Flying Eagles skipper, Musa Muhammed, has said the team has all it takes to emerge as world champions at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
The 2015 African Youth Championship top scorer is assured that the depth of quality in the squad as well as hard work will give his side the upper hand when the competition starts on May 31.
“Yes, we can do it again. We will not disappoint the millions of fans back in Nigeria who have so much confidence in this team,” Muhammed told the NFF website.
“We have trained very hard, we are focused, we have the quality and we are ready to make history again. We will give everything to win the World Cup in New Zealand.
“The AYC has helped a lot, especially as we promised the whole nation that we will be going to the World Cup as African champions. We have done so and that has lifted our self-belief considerably.”
With less than seven days to the announcement of the final squad by Manu Garba and his technical crew, he divulged that the tension is very high in camp as everyone is working hard to make the final cut.
“There is a lot of tension in the team every one of us is fighting to make the final squad. We are all putting our lives on the line to be on the flight to New Zealand. The coaches now have the chance to pick the best to represent Nigeria,” he added.
“The coach picks the team and I will be very proud and happy to make the final squad. No one has an automatic shirt in the team, we all have to fight to be selected and the competition has been very fierce.
Nigeria’s first game is against six-time world champions Brazil on June 1 before facing Hungary and North Korea and Muhammed opined that no team will be taken for granted.
“Brazil is Brazil and Nigeria is Nigeria. Everyone is talking about Brazil, but they ought to also be talking about Nigeria.
“We respect all the teams in our group, but we will approach each game as a World Cup final. We are up to the challenge. We are driven to succeed,” he concluded.
