It appears no single Football Academy has produced players who have gone on to represent Nigeria like the famous Golden Boot Soccer Academy ( GBS) in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Presently in the Super Eagles, the Academy has three of it’s graduate in the team in team captain Ahmed Musa, Moses Simon and Samuel Kalu. Ironically they are all wingers.
In the past Kingsley Madu another graduate of the Jos based Academy also played for the senior national team of Nigeria and bar Ahmed Musa the aforementioned quartet all started their career at modest side Trencin in Slovakia.
At the just concluded football event of the All Africa Games where Nigeria finished with a bronze medal, the team had three graduates of the famous academy in Mohammed Zulkifilu, Saheed Jibril and Mike Zaruma.
Run by Ahmed Ibrahim who is the technical director of Nigeria Professional Football League side Plateau United , he is famously called coach Bros revealed that the secret of the academy is his determination to help the players succeed and sincerity towards one partner.
” The chance to work with other people has appealed to me in the past but I am first of all loyal to my first real partner in the business of players transfer. Beyond the financial gains I look at how to make them better humans for their immediate family “, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.
Vitesse Arnhem of Holland forward Hilary Gong is leading a new wave of the academy graduates who are set to make their mark in Europe with coach Bros revealing that the academy has over 15 graduates representing several clubs in Europe.
” At the last count over 15 of them who passed through this academy are in Europe although some of them have since switched to a new management team. I still wish them well and remember them in my prayers despite all. My joy is that at least God used me in giving them life”, he concluded.
