Scorer of the first goal at the on-going WAFU B U-17 championship, Emmanuel Michael of Nigeria has stated that he dedicated his Man of the Match Award to Super Eagles winger Moses Simon, who doubles as his mentor.
Emmanuel Michael scored an exquisite freekick from a distance to open scoring in the Golden Eaglets’ 2-4 win over host, Ghana in the opening fixture.
Speaking after the game Emmanuel said “this award is dedicated to my mentor Moses Simon, he is the brain behind my current status and he gave me a chance to live my dreams by enrolling me into his academy”
“The boot i used in playing against Ghana was the boot Moses Simon used at AFCON in Cameroon. He gave me the boot and I decided not to use the boot till God saw me through the U-17 screening and I used it in the first match, which I played well”, Michael added.
The youngster also stated “I am glad I scored the first goal at the WAFU tourney and that was what we needed to grow our confidence for the rest of the game against Ghana”.
The Simoiben Academy product went into the camp of the Golden Eaglets as a midfielder, but was converted into a left back. Ever since then, the youngster has nailed down the position and remains one of the first names in the team sheet.
Nigeria will take on the Baby Hawks of Togo on Tuesday in its last game of the group stages.
