Players with a nose for putting the ball in the back of the net are hot commodities anywhere in the world of football and Nigeria’s Emmanuel Emenike is one example of such players.
Many Nigerians should be glad that the quick, strong and clinical finisher did not yield to pressures from Turkey to play for the Crescent Stars.
Just one major outing for his country, the 25-year-old has been turning heads and hogging headlines in the media, where he has been compared to the legendary Rashidi Yekini.
Emenike’s four goals helped the Super Eagles win the South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. For getting more assists, the Nigerian grabbed the competition’s Golden Boot award ahead of Ghana’s Mubarak Wakaso, who also scored four goals.
It took Yekini his third appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations before winning gold and a Golden Boot award (with five goals) at Tunisia’94. The national record scorer, who died last year, won silver at the age of 20 at the 1984 edition in Abidjan, after Nigeria lost 3-1 to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the final. Four years later, Yekini helped the Eagles to another second-place finish at Maroc’88. Nigeria lost 1-0 to bitter rivals Cameroon for the second time. Current Eagles coach Stephen Keshi played in the two finals.
The 1993 African Player of the year won silver at the Algiers’90 edition.
Emenike was hardly listed among the players to ignite the 2013 tournament and playing in the unrated Russian league could be the reason for this,
but it was no hindrance when he grabbed his first goal for the Super Eagles in their opening game 1-1 draw against the Stallions of Burkina Faso in the group stage.
He progressed to score in the 1-1 draw against defending champions Zambia. His powerful free kick shot the Eagles into the lead in their surprise 2-1 defeat of the star-studded Ivory Coast in the quarterfinals, and he added another goal in the 4-1 pounding of Mali in the semifinals. However, a hamstring injury denied him a chance to increase his goal tally as he missed the final, where Nigeria beat Burkina Faso by a Sunday Mba goal to end the country’s 19-year wait for an African title.
Until Emenike exploded onto the scene at Karabukspor where his 16 goals helped the club to the Turkish Lig 1 title and automatic promotion to the Super Lig in 2010, not many took an interest in him. It was when he joined Turkish giants Fenerbahce the following season that the then Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia gave him an opportunity in a friendly match against Sierra Leone in Lagos.
Perhaps the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon could have presented him the opportunity to showcase his talent on the big stage had the Eagles sealed qualification for the tournament. But the late bloomer, who arrived in South Africa for the 2013 edition unheralded, is now being linked with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich.
But the forward, who joined South Africa club Mpumalanga Black Aces from amateur Warri side Delta Force in 2008, agrees he still has a lot to learn.
“I have never lost my self-belief and I will still like to say that my best has yet to be seen. I will always keep getting better in the team and score more goals,” the ex-Cape Town star said.
Although he is no longer Emenike’s coach, Siasia’s still full of admiration for the player who scored the fastest goal in the history of the Russian League on the opening match of the season.
“He is a complete striker, scoring goals and creating chances for others to score. He has all it takes to be among the best strikers in the world, he will certainly go places,” Siaisa was quoted as saying.
“I know his qualities as a striker and that was why I went ahead to cap him in the Eagles. I am very happy with his performance at the Nations Cup.
“I love his commitment. He is using his strength and speed very well.”
In Portugal, where the Eagles camped ahead of the Nations Cup, Keshi could only say that he had seen a striker capable of playing like Yekini.
“In Emenike, I see a player who can be like Yekini,” he told SuperSport.
Although former internationals Christian Chukwu, Henry Nwosu and Taribo West hailed the battling qualities of Emenike, they are of the opinion that he is a young man learning the ropes.
“Emenike is a good striker the country can depend on for years,” Chukwu told our correspondent on the telephone.
“He’s different from Yekini; I think he’s coming up very well.
“He’s just won one major competition and I think there’s room for improvement. It depends on him if he wants to be the new Yekini, but he has to work very hard to get there.
“Luckily, he has age on his side and with successful performances at future championships he could equal or surpass Yekini’s record.
“We have to encourage him. Again, we should invite more strikers to the team from the domestic league or from Europe. Sunday Mba’s performance in South Africa has shown that there are good players in the home league, and we could get the new Yekini there.”
Nwosu, who won the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Chukwu, echoed the views of his former Green (Super ) Eagles’ teammate.
“Emenike is not yet there but he can be there,” the ex-New Nigeria Bank midfielder added.
Taribo praised Keshi for giving Emenike a chance to play at the Nations Cup, saying his contribution to the success of the team would be remembered forever.
The Atlanta’96 gold medallist told our correspondent on the telephone that Emenike’s striking prowess instilled confidence in the team.
The former AC Milan and Inter Milan ace said, “Emenike reminds me of Daniel Amokachi. He is strong and difficult to mark in a match.
“Moses played with a lot of confidence knowing full well Emenike was capable of converting chances.
“It depends on what Emenike wants. If he wants to be the new Yekini, he has what it takes to do that.
“He’s not yet a complete striker but he can be one if he works hard. He still has a lot to learn.
“It took Yekini some years to achieve for himself and the country. So, Emenike should aim higher.”
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