Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets once more made history on Friday, winning the U-17 World Cup for a record fourth time, this time in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
They scored three unreplied goals against Mexico to make certain the victory and ensuring a prominent portion in the history of the tournament.
Ironically, all four times have been on the Asian continent, starting with the Maiden, JVC U-16 World Championship in China in 1985, then came the second victory in 1993 in Japan, before they again went on to South Korea in 2007 to wrestle the cup.
Incidentally, two of the previous captains of those memorable victories, Nduka Ugbade and Nwankwo Kanu were there in the United Arab Emirates to propel the team to victory.
While Ugbade was one of the assistant coaches to head coach, Manu Garba, Kanu was inspirational, offering his advice from the sidelines.
It was gathered that he had confidently told the team that they were on a threshold of history, and the team did not disappoint him.
In many parts of Lagos, it was celebration galore, with traffic jams recorded in many parts, particularly at the Ikeja area of Lagos.
However, some of the top coaches and managers commended the Eaglets for the 3-0 spanking of the team their victory overwhelmed 6-1 at the group stage, to now bring the total goals tally against Mexico, the defending champions to 9-1.
Amos Adamu, a former CAF/FIFA member, in reaction said, “The boys have made us proud just as the senior team national team. The Super Eagles did. I am impressed.’’
According to him, the coach, Garba should immediately be allowed to pick new players. There should not be any waste of time.
He urged the relevant authorities to ensure that this is done without delay.
The Dolphins of Port Harcourt manager, Stanley Eguma, said the Eaglets deserved the trophy, because they played well.
Eguma added that the Eaglets put up a fantastic performance. They deserved to win and they left no one in doubt.
“From the technical and tactical points of view, they did well,’’ he said.
“I must congratulate the coaches and officials for doing a marvellous work on the team. It shows that with good planning, you get better results.
“The Mexicans deserved praise for giving the Eaglets a good fight. They have a good team,’’ Eguma said.
A former Super Eagles Head Coach, Christian Chukwu said: “It was a great tournament for us. The boys have truly proved to be worthy ambassadors of this country.
“No amount of reward from government will be too great for them. The biggest kudos goes to the coaching crew for putting this team together. They made the team formidable and indomitable.
“The next step from here is to keep this team together to progress to the U-20 level and from there, we can start thinking of the Super Eagles.
“The future of Nigerian football is bright.’’
Yekini Ayodeji, the Chief Coach of Prime of Ogbomosho, Osun, said that he was impressed with the way Coach Garba nurtured the boys.
He added that they played with the dexterity of mature and experienced players, which was enough to guarantee them the eventual victory.
“I was really impressed by the way the Eaglets played. They deserved a warm welcome reception back home.
“If they keep up their focus and passion for the game, they will surely go places,” coach Ayodeji added.
Ramson Madu, Assistant Coach of Heartland of Owerri, said the boys deserved their hard-earned victory.
Madu added that the Eaglets were focused and played with great skills and professionalism that astounded their fans back home.
“I am really happy at our victory. It shows that we still are the giants of Africa in terms of football on the continent.
“The Super Eagles had early in the year in South Africa paved the way for success with a resounding victory at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Now the younger version of the team has lifted the trophy again. I say Kudos to them,” Madu added.
From Awka in Anambra, Edozie Aroh, the Anambra Commissioner for Youths and Sports, described the victory by the Eagles as another landmark in the canals of the nation’s sporting history.
Aroh said he was satisfied with the high quality of play which he said they consistently displayed since the beginning of the tournament.
He said the victory had once more demonstrated that the transformation agenda of the Federal Government in sports was on course.
“The Anambra Government, congratulates the Eaglets and Nigeria for “this feather that has been added to our cap.
“It means the efforts of the FG to transform all sectors of the economy, including sports were yielding fruits,’’ he said.
Ex-Green Eagles goalkeeper, Emmanuel Okala, said winning the junior world trophy was a great achievement.
Okala said the boys were the best at the competition from the beginning of the game.
“These boys have made us proud, they are the best from day one to the final, I congratulate and wish them well in their future careers,’’ he said.
Cyprian Amuzie, a veteran sports administrator in Anambra State, said Nigeria must strive to keep the players together to be part new national teams.
Amuzie said there were abundant talents in the team, adding that they must be protected from desperate scouts, jostling to sign them on, and which could hamper the growth of their careers.
“Our sports administrators must protect these boys by funding them to remain a team for a long time.
“They are good and buyers must come, but with good funding they will not go for all manner of clubs but remain together to progress steadily and become the future Super Eagles of our dream,’’ he said.
