Coach of the Golden Eaglet Manu Garba has proclaimed that winning is an integral part of the country’s DNA and believes his young side, as a result, plan to win the covetous trophy Nigeria has lifted five times.
Garba, who won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, is already in Brazil with the Golden Eaglets for the 18th edition of the Championships and has revealed that his team are fully prepared to challenge once more for the title as they did in 2015.
“Everyone should get ready to see a fantastic Nigerian team that plays great football and has the trophy in their sights,” coach Manu Garba confidently told FIFA.com.
“Ecuador, Hungary, and Australia are undoubtedly strong teams that we respect, but we are record-breaking world champions and I was involved in two of our title wins.”
Garba is a proven veteran at this level, having also served as coach Yemi Tella’s assistant when the Golden Eaglets ruled the world in 2013.
“The will to win every game is part of the DNA of every Nigerian team, and my team here in Brazil is no exception,” he said.
Samson Tijani is the captain of the team in Brazil and he revealed that he, together with his teammates, believes in the abilities of the coaches to lead them to glory.
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“Our country’s previous success does not place any pressure on our shoulders at all,” Tijani said.
“But the world is naturally expecting a great deal from us, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors.
“Our coaches have so much experience – not just Garba, but also his assistant Nduka Ugbade, who led Nigeria to the title for the first time as captain in 1985. They know exactly what we need to do to finish the tournament as champions.”
The flight from the Eaglets training camp in Sao Paulo will be under two hours as Goiania is four hours behind Nigeria. All 21 players who made the final list are on the trip, while the 12 players dropped flew out of Brazil yesterday.
World football ruling body FIFA will conduct a random age test of four players before the big kick-off.
On Saturday, the Eaglets U17s will begin their World Cup campaign against Hungary by 9 pm.
They then face South America side Ecuador the same time on October 29, before their last group game match against Australia on November 1 in Brasilia.
