Sports
Four young and promising Nigerian footballers who will shake the world in 2024
In 2023, there were a series of young Nigerian footballers that showed promise and are expected to fully blossom in 2024.
Between 2022 and 2023, the world saw the full manifestation of two young Nigerian footballers, Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen who is currently 23-year-old and Victor Osimhen of Napoli who is currently 25 years old.
Even though the aforementioned players are still very young, their proficiency in terms of goalscoring has already established them as a household name in the world of football. Hence, new superstars are expected to emerge this year.
Below are the five Young Nigerian footballers that could take the world by storm in 2024:
1. Akor Adams (Montpellier)
Akor Adams is currently 23 years old and he is contracted to French Ligue 1 club, Montpellier. He is currently third highest goalscorer in the French league so far this season with seven goals.
2. Rafiu Durosinmi (Viktoria Plzen)
Rafiu Durosinmi is another Nigerian youngster to watch out for in 2024. The 21-year-old forward almost joined German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt this January but the deal collapsed in the last minute.
Durosinmi who is currently injured has scored nine goals in all competitions for Czech Republic club Viktoria Plzen so far this season and more is expected of him this year.
3. Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen)
Nathan Tella officially switched his allegiance to Nigeria from England late last year and has had a glorious start at Bayer Leverkusen so far this season.
The 24-year-old right-winger has scored 2 goals and provided an assist in 16 games in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen. Unfortunately, he wasn’t invited for the 2023 AFCON which will commence in Ivory Coast from January 13.
4. Igho Ogbu (Slavia Prague)
Igho Ogbu is one of the young Nigerian footballers to watch out for in 2024. The 23-year-old defender is currently playing for Czech Republic club Slavia Prague.
The youngster is a regular for the Czech side and only missed two games so far this season due to illness and suspension. He helped his club to win the 2023 Czech Cup and he is expected to do more this year.
Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili made a spectacular debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, delivering an impressive performance in the women’s 200m event.
After a disappointing setback in the women’s 100m, Ofili showcased her resilience by clinching victory in her heat with a new season’s best time of 22.24 seconds on Sunday, August 4. The victory has qualified her for the 2024 Olympics 200m women’s semi-finals which will take place this evening.
Argentine football icon, Lionel Messi, has stressed that he doesn’t care how much movement he makes in a game as people continue to take note of his walking technique.
In recent times, videos of Lionel Messi practically walking while his team are off the ball have kept many football enthusiasts talking. Many believe that it is a technique to prevent being injured, some say he does that because other players are doing the hard work for him.
But in an interview with Clank Media, Lionel Messi who turned 37-year-old earlier today, June 24, 2024, said not running when he is off the ball has been a part of his game from his days at his boyhood club, Newell, in his native country, Argentina.
“When I was at Newell’s, there were two or three times a week we were sent to run around the grounds. I used to hide behind a tree. Running without a ball was never my thing. Heh”, Lionel Messi said.
“I have always been very self-critical. I am the first to know what I do right and what I do wrong. When I walk, I analyse the opponent’s positioning, how we stand when we don’t have the ball, get away from the marker and be able to initiate a counterattack.
“I don’t pay much attention to GPS, statistics or data. I never cared how much I ran in a match.”
Note that Lionel Messi had used his walking technique while off the ball to win virtually everything in world football including 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League, one FIFA World Cup, and a record 8 Ballon d’Or.
In just two matchdays in the ongoing European Championship (Euro 2024), three countries have secured their place in the tournament’s round of 16.
Interestingly, the Three Lions of England and France, seen as the Super favourites to win the Euro 2024, will have to wait until the last day of the group stage to confirm their place.
Earlier today, June 22, 2024, Portugal’s national team, ably led by five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, defeated Turkey 3-0 to book themselves a place in the round of 16.
Goals from Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and an own goal from Samet Akaydin made all the difference.
Ronaldo provided an assist for Portugal’s third goal, which was his 7th in the history of the tournament, and the all-time highest in the European Championship.
Recall that Portugal defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening game in Group F. Hence, the Portuguese side now have 6 points in two games.
Whether or not they beat Georgia in their last group stage game on Wednesday, June 26, the Portuguese side will play in the round of 16. However, they need to win the game to ensure they finish top of Group F.
Other two teams that have already booked themselves a place in the Euro 2024 round of 16 with a game in hand are the hosts, Germany, and Spain.
Germany are topping Group A with 6 points in 2 games, while Spain are topping Group B with 6 points in two games.
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