Recently capped Nigeria international midfielder Chibuzo Nwoko has revealed how he was motivated by his Fulham teammates of Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey to play for the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
The 20 year old who plays for the U23 of the English side made his international debut for Nigeria in the 3-3 draw with Russia in an international friendly on Tuesday.
He gave a good account of himself in the game, and now look certain to be a part of the Nigeria U23 team under the same head coach of the senior team Eric Chelle. They will also be playing in November.
Born in England to parents of Nigerian descent, he still remains eligible to play for England at any level but he has affirmed that his commitment to Nigeria is wholly following motivation from the duo of Iwobi and Bassey.
Nwoko made this known in a chat with the official handle of Fulham’s academy on Instagram, while speaking on his debut with the Nigerian team.
“I am grateful to God for the opportunity but it was an amazing feeling making my debut. Something that I have been aspiring for a long time. So I am delighted to be honest”, he said.
“It was a great experience. 40,000 people were there so playing in front of so many people against a very good Russian side was great for me and you know we had a young team out there who showed good desire and determination so on a team level and a personal level I think it was a very memorable experience for me.
“Before hand obviously they knew I have been called up so they kind of just explained on how it is in Nigeria and kind of what it’s like around the team and stuff like that, but yeah they been part of the Nigerian group for a long time so I’ve obviously kind of seen them around it a lot and that kind of motivated me to be a part of it as well”.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
