Nigerian defender Kenneth Omeruo might not be fans’ favourite as far as the Super Eagles of Nigeria is concerned but he has a dream of breaking the record of two legends of the team – Joseph Yobo and Vincent Enyeama.
Yobo who was a defender and a captain of the squad until his retirement from international football in 2014, played 101 competitive matches for the Super Eagles before he hung his boots.
Enyeama, one of the finest goalkeepers to ever mount the posts of the Super Eagles also equalled Yobo’s 101 matches record but he was not able to surpass it.
Yobo retired from international football when he was 33-year-old while Vincent Enyeama was forced to retire when he was 32-year-old.
Now, Kenneth Omeruo who currently plays for Leganés in Spanish La Liga believes that he can match the record of the two Super Eagles legends and even surpass it.
He, however, noted that such records are difficult to match and break in a national team where there are always a lot of good players who are competing for a chance to play.
While listing some of the reasons why it might be difficult to match up with Enyeama and Yobo’s record, the former Chelsea signee said it is not in the hands of a footballer to break such a record but in the hands of the coach.
Kenneth Omeruo is not sure
Besides that, Omeruo noted that sometimes one could enjoy the favour of coaches but injuries might not allow a footballer to play as much as his body would have carried him.
Also, the Super Eagles star revealed that he would have played 80 matches for Nigeria before now if he had played some qualifiers, but the coaches didn’t dim it fit to use him.
“It’s really a great achievement for a player to make 100 appearances for Nigeria because there are great talents in Nigeria,” Omeruo told Brila FM.
“I think it’s also difficult to play that amount of games for the national team, because we have different coaches coming in, changing the team and inviting other players.
“I would have made about 80 appearances if I play all the qualifiers and also considering the games that I was on the bench, but it’s about the manager and if the player is lucky with the injury.”
But it is possible…
Omeruo is currently 26-year-old and has made 52 appearances for Nigeria already since he played his first match for the Eagles in 2013.
It took him about 7 years to hit the 52 matches mark, hence he might take him another 7 years to make the 100 matches mark and probably surpass Yobe and Enyeama’s records.
Judging from the fact that most regular footballers in the Super Eagles retire from international football in their early 30s, it is possible that Omeruo will match and even break the record of Yobo and Enyeama if he continues to remain relevant in football till he turns 33.
