Revelations have started to come out of the Golden Eaglets camp after a superlative individual performance by Ibrahim Sa'id that saw Nigeria overcame Ecuador 3-2 in their second group game of the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup.
According to reports coming out from the Nigerian camp in Gioania, it has been revealed that Ibrahim Sa'id told the Golden Eaglets Coaches that he can play any position on the pitch.
Sa'id who is a product of Dabo Babes Academy was asked by the Manu Garba led technical crew of the five times World Cup winning Eaglets about his best suited wing or position on the pitch during the screening exercise that took place on the FIFA Goal Project pitch in Abuja.
The 16-year-old has since been nicknamed 'any number' as the coaches counts his versatility as a plus to the team.
''The first time Sa'id came to the camp of the Golden Eaglets, the coaches asked him the position he plays and he replied
"Any Number"
The Media Officer, Francis Achi posted on social media after the match.
Meanwhile, the first Nigerian hat-trick in the U-17 tournament was scored by Nwankwo Kanu 26 years ago, while the last one, notched by Victor Osimhen, occurred just two years before. On Tuesday, Ibrahim Sa'id became the seventh Golden Eaglet to hit the back of the net three times in a U-17 World Cup match – more than any other nation. One more goal would have seen him equal another record, that of goals scored in a single game, held jointly by another Nigerian (Kelechi Iheanacho, who tallied four times against Mexico at UAE 2013), but helping his team to qualify for the round of 16 will likely satisfy him for now.
“I just want to make my country proud of the team,” the midfielder told FIFA.com after the match.
By Olamide Oyetunji
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