Nwakali dreams of a place in Siasia’s Olympics team

Kelechi Nwakali, captain of the Nigerian Under-20 team, is dreaming of playing for the ‘Dream Team VI’ at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Speaking in an interview with TheCable, Nwakali also expressed his desire to break into the Super Eagles.

“Well, yes! I will want to play in the Olympics. Not just with the ‘Dream Team’ alone but the Super Eagles as well. That is why I am a player,” he said.

“If they invite me to be part of the team, yes I will be there and I will give my best. But it depends on the coach to make the decision. So, yes I will love to play in Rio.”

Nwakali spoke of the “honour” of being the captain of the Flying Eagles, after captaining the Golden Eaglets to victory at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2015.

“It’s an honour for me to be in the U20 and to be the captain again for the U20,” he said. “I think it’s a way for me to move on with my career.”

Nwakali spoke glowingly about Emmanuel Amunike, who coached the team to glory in 2015 and is now leading the Flying Eagles.

“I thank God and appreciate the coach a lot for giving me the opportunity and for making me the captain once again,” he said.

“I always see Coach Emmanuel Amunike as someone who believes in hard work and discipline. He doesn’t want to know where you come from.

“All he needs from you is for you to do what he asks you to on the pitch. Translating everything he might have taught you with hard work is all he wants from you.

“This is the only way you can be his friend or his player. He is not just a coach but like a big brother to all his players.”

Nwakali also talked about winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the U17 championship and also winning the World Cup itself.

“Winning the MVP award at the World Cup was not as important as winning the cup itself, because we set out to win the cup and were able to achieve it.

“It was a good thing that I won the award. But fighting and playing for the team, as the coach told us, was more important.”

He also spoke on his determination to qualify for the next FIFA U-20 World Cup.

“Like I said earlier on, I believe in hard work and discipline. Being the captain of the team does not mean an automatic shirt for me. The hard work and determination is what will earn me a shirt or a place in the team.

“I am here with the team because I want to work and play for the team. Yes, there are good players, talented players in the team, but each player has what gets him going; each player has his own talent.

“So, it’s the way you exhibit your own that counts. It’s all about hard work for me.”