LASK defender Emmanuel Michael says he broke into tears when he saw his name in the Super Eagles 54 man provisional list for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
A former U17 player for Nigeria, Michael who is a product of Kaduna based Academy Simoiben owned by Ibukun Simon, the wife of Nigeria international Moses Simon has five appearances to his name this season.
He came into the spotlight with a strong showing for the U17 team of Nigeria that won the WAFU B tournament with three man of the match awards in five games. He also scored three goals directly from free kicks.
Head coach Eric Chelle sees him as one of the players for his rebuilding process of the team, which is the integration of young players starting from the AFCON.
” I didn’t expect my name to be there , hence I wasn’t bothered but I saw missed calls from almost everyone that has my contact with messages of congratulations. I was like what is going on then my agent sent the list to me and I broke into tears”, he revealed in an exclusive conversation.
He went further to state his mission in the camp of the team when it opens in Egypt, saying it’s not all the time that you get a chance at 19 to be a part of the senior national team.
” My idea is to give my best like my fellow former academy mate Benjamin Fredrick did when he got his chance. At 19 not many players get to be recognised by the senior national team and I hope to make the best out of it”, he stated.
