Nigerian Coach Explains Why Youngsters Struggle After Youth World Cups
- Nigeria is a force to reckon with in world football at the youth level, particularly at the U17 World Cups
- However, the majority of the ton of talents produced at the youth level fail to transition into the senior level successfully
- A former Nigerian youth coach has explained why the youth talents failed to transition into senior football
CHECK OUT: Education is Your Right! Don’t Let Social Norms Hold You Back. Learn Online with LEGIT. Enroll Now!
A former Nigerian youth coach has explained why young players who starred for the country at the junior World Cups struggle in their careers after those tournaments.
Nigeria is highly revered in youth football, particularly at the U17 level, having won the FIFA U17 World Cup a record five times and putting up decent outings at other levels.
Source: Getty Images
However, the country has struggled at the senior level on the world stage, which begs the question of why the dominant youngsters are not smartly groomed into senior players.
Why Nigerian youngsters struggle
A former youth coach, Usman Abdallah, has highlighted the key factors against the struggles of youth players in Nigeria, which leads to their promising careers fading away.
He pointed out the lack of structured development in Nigeria's domestic league and financial difficulties as the two major factors militating against youth development.
“The situation is bad; everybody is struggling to make it,” Abdallah told Brila FM.
“Immediately after the World Cup, if no club picks you up, you return to the Nigerian league and feel you’re too good for it. Then, your next target is to go outside the country.”
He also highlighted poor representation regarding agency and management as another factor hindering Nigerian youngsters and compared it to their European counterparts.
“In Europe, you have a good atmosphere, good weather, and money, so the players relax and play,” he added.
Many Nigerian young players aim to break into Europe after a successful junior tournament, and the frustration from not making it on time leads to declining performances and derailing their careers.
John Obi Mikel, Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Osimhen, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Samuel Chukwueze, amongst others, are some recent successful examples of those who made it via junior tournaments.
A few others, including Kelechi Nwakali, are in Europe but have mediocre careers that do not reflect the potential and promises they showed at youth levels.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, only four percent of academy players in European academies make it pro.
This raises an important question: if those born and raised in Europe struggle to make it pro, what is the fate of those who grew up in Africa with lesser quality football education?
UK-based Nigerian journalist Rilwan Balogun shared his thoughts on this topic, stressing the need for mentorship for young players.
“It’s a hydra-headed problem. I think there’s the part of the extra-football problems like societal expectations. Now you’ve gone to the U-17 World Cup, you’re seen on TV and think you’re a star, but the real situation is that you’re just another teenager who’s playing football on TV,” he told Legit.ng.
“It’s a slippery slope. A U-17 player can’t be too good for the local league. Kenneth Omeruo played for Sunshine Stars after the U-17 World Cup, two or three years after that, he was on Chelsea’s books. Taiwo Awoniyi went back to Imperial Academy after the U-17 World Cup despite scoring three goals. He made his Liverpool move from there.
“It’s a problem of mentorship and having someone to tell those players that they are yet to arrive. There’s a lot that can still go wrong. They need someone to tell them they need to keep working, have representatives and managers who want their betterment and not just people who are looking for the next meal.”
“We need a system that will educate these boys after they go on those tournaments. Many never make it to the seniors and follow another path in life. It’s what it is,” he concluded.
Ex U17 star advises Chelsea about Osimhen
Legit.ng reported that a former U17 star advised Chelsea to do everything possible to sign Victor Osimhen after the Premier League club failed in their pursuit in the summer.
Kehinde Ayinla, a 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup-winning squad member, believes that for his ex-teammate to have succeeded in Italy, he will score goals in English football.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!
Source: Legit.ng
