New Kid on the Block: Tunde Akinsola

The Nigeria U-17 Eaglets recently qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations U17 tournament to be held in Tanzania May 2019.

Against all odds, the team came back from an opening game loss against Burkina Faso to steam roll their next 3 games and earn their bid to advance from WAFU Group B.

One very important player to this story is winger and 15 year old sensation Babatunde Akinsola.

A product of Valiant FC in the NLO, Tunde entered the screening process at the beginning with thousands of players.

Day in and day out through the screening, Tunde was continuously asked to come back until he made the final team selection.

Known for his superb left foot, vision, pace and hard work, Tunde made a name for himself during the lead-up to the qualification campaign by scoring 12 goals and assisting 8 others in 19 games.

He was unfortunate not to score or assist during the qualification campaign, despite starting all 4 games at left wing.

He came close with a free kick in the opening game that whistled just wide of the post and also a one on one with the keeper a few games later.

Tunde who hails from Ogun State, was noticed during an open trial at the time that Valiant FC was being formed in January 2017.

Official intermediary for the club, Abdelrahman from Dubai said this "Tunde was the standout performer at that open trial. I remember watching in amazement as he put on a dazzling display for the entire week no matter who was the opposition. As I am told, he earned himself the nickname "ejo" the following year when he was on trial with MFM FC. He has all the tools to become a successful footballer and I am looking forward to watching him compete in Tanzania next May."

CEO of Valiant FC, Japheth Zubairu, also had nice things to say about the player "I have developed a close relationship with Tunde over the past few months with this whole national team experience. Apart from his football abilities, I am proud to say that he is a very humble boy who respects everyone he meets and is eager to learn more as he pursues his dream of becoming a professional footballer. All of us at Valiant FC are happy for his successes and look forward to more great things to come."

Valiant FC was formed with the mission of providing young, talented players with the opportunity to pursue their football dreams. With the success of Tunde, the club is now looking for the next young sensations around Nigeria to join them and see their career take off.