yeah, what is it?”

He said, “Can you look after my daughter, please?”

I remember being so confused. Like, what’s Grandad on about?

I said, “Mum? Yeah, we’re cool. We’re O.K.”

He said, “No, promise me. Can you promise me? Just look after my daughter. Just look after her for me, O.K.?”

I said, “Yeah, Granddad. I got it. I promise you.”

Five days later he passed away. And then I understood what he really meant.

It makes me so sad to think about, because I just wish that he could have lived another four years to see me play for Anderlecht. To see that I kept my promise, you know? To see that everything was going to be O.K.

I told my mum that I would make it at 16.

I was late by 11 days.

May 24, 2009.

The playoff final. Anderlecht vs. Standard Liège.

That was the craziest day of my life. But we have to back up for a minute. Because at the start of the season, I was barely playing for the Anderlecht U-19s. The coach had me coming off the bench. I’m like, “How the hell am I going to sign a pro contract on my 16th birthday if I’m still on the bench for the U-19s?”

So I made a bet with our coach.

I told him, “I’ll guarantee you something. If you actually play me, I’m going to score 25 goals by December.”

He laughed. He literally laughed at me.

I said, “Let’s make a bet then.”

He said, “O.K., but if you don’t score 25 by December, you’re going to the bench.”

I said, “Fine, but if I win, you’re going to clean all the minivans that take the players home from training.”

He said, “O.K., it’s a deal.”

I said, “And one more thing. You have to make pancakes for us every day.”

He said, “O.K., fine.”

That was the dumbest bet that man ever made.

I had 25 by November. We were eating pancakes before Christmas, bro.

Let that be a lesson. You don’t play around with a boy who’s hungry!


I signed my pro contract with Anderlecht on my birthday, May 13. Went straight out and bought the new FIFA and a cable package. It was already the end of the season, so I was at home chilling. But the Belgian league was crazy that year, because Anderlecht and Standard Liege had finished tied on points. So there was a two-leg playoff to decide the title.

During the first leg, I’m at home watching on TV like a fan.

Then the day before the second leg, I get a phone call from the coach of the reserves.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Rom. What are you doing?”

“About to go play football in the park.”

“No, no, no, no, no. Pack your bags. Right now.”

“What? What did I do?”

“No, no, no. You need to get to the stadium right now. The first team wants you now.”

“Yo …. What?! Me?!”

“Yeah, you. Come now.”

I literally sprinted into my dad’s bedroom and was like, “Yo! Get your ass up right now! We gotta go, man!”

He’s like, “Huh? What? Go where?”

I’m like, “ANDERLECHT, MAN.”

I’ll never forget, I showed up to the stadium, and I like pretty much ran into the dressing room and the kitman said, “O.K., kid, what number do you want?”

And I said, “Give me number 10.”

Hahahaha! I don’t know. I was too young to be scared I guess.

He was like, “Academy players have to take 30 and above.”

I said, “O.K., well, three plus six equals nine, and that’s a cool number, so give me 36.”

That night at the hotel, the senior players made me sing a song for them at dinner. I can’t even remember what I picked. My head was spinning.

The next morning, my friend literally knocked on the door of my house to see if I wanted to play football and my mum was like, “He’s out playing.”

My friend said, “Playing where?”

She said, “The final.”

We got off the bus at the stadium, and every single player walked in wearing a cool suit. Except me. I came off the bus wearing a terrible tracksuit, and all the TV cameras were right in my face. The walk to the locker room was like 300 meters. Maybe a three-minute walk. As soon as I put my foot in the locker room, my phone starts blowing up. Everybody had seen me on TV. I had 25 messages in three minutes. My friends were going crazy.

“Bro?! WHY ARE YOU AT THE GAME?!”

“Rom, what is happening? WHY ARE YOU ON TV?”

The only person I texted back was my best friend. I said, “Bro, I don’t know if I’m gonna play. I don’t know what’s going on. But just keep watching the TV.”

In the 63rd minute, the manager subbed me on.

I ran out onto the field for Anderlecht at 16 years and 11 days old.

We lost the final that day, but I was already in heaven. I made good on my promise to my mother and to my grandad. That was the moment I knew we were gonna be O.K.

The next season, I was still finishing up my last year of high school and playing in the Europa League at the same time. I used to have to take a big bag to school so I could catch a flight in the afternoon. We won the league by a mile, and I finished second for African Player of the Year. It was just … crazy.

I actually expected all that to happen, but maybe not so fast. All of sudden, the media was building me up, and putting all these expectations on me. Especially with the national team. For whatever reason, I just wasn’t playing well for Belgium. It wasn’t working out.

But, yo — come on. I was 17! 18! 19!

When things were going well, I was reading newspapers articles and they were calling me Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker.

When things weren’t going well, they were calling me Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker of Congolese descent.

If you don’t like the way I play, that’s fine. But I was born here. I grew up in Antwerp, and Liège and Brussels. I dreamed of playing for Anderlecht. I dreamed of being Vincent Kompany. I’ll start a sentence in French and finish it in Dutch, and I’ll throw in some Spanish or Portuguese or Lingala, depending on what neighborhood we’re in.

I’m Belgian.

We’re all Belgian. That’s what makes this country cool, right?

I don’t know why some people in my own country want to see me fail. I really don’t. When I went to Chelsea and I wasn’t playing, I heard them laughing at me. When I got loaned out to West Brom, I heard them laughing at me.

But it’s cool. Those people weren’t with me when we were pouring water in our cereal. If you weren’t with me when I had nothing, then you can’t really understand me.

You know what’s funny? I missed 10 years of Champions League football when I was a kid. We never could afford it. I would come into school and all the kids would be talking about the final, and I’d have no idea what happened. I remember back in 2002, when Madrid played Leverkusen, everybody was like, “The volley! Oh my God, the volley!”

I had to pretend like I knew what they were talking about.

Two weeks later, we were sitting in computer class, and one of my friends downloaded the video off the Internet, and I finally saw Zidane smash it into the top corner with his left.

That summer, I went over to his house so I could watch Ronaldo Fenomeno in the World Cup Final. Everything else from that tournament is just a story I heard from the kids at school.

Ha! I remember I had holes in my shoes in 2002. Big holes.

Twelve years later, I was playing in the World Cup.

Now I’m about to play in another World Cup, and you know what? I’m going to remember to have fun this time. Life is too short for the stress and the drama. People can say whatever they want about our team, and about me.

Man, listen — when we were kids, we couldn’t even afford to watch Thierry Henry on Match of the Day! Now I’m learning from him every day with the national team. I’m standing with the legend, in the flesh, and he’s telling me all about how to run into space like he used to do. Thierry might be the only guy in the world who watches more football than me. We debate everything. We’re sitting around and having debates about German second division football.

I’m like, “Thierry, have you seen the Fortuna Düsseldorf setup, though?”

He’s like, “Don’t be silly. Yes, of course.”

That’s the coolest thing in the world, to me.

I just really, really wish my grandad was around to witness this.

I’m not talking about the Premier League.

Not Manchester United.

Not the Champions League.

Not the World Cups.

That’s not what I mean. I just wish he was around to see the life we have now. I wish I could have one more phone call with him, and I could let him know …

“See? I told you. Your daughter is OK. No more rats in the apartment. No more sleeping on the floor. No more stress. We’re good now. We’re good …

… They don’t have to check the I.D. any more. They know our name.”


Below the link.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/romelu-lukaku-ive-got-some-things-to-say?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=worldcup18&utm_term=Lukaku

I hope some of you will no longer say , THEY HAVE IT EASY , THEY ARE BORN IN EUROPE.

It’s recognized by the EU as a regional territory of France.

ChrisKels:
How come Guadeloupe doesnt have a national team even though they have bigger population and produce immense talents on a daily basis. Before u start doubting, know that their biggest ever product is the legendary Thiery Henry. They also have many other players in the French league including athletico's new acquisition, Thomas Lemar.


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ChrisKels:
Did u know that Thomas Lemar's grandfather was a former super Eagles player, perhaps, Lemar could have been in Russia representing Nigeria instead of France.



Did u also know that Ousmane Dembele's father is Nigerian/Malien?


Do ur findings guys, this is becoming more and more interesting after the news of Mbappe.

Chris baba God bless you.

We had this discourse on Mbappe here some pages back and cos of it i asked a childhood friend who based in Paris with his family on Mbappe and his Nigerian name ADESANMI.

He narrated his own migration to France that he came to France with Cameroonian passport and married a Tunisia lady with two kids and said possibly his kids can represent France,Cameroon and Tunisia in the future but to represent Nigeria would be difficult he came to France with Cameroonian passport.

He said for Mbappe to be named ADESANMI and his brother ADEYEMI then something is amiss and likely Mbappe's Father migration story must be similar to his own.

May God bless that man named Mikel and may he punish those who put their gains over those of the nation.

BascoVanVeli:
May God bless that man named Mikel and may he punish those who put their gains over those of the nation.

Mikel a real man

Joebie:
It’s recognized by the EU as a regional territory of France.

Thanks bro, do u have any idea why "Reunion Island" isn't recognized as an African nation despite there considerably good population, instead it is an extension of France territory?

Dmitri Payet and others are from there.

Kog45:
Chris baba God bless you.

We had this discourse on Mbappe here some pages back and cos of it i asked a childhood friend who based in Paris with his family on Mbappe and his Nigerian name ADESANMI.

He narrated his own migration to France that he came to France with Cameroon passport and married a Tunisia lady with two kids and said possibly his kids can represent France,Cameroon and Tunisia in the future but to represent Nigeria would be difficult cos he came to France with Cameroon passport.

He said for Mbappe to be named ADESANMI and his brother ADEYEMI then something is amiss and likely Mbappe's Father migration story must be similar to his own.

The bolded is possible, I have heard similar stories many times. It's possible Mbappe's is a Nigerian who went to France with a Cameroonian passport. We all know what a typical Nigerian can do. We can do anything just to leave this country. After all Moses lied over his parents just to be granted asylum in England.

ChrisKels:
How come Guadeloupe doesnt have a national team even though they have bigger population and produce immense talents on a daily basis. Before u start doubting, know that their biggest ever product is the legendary Thiery Henry. They also have many other players in the French league including athletico's new acquisition, Thomas Lemar.


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Unlike Monaco, Guadeloupe is not recognized as a sovereign state by the EU and UN, hence FIFA cannot admit them as a member nation.
They are just a group of French controlled Islands in the Southern Caribbean Sea.

Icon4s:


Unlike Monaco, Guadeloupe is not recognized as a sovereign state by the EU and UN, hence FIFA cannot admit them as a member nation.
They are just a group of French controlled Islands in the Southern Caribbean Sea.

At the bolded, is Monaco recognized?

Lukaku has a very inspiring story.
It's not always easy to see where people are coming from- most of the time we just see where they are right now- so we base our perception of people on what we see today because we don't know what happened yesterday.
Having a plan, setting a goal is just as important as having solid support and hoping and being determined to succeed. Lukaku had/has all these and look where he is today.
Many times we criticize players (and maybe even other people) without understanding where they are coming from. There is nothing wrong with criticism but let's learn to be constructive, you don't know whose life you will touch with your words of encouragement.

DrLikita12:
Lukaku has a very inspiring story.
It's not always easy to see where people are coming from- most of the time we just see where they are right now- so we base our perception of people on what we see today because we don't know what happened yesterday.
Having a plan, setting a goal is just as important as having solid support and hoping and being determined to succeed. Lukaku had/has all these and look where he is today.
Many times we criticize players (and maybe even other people) without understanding where they are coming from. There is nothing wrong with criticism but let's learn to be constructive, you don't know whose life you will touch with your words of encouragement.

dem dey do am wella for this thread.

Even the Komekn that posted Lukaku's story (like say we never see am before), has PHD in pulling down Naija based players. The hypocrisy ehn......

ChrisKels:


At the bolded, is Monaco recognized?

Monaco is a recognized sovereign nation. They even became a full UN voting member in 1993. They just do not belong to FIFA.

ChrisKels:
Did u know?


In fact‚ in the current French squad‚ only two players‚ Benjamin Pavard and Florian Thauvin‚ can lay claim to having ancestral strong ties to France going back generations‚ with even the likes of Antoine Griezmann (Germany)‚ Raphaël Varane (Martiniquais) and Olivier Giroud (Italy) having connections from outside of the country.

Hugo lloris and Oliver giroud are pure French

andrew444:

Hugo lloris and Oliver giroud are pure French

How sure are you about Giroud?

The pain and awe of being John Obi Mikel at the World Cup

By Antoinette Muller• 4 July 2018


Before Nigeria were due to play Argentina in a crunch group clash, captain John Obi Mikel was told his elderly father had been kidnapped. He told no one and played on.

Stay up to date with all the latest news from Russia with Daily Maverick’s dedicated World Cup 2018 section.

After Nigeria lost to Argentina in their final group stage of the 2018 World Cup, John Obi Mikel was visibly emotional. Understandably so. The Super Eagles had come within a few minutes of knocking Lionel Messi’s side out of the tournament and progressing to the last 16.

In his post-match interviews, he appeared distracted, as you might expect from a captain. Nigeria, the youngest side at this year’s World Cup, had showed so much promise, but so little return.

It wasn’t until a few days later that the picture came into full view. Right before kick-off, Mikel would learn that his father had been kidnapped and he was being held for ransom.

Pa Michael Obi, was made to walk 5km in the rain, barefoot and held at gunpoint. Obi Jr paid over the ransom of about R380,000 and his father, a man in his 60s, was eventually released.

At no point before the match did Mikel ever say anything to his team mates or his coaches because he did not want to distract them.

He told The Guardian: “I played while my father was in the hands of bandits. I had to suppress the trauma. I took a call four hours before kick-off to tell me what had happened.

“I was emotionally distraught and I had to make the decision about whether I was mentally ready to play. I was confused. I did not know what to do but, in the end, I knew that I could not let 180-million Nigerians down.”

Police confirmed the incident. Superintendent Ebere Amaraizu, of Enugu State Police Command, said: “The abductors started calling to demand a ransom of N10-million before police operatives acted on intelligence information and swooped on them.

“In the process of the rescue, a gun duel ensued between police operatives and the kidnappers which forced the hoodlums to abandon their victims inside the forest and they were promptly rescued.”

It wasn’t even the first time. Back in 2011, while Mikel was playing for Chelsea, his father was beaten before being released. While his father was at the mercy of kidnappers, he played two games for the London club because that’s his job. Former Everton defender Joseph Yobo’s brother was kidnapped also in 2008, before being released two weeks later.

For most of us, this is unfathomable. For Mikel, and so many others in Nigeria, it is reality. The Boko Haram kidnapping of school girls over the course of the last four years put a spotlight on the issues, but in a news cycle that is perpetually filled with dark realities, it is far too easily forgotten.

Earlier this year, CBC reported on the scourge of kidnappings that are spreading across the country. In most cases, the victims are released unharmed by their “common criminal” kidnappers who are only in it for a quick buck.

Let all that sink in for a minute. You are about to captain your country at a World Cup. At the most important game of the tournament.

A lot has been written about the failure of African teams and the global tournament throughout the years, but far too little is made of the challenges faced by the players and the individuals who often fly quietly under the radar.

Mikel is not a showman and in the grander scheme of things, he has little to prove. During his time with Chelsea, he won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups (he received a medal in 2010, despite missing the final through injury), two League Cups, one Europa League and, most famously, one Champions League.

Some still feel that he has failed to live up to the same potential in national colours, but his worth comes through more than just trophies and his response to the ordeal is another example of that.

Under coach Gernot Rohr, Mikel has thrived. The two make a fine pair. Rohr, the astute tactician and analyst and Mikel, the diplomat who prefers a gentle approach to soothing issues rather than the hot-headed confrontations that have plagued the Super Eagles in the past. There is no need for either to demand respect, it just happens.

The World Cup exit will sting, it is rarely just about the game for African stars. Mikel must tow the line of being a statesman and a patron, not just to his country, but to the continent.

He is loyal to his charity, the Mikel Obi Africa Children’s Sport Foundation, where he hopes to set up academies across Africa and help alleviate poverty through sport.

And then he still has to deal with speaking out on the realities of crime that his fellow countrymen face. Mikel told the BBC this week:

“Life is already tough on people, then they have to start living in fear when they are going about looking for means of survival. I want to encourage our government to continue its relentless efforts and fights on factions that create fear and insecurity in our country.

“My father was hurt and tortured during his ordeal and this is unacceptable. I hope that the authorities will work harder to bring these bandits to justice. Representing my country is my greatest honour, I love my country and very proud to be a Nigerian.”

Few other continents have teams that demand so much of their top sports people. And yet, far too often, Africa’s players get the short end of the praise stick for their sacrifice.

Mikel and other players like him deserve so much better.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-07-04-the-pain-and-awe-of-being-john-obi-mikel-at-the-world-cup/#.WzzbyP5RHIV

Leon Balogun: Super Eagles need to be ‘dirtier’


ByAgencies -
July 4, 2018

Leon Balogun has called on his Nigeria team-mates to learn football’s darker arts following their World Cup exit.

The Super Eagles exited the tournament last week when losing to Argentina, who themselves crashed out on Saturday.

“It’s always important when you play internationals to be a bit dirty,” the defender, 30, told BBC Sport.

“That’s what Argentina has, definitely, and you also need to be cold-blooded – that’s probably the most important (lesson from this World Cup).”

Despite winning just 22 caps, Balogun is one of the more experienced figures in a Nigeria squad that was the youngest of all the teams in Russia, with an average of 25.

The Super Eagles finished third in Group D after defeats by Croatia and Argentina either side of a 2-0 win over Iceland.

The victory kept them in contention until just four minutes from the end of their campaign, when Marcos Rojo’s late strike sunk Nigeria and ended a World Cup that had promised more.

“It will be very important to keep going the way we have started,” the new Brighton and Hove Albion signing added.

“We have experienced players, young players, talented players – and there are even more players that are not in the team yet – and we have to keep developing them and investing in their football education.

“We just have to keep working and keep our focus on advancing year after year and then in the next four years we will have a good team – maybe an even better one.”

Balogun’s central defensive partner William Troost-Ekong also hopes the experience gained by the squad can lead to a brighter future for the Super Eagles.

He also wonders whether a silver lining can come from the dressing room atmosphere following the bitter defeat to the South Americans in St Petersburg.

“Everyone was just trying to deal with the loss and move on, so it was a quiet dressing room but definitely one that learnt a lot and hopefully formed some players,” he told BBC Sport.

Prior to these finals, only five members of the current Nigeria squad had ever played in the World Cup before – with John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses and Ahmed Musa all seeing action in Russia while Elderson Echiejile and Oganyi Onazi were unused.

Now, 13 more have experienced World Cup football.

“This is what you need as a team,” Troost-Ekong, 24, told BBC Sport.

“When you talk about that Argentinian team, that’s a team that has experienced all levels, Croatia are the same while Iceland have played the Euros together.

“You need a tournament like this just to learn what it is like to play at this level, under this pressure, in front of the whole world.

“Hopefully by the next time we get to a World Cup, and if we can be part of that with all the players (who played in Russia), it will be nothing new to us and it might be easier for us to perform at a higher level.”

Troost-Ekong also highlighted the team spirit within Nigeria, whose squads in the past have often been accused of being more about individuals than togetherness.

“All of us are really down to earth and most of us are quite young,” he said.

“I think everyone has got great harmony, everyone wants to work for each other and if we can keep this up then it is definitely promising for the future.”

Following their World Cup exit, Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr – who signed a two-year contract extension last year – also praised the mood within the camp.

“I think the future is for Nigeria because the spirit is wonderful, big solidarity and you see in these difficult moments how great the spirit the team is,” he told BBC Sport.

The German is keen to focus on two main areas following the Russia campaign – slow starts and a newfound belief.

“What they learned is to be better in the beginning of the match,” he explained. “We reacted well in all three matches in the second half, so our start must be better.

“Also – we should have no complex now. We have seen that we can win against good teams like Iceland. We had some mistakes of youthfulness, like conceding penalties, but all the time the team is in this collective spirit and I like it.”

Nigeria’s next competitive match comes in September when they play an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Seychelles.

https://www.today.ng/sport/football/leon-balogun-super-eagles-dirtier-129252

ChrisKels:


How sure are you about Giroud?

Giroud has a Italian grandmother sha

andrew444:

Giroud has a Italian grandmother sha

What then is ur point bro?

ChrisKels:


What then is ur point bro?

Calm down bra we are all learning okay,even Benjamin pavard is pure French

Come on.. All this Nigerian players just love money. Which kind stupid talk una dey talk sef ?? Although I don't think Peter Olayinka should go to Czech but of he decides to go who are we to say oh Nigerians like money too much ?? Are we forgetting that this is their source of earnings ?
What is the likelyhood that he would not be injured next season or that bigger clubs will always come ?

Abeg make him make him money dey go. If he is still great come next year, bigger clubs will still notice him, at least players in the Nigerian leaugue still get trials, so what more a club already in Europe and is playing at UEFA level.

No be Mikel just pay N10 million to ransom him papa ? Did the critics(US) donate towards his funds ?

Abeg make una free Peter and his co money first Nigerian players abeg.

Joebie:
Maybe seats reserved for certain officials. In the event that some were reserved for private personalities, I would assume the personalities did not show up despite obtaining the tickets.

Na the first time I go see that kind thing. Thanks anyway

Icon4s:


I never took notice of such

watch out for it in the next series of matches. It is strange to me too

Arsenal: Kelechi Nwakali keeps moving on up the food chain



by Josh Sippie

Arsenal may have just let handfuls of youth players leave, but Kelechi Nwakali remains, and he is only getting better with time.

Arsenal are always going to have gobs of young talent worth paying attention to, even after they let a bunch of them leave. Kelechi Nwakali is one of those young talents that we should always be excited about.

Ever since he arrived at the Emirates in 2016 on the eve of being named the best player at the U17 World Cup with Nigeria, there has been a ton of buzz surrounding the young man, and at 20 years old, he is showing us the one thing we absolutely always need to see – progress.

Nwakali has yet to make an appearance for the first team, but in spite of that, he is getting better and better as the years go on and now, he is being rewarded by being sent on loan to Porto, a top-tier club in Portugal that should give Nwakali further progress towards his ultimate goal.

Nwakali had a lot to say regarding the loan move, not least of all that he’s rather excited about it. Here’s the complete statement he issued Sports Nigeria:


I am excited to join the best club in Portugal and I will make my loan from Arsenal count. I have longed to play in a competitive league which this opportunity has given me and I will grab it with both hands.

Last year, Nwalaki split time between the Dutch second tier Jupiler League and the Eredivisie, totaling four goal and an assist in 1400 minutes in the Jupiler League and one goal in just under 300 minutes in the Eredivisie. Not a bad return for the young man.

Moving on to Portugal is a step up, and the fact that it’s Porto solidifies that. There is a lot to be excited about with Nwakali and he is only moving closer and closer to the spotlight that awaits him at Arsenal.

Nwakali has been favorably compared to Yaya Toure, given his ability to do just about everything from any midfield position, though he has played in a central attacking role more often than not in his recent endeavors.

Keep an eye on his progression with Porto. If all goes right, that could well be his last loan move before he returns to the Emirates for the ultimate prize. And then the next stop is world domination.

https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/07/01/arsenal-kelechi-nwakali-moving/

It’s firstly, a political thing. Just like Guadeloupe which is located in the Caribbean, (not in Europe). There are many islands still under the control of Britain, the US, France etc.

ChrisKels:


Thanks bro, do u have any idea why "Reunion Island" isn't recognized as an African nation despite there considerably good population, instead it is an extension of France territory?

Dmitri Payet and others are from there.