Shola wants to go to the World Cup!
Posted on November 18th, 2009 | 16 Comments |
However, after coming into good form at the start of this season, he’s been giving some thought to representing Nigeria, his country of birth and where he lived until he was six when he moved to Newcastle. Having played for England at Under-21 level, originally that’s where his international dream lay, but in giving himself a more realistic chance of making the finals, he’s turned his attention to his home nation for whom he is still elligible to play.
Although I was blissfully ignorant to the fact, or at least had forgotten it happened, the Nigerian FA chiefs have tried to call him up to represent Nigeria before but it is only now that Ameobi has expressed an interest in doing so. Ameobi said:
“It was a great honour for me to represent England at Under-21 level and my mum and dad were so proud of me.
“But they would love to see me play for Nigeria. I see myself as Nigerian, I was born and bred there.
“It’s not about changing allegiances. I’ve got Nigerian roots and I’m proud of my country, the country where I was born and spent the first five or six years of my life.
“Playing at the World Cup is the pinnacle of any player’s career. It’s what you dream of and if I can do that with Nigeria then that would be fantastic for me.
“They have been in touch before to see whether I was interested. In the past, I chose not to so I could concentrate on helping Newcastle.
“But I have reached a stage in my career where I would love to play international football and realistically it’s not going to happen with England.
“As I say, Nigeria is the country of my birth and if the coach is open to it then it’s something I would love to do, at the African Nations Cup and the World Cup.”
After talking about it to former Toon player and fellow Nigerian, Obafemi Martins, Ameobi added:
“We have talked about it and I would like to think that maybe I could add something to the team and help my country,”
“2010 is a big year for Nigeria. The African Nation Cup is the same for us as the European Championships is in Europe. It’s a tournament I would love to play in.”
Talking about Newcastle, the recent events and how the squad has pulled together to make a good start to the season, he had this to say:
“It has been frustrating to have missed the last few games but I’m coming back and should be fully fit in the next two or three weeks.
“I think we all as a group of players had to try and regain our sense of pride after relegation. We went down and the only way to get our pride back was to get promoted again.
“Newcastle is so close to my heart. I’m a fan of the club, too, and it’s not easy to accept such disappointments. It’s important we get back to where we belong.
“The spirit is strong and I think that was evident from the first day of pre-season and that’s shown through in our performances.”
Shola also talked with what is undoubtedly genuine respect and affection for Sir Bobby Robson:
“He had such a big influence on my career and we had such a special relationship. I dedicated my hat-trick against Reading to him because he was so important to me.
“Even after he left Newcastle, we would talk a lot and he would help and advise me. He’s been my mentor, helped me through so many things and I’d love to do something special for him.”
Pilloried by many of us and yet still he still plodded on, weighing in with some inconsistent but telling contributions, perhaps either he’s found a rich vein of form, found his level or a mixture of the two? Either way, you’d still have betted against him making the World Cup finals next year? Of course, he’s got to be asked yet and the report which is in The Daily Mirror is speculating that he could be required again based on Ameobi’s desires and a previous request. Hopefully, he can get involved because it’ll be an honour for the lad but let’s hope his real focus at the moment is Newcastle and our immediate fortunes first and foremost.
@ Worky
Worky i know your a big Pedro fan so i thought i’d post the picture you and Kathy Secker like the most.
http://www.winningiseverything.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/peter-beardsley-balls.jpg