Maybe Nwakaeme is right – what more should he do to earn Nigeria call up?
Today, Technical Adviser Augustine Eguavoen released the 32-man provisional list of players which will be reduced to 24 to represent Nigeria over two legs against Ghana in the last phase of the 2020 World Cup qualifiers.
The likes of Amoo Akinkunmi, Ademola Lookman were handed their debut calls while Dennis Emmanuel returned after the AFCON fiasco.
Victor Osimhen and Oghenekaro Etebo who missed out on AFCON 2021 through injury were also invited.
But one name that missed out and has continuously missed out is Trabzonspor forward Anthony Nwakaeme who has just one cap for the Super Eagles.
Currently, there is no player playing in Europe’s top 10 leagues with better numbers.
Anthony Nwakaeme has contributed a total of 18 goals this season as Trabzonspor continues their impressive run towards securing the Turkish title.
In the month of February, he scored four goals and assisted one goal in three games, these numbers were only better by Sadiq Umar who had five goals, one assist in four games.
If selections are made based on form and not any other unknown criteria, Anthony Nwakaeme should be on the list.
The 32-year-old winger was quoted by OwngoalNigeria via KweseSports saying he believes he is not getting call-ups because there was no one to push his case with the coaches.
“Because maybe they feel like he is in Israel. Okay, when he come to the National team he play one game he didn’t do too well. Nobody wants to invite you again,” said OwngoalNigeria via he told Kwese TV.
“But imagine if I play in England or in Spain. Even after that game, they will want to see me again. They want to play me again, but because I play in Israel and I have nobody to push me in the national team to explain to the people you need to give this guy a chance, you need to let him show himself because there are a lot of players in the national team.
“They are a lot of players in the national team they call them more than one time is not like all the time they call them they play well but they still give them chance.
“Football is all about chance to me. Like the first time I came to Be’er Sheva they wanted to take me back, they said that this is a waste of money to them is not what they saw before.
“Football is also the time you know. Some people just want you to come and start the magic. The magic does not work like that you need to let the player know that he belongs because I am the type of player who wants to know that he belongs in this place.
“I don’t want to have the fear of today try will put me out or they will put me in and that was what happened with the Super Eagles but all the same who can I blame.
“At the end of the game it was they put in the game. I was the one that played, I was the one that didn’t get it right the way they want it but I think they didn’t call me again because I was playing in Isreal. If I was playing in Spain or England they would have called me again.”
As a left-winger, it would be difficult for anyone to displace Simon Moses at the moment but Anthony Nwakaeme could do a job when the Nantes attacker needs a rest.
Photo Credit: (owngoalNigeria)
