‘There are more Osimhen’s waiting to be discovered at the grassroots’

Victor Osimhen (Photo: AFP)

Over the years, Nigerians have almost always been counted among the best footballers in the world by those who keep the tabs. Even before FIFA merged its end of the year reckonings with France Football’s Ballon D’Or, such players as Finidi George, Victor Ikpeba, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Daniel Amokachi and Sunday Oliseh were at different times listed among the world’s best stars by these bodies.

Although no Nigerian has gone on to win the ultimate prize at the end of the day, their nominations show that just like Brazil when it comes to football, Nigeria is one country that produces talents in all areas of the game.

It also lays credence to the late football king, Pele’s belief that Nigeria is one country brimming with talents and needs just the right environment to rule the world in the game. Pele also declared that Nigeria would win the FIFA World Cup before the end of the last century if the country got its acts together. Sadly, that did not happen despite the huge number of talents the country has been producing since the late Brazilian made the declaration in 1989.

The recent nomination of Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala for the men’s and women’s categories of the 2023 Ballon d’Or is a new African record as before now, no other country from the continent had produced candidates in both categories either in the Best FIFA Awards or the Ballon d’Or.

Echoing Pele’s declarations, stakeholders in Nigerian football say the country is just a system’s change away from becoming one of the greatest football playing nations of the world.

The change, according to the stakeholders, has to start from the grassroots, with administrators jettisoning the win-at-all-cost syndrome to develop young