Nigeria Must Take Martins To Russia 2018 World Cup, Says Ex NFA Board Member, Prince Oduah

TAIWO ADELU

Chairman of Red Carpet Advertising and ex board member of Nigeria Football Association, NFA, now Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Prince Isidore Oduah has made a strong case for Shanghai Greenland Shenhua forward, Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins to be included in Nigeria’s team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Prince Oduah, who was former member of Anambra State Sports Council said that every nation taking part in the World Cup next June will present the best among the players of such country, hence the need for the handlers of Nigerian Super Eagles to beam their searchlight on the best Nigeria can offer for the mundial.

The seasoned sports administrator, who was former Vice Chairman of Anambra State Football Association said that by now the technical adviser of the Eagles, Rohr should look out for some Nigerian players plying their trades abroad and give them what he called Special Call Up, which is always given to players who are very good but because of where they are playing, they are not opened to monitoring They are players who are not opportuned to play in big leagues such as the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, but they are fantastic players.

“These set of players should be given Special Call Up for them to come to the national camp to fight for shirts. Nigeria can boast of many gifted players, one of them is Obafemi Martins. We need natural gifted player like Martins for our World Cup campaign. If we put him in our squad for the Russia 2018 World Cup, we won’t regret it. I so much obsessed with Martins’ determined style of play. I used to watch him training at Ajele playground on Lagos Island when he was coming up as a young player. I lived at Okesuna then. I knew then that Martins would become a star someday. He is a player who always gives all his attention to whatever he is doing. His concentration on the field of play has always been a delight. He is physical and scientific on the ball. I watched him playing for his club in China last month and I discovered that has not changed from the way I used to see him at Ajele playground.

“That is the reason I want to make strong case that Coach Gernot Rohr and NFF Technical Committee should give him a chance to come and fight for a shirt in Eagles camp, I know that he will surely stand out. We should use what we have to get what we want in Russia.

“There is no doubt that Nigeria is in a dicey group in the World Cup. Croatia, Iceland and Argentina will be tough for us. We have played Argentina before and Iceland I knew beat England with shame and disgraced before. They played crafty football to confuse their opponents. That is why we need experienced and exceptional players to fight our ways out of this group. I’m saying with all confidence and my experience in world football that if Martins, who we all know as Obagoal, comes to Nigerian camp, the game will change. The coach must give him a chance to prove his himself. He is a patriotic Nigerian. He deserves a chance because he has all what it takes to be in the team. In terms of experience, skills, maturity, fitness and hunger, Martins has all.

“World Cup is not a playground to test players. NFF must make sure that the right players are called to the camp. The technical committee must sharpen up. We must surpass our World Cup record at the Russia 2018 tournament, “said the Financial Secretary of the Association of Sports Veterans Nigeria.

Prince Oduah (left) at the 2017 edition of Nigerian Awards For Sporting Excellence held in Lagos early December 

 

Martins (born 28 October 1984) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a forward for Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. He is known for his speed on the ball. After leaving Nigeria for Italy at age 16, he has since played for a number of top-division clubs around Europe. He began his senior career in 2002 at the Italian Serie A club Inter Milan, before moving to the English Premier League club Newcastle in 2006, and then the German Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in 2009. Having joined Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan in July 2010, they loaned him to Birmingham City in January 2011.

In club football, Martins has won the Italian Serie A title, the Italian Cup (twice), and the Italian Super Cup, all with Inter. With Birmingham he scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final. He has played European football with Inter, Newcastle and Wolfsburg, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Newcastle. His highest scoring league seasons so far have seen him score 11 goals in the 2004–05 Serie A, and 17 in both the 2006–07 English Premier League and 2014 MLS.

In international football, Martins has been in the Nigerian squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008 and 2010, and for the FIFA World Cup in 2010. He played for Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer from 2013 to 2015, scoring 40 goals, before moving on to China.