Nigeria’s Flying Eagles are again on the world stage. The FIFA U20 World Cup kicks off just a few days away, on the 29, September in Chile, and for captain Daniel Bameyi chatting with the media, it’s extra than simply one other event; it’s a mission to complete what the category of 2023 began.
The final time Nigeria reached the ultimate of the competitors was in 2005, when the John Obi Mikel-led squad fell to Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Twenty years later, a brand new era desires to rewrite the script.
Bameyi, who captained the workforce on the 2023 version in Argentina, spoke to Ademola Victor TV about preparations, classes realized, and why the followers’ assist will likely be decisive.
Expectations in Chile
“We’re comfortable and we’re totally ready. I’ve been coaching and I believe it’s the proper time for me to go and present what I’ve been working for,” Bameyi stated with a quiet dedication.
For the captain who now plies his commerce with ND Primorje Ajdovščina in Slovenia, Chile represents not simply one other probability to compete however a platform to show that the Flying Eagles have advanced since their quarter-final heartbreak in 2023.
Classes from Argentina
Bameyi nonetheless remembers the sting of that exit:
“So many classes have been realized. The final World Cup was at Argentina. We misplaced on the quarter-final. One objective to nil and it was in opposition to South Korea.
“I believe it was on the further time of that match, if I’m not mistaken. We had the chance to bury that recreation. However sadly we didn’t take our possibilities and I assume that was one thing that value us that match.”
However there’s no dwelling on the previous. Because the captain places it:
“However this workforce is an improved one. From the WAFU all the way down to the AFCON and now we’re on the World Cup. All classes learnt as I prefer to say.
“So we’ll attempt to work on our faults and see how we enhance on that.”
Name to Nigerians
Bameyi, a pure chief on and off the pitch, additionally despatched a heartfelt message to followers again residence:
“All I can say is that please, our dad and mom, our brothers, well-wishers, our sisters. We want you to please preserve supporting us. We want you to please pray for us.
“Once we speak in regards to the World Cup, we all know how troublesome it’s going to be. As a result of as everyone knows, no nation is small. And it’s soccer. Something can occur. So we’re asking that you simply proceed to hope for us and proceed to assist the workforce. And we’ll give our greatest to make the nation proud.”
Technology with one thing to show
Nigeria stays probably the most profitable nations at youth stage however are but to raise the U20 World Cup title. In 2023, the Flying Eagles impressed in patches however faltered when it mattered on the quarter-finals. This time, Bameyi insists, the squad is best ready.
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From their WAFU triumph to a strong exhibiting on the AFCON, the Flying Eagles have been sharpened by competitors. Chile provides the final word check: to translate classes into legacy.
For Daniel Bameyi and his teammates, the World Cup isn’t only a event; it’s an opportunity to announce themselves as the following nice Nigerian youth era of footballers.
