Sports
Will Samuel Chukwueze Pave the Way for More Nigerians in La Liga?
There are currently five Nigerian footballers playing in La Liga, and a small total of only thirty-five having played there in the league’s history. The Spanish top flight hasn’t usually been a hotbed for players from the African country, but this could be changing thanks to the fact that La Liga and the Nigerian Professional Football League struck a partnership deal in 2016. One of the standout stars in La Liga right now is Samuel Chukwueze, and the young winger could act as a trailblazer to help other Nigerians follow in his footsteps.
Chukwueze is, without a doubt, one of the hottest young talents in Spain right now. The Umuahia-born winger joined Villarreal in 2017 and has made over 37 league appearances for the club since then. In that time, he has bagged seven goals from the flanks and was named the 2018 Young Player of the Year by the Nigeria Football Federation. He has also been called up for the national team in the same timeframe, and has made 11 appearances for the Super Eagles to date.
His electric speed and trickery from the edge of the attack has led Chukwueze to earn comparisons with Arjen Robben. The Bayern Munich star who was famous for his devastating left foot and long range shots was regarded as one of the best players in the world during his prime. He was sought after by the world’s top clubs and spent time at Chelsea and Real Madrid before moving to Germany. Being mentioned in the same breath as Robben will have given Chukwueze the confidence to aspire to greatness.
Since joining Villarreal, Chukwueze has made a big impact. The 20-year-old is a regular in Javier Calleja’s squad, who are looking to improve on their 14th-place finish in the 2018-19 campaign. The Yellow Submarine made a good start to the 2019-20 season, and after 12 games are in eighth-place on 18 points. As of 8th November, they can be found at 5/1 in the La Liga betting to finish in the top four. This would be a major step up from last term.
Chukwueze has impressed so much during his short time in Spain that top clubs across Europe have reportedly shown interest in the player. Liverpool were one of the biggest outfits to have expressed a desire to sign the Nigerian, and this led Villarreal to offer the player a more lucrative contract to stay at the club earlier in the year. There is now a whopping €100 million release clause should anyone want to snatch Chukwueze up.
The fact that Chukwueze began his career playing at the Diamond Football Academy in Nigeria should give hope to up-and-coming footballers in the country. The La Liga deal with the NPFL means that there will be continued scouting in the country as Spanish clubs search for hot prospects. The success of Chukwueze could lead to an influx of Nigerian players moving to the Spanish top flight and rising to the top of the game.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
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