The Swedish football club, Mjallby AIFs recently signed Silas Nwankwo from the Nigerian football club, Nasarawa United. People are not interested in the fact that the Swedish club signed the Nigerian youngster, they are more interested in the age of the footballer which is 18-year-old.
Silas Nwankwo scored 19 goals in the Nigerian league last season which makes him the joint youngest player to score such an amount of goals in a season in the league.
His performance attracted the attention of the Swedish club who decided to come for his signature. Mjallby AIFs gave Silas Nwankwo a four-year deal that will keep him at the club until December 31, 2025.
After the Nigerian striker signed the contract with the club, the club’s sporting director Hasse Larsson expressed his delight in the recruitment of the 18-year-old. He said the club decided to give him a lengthy contract because Nwankwo is a player that needs time to make a difference at the club.
“It is clear if you look at his merits as an 18-year-old in a high-speaking language, it is impressive,” he said.
“But we are also impressed by his top qualities both in the wrong turn with his size, but also by his ability to manage goal chances to goal in the offensive penalty area.
“A player who will need time, so with a longer contract, we believe that Silas, in the long run, can really make a difference for the club.”
18-year-old Nigerian forward Silas Nwankwo has joined Swedish side Mjallby AIFs from Nasarawa United. 🇳🇬
— E (@iamOkon) February 3, 2022
The youngster scored 19 goals last season in the #NPFL, making him joint highest scorer. 👏🏼🇳🇬🇳🇬🔥 pic.twitter.com/VeTS17txuM
Since he sealed the deal with the Swedish side on February 3, 2022, the argument has been that Silas Nwankwo does not look like an 18-year-old footballer. Many are suggesting that he is far older than the age he is claiming.
Stockholm-based football expert, Rasim Reiz revealed that Nwankwo was listed as a 24-year-old on Football Manager 2021 but on Football Manager 2022, he is listed as a 17-year-old youngster.
The football expert went on to post an article that was published in 2015 in which it was confirmed that Silas Nwankwo represented the Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT) in a football tournament for university students.
“To even be able to apply for ESUT (Enugu State University of Technology), you must be 16 years old. The article is from 2015. Haha”, the caption of the tweet read.
För ens kunna söka in på ESUT (Enugu state University of Technology) så måste man va 16 år. Artikeln är från 2015. Haha pic.twitter.com/UtKVQJ2Aea
— Sletty (@Skabbelicious) February 3, 2022
Despite the debate over the age of Silas Nwankwo, the Swedish club took to their official website to write: “Mjallby AIF is pleased to announce that 18-year-old forward Silas Nwankwo is ready for the club. The striker has signed a contract that is valid until the 2025 season.
“Silas [Nwankwo] is from Nigeria and started playing professional football in his home country in Crown FC, which then played in the country’s second-highest division. In 2019, he left the club for the top league and Sunshine Stars.
“The stay at Sunshine only lasted one year when in 2020, he signed a three-year contract with Nasarawa United, also in the country’s highest league.
“Silas comes from a successful season in Nigeria. Last year, as an 18-year-old, he made 35 appearances. During these matches, he managed to score 19 goals, gave eight assists, and guided the team to finish second on the table.
“Silas was also named “Team of the Year” in Nigeria’s top team after the season.”
