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After being listed among the CAF best young African player Nominees, Samuel Chukwueze has set a two-year target to win the top African best players award.
Although he won the Bronze Ball for being the third-best player at the 2015 U17 FIFA World Cup where he was part of Nigeria’s victorious side, Chukwueze came into the national and international limelight on the back of some truly electrifying performances for the Yellow Submarines in Spain’s topflight last season.
His performance in the 4-4 draw against Barcelona at the Estadio de la Cerámica where he scored and assisted another as Barcelona narrowly escaped a chastening defeat announced him.
Not since 1994 when another left-footed forward, Emmanuel Amuneke announced himself with such forceful bang at the AFCON in Tunisia has there been such an outpouring of excitement across the country over a left-footed player.
He made the team and acquitted himself well in the six matches he played as the Super Eagles finished in third place. A particularly outstanding performance was in Nigeria’s 2-1 quarter-final defeat of South Africa where he scored a goal and was adjudged the game’s player.
Such clarity of thought and singularity of purpose is not surprising for a player who had to show doggedness in the face of family pressure to reach this point in his career.
He has set his sights on being crowned the best footballer on the African continent in two years.
“I have already set my target but I pray maybe in the next two years if I keep on working hard and keep my head down maybe in the next two years maybe I will win the African player Award”, Chukwueze told brila.net.
