Kelechi Nwakali has debunked rumours he is considering dumping Nigeria for another country, reports Completesports.com.
Nwakali’s elder brother Allwell recently stated his brother his studying approach from other countries about switching nationality.
The midfielder, who is currently on loan at Spanish Segunda Divsion club Alcorcon from Huesca however took to the social media to deny the news.
Read Also: Nwakali Set To Dump Super Eagles For European Country – Brother Alleges
“Dear fellow Nigerians, contrary to reports circulating in the media, I remain committed to serving my country. It is always an honour to wear the green and white of Nigeria and it is my dream to continue to do so,”he wrote on Instagram.
“I categorically deny these reports and will continue to work hard until I am called upon. I am hugely proud to have represented Nigeria at various levels and am grateful to have had these opportunities in my career thus far.
“I have never considered playing for another nation and continuing to play for Nigeria at international level remains my priority.”
The 22-year-old was captain of Nigeria’s U-17 side that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile in 2015.
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59 Comments
AllisnotWELL but it’s well with you Nwakali. You time is coming for sure. Just stay focus.
Unnecessary wahala.
Hope this bad publicity does not hurt the boy any further.
Better said
An emphatic statement distancing himself from the reckless utterance of his brother. Like Pompei said, I just hope irrevocable damage hasn’t been done.
Dont worry, nff go change am for u. Una think say una smart by pulling a cheap publicity just to attract rohrs attention but it has backfired badly. It’s not only stupid and foolish a publicity but dumb! Your brother had better start doing the neccessary paper work for a switch of nationality to the comoros islands, na dem go fit accept u without stringent conditions. Ndi ara.
… It’s the mischievous “AllNoWell” of an elder brother that is trying to stir murky waters for Nwakali… Please Nigerians let’s accept his official stance and keep encouraging him to continue to work hard at his club… He needs one more regular season of football atleast in the Segunda Division and another full regular season thereafter in La Liga or another elite league of acceptable challenge level to be ready for any Super Eagles invite… It is my believe that he can only begin to be in a position to fight for Super Eagles chance after next Wrold Cup… I believe it’s too late for him now to be part of next Afcon or Qatar 2022… But his time will arrive… at 24yrs age, it won’t be too late for a national team career… One love! It will take exceptional mind-boggling performance within the next one year to gatecrash Qatar 2022 as competition from intending new Super Eagles entrants are swelling… But he can keep his head up.
Nor be una dey hype am say e better pass all the midfielders wey dey SE including mikel, wey come make him head swell dey misbehave like one local champion ngbueke for village…??? LMAO. In contemporaries Osimhen and Chukueze dey up dia dey hug correct headlines playing at the very top/UCL/UEL, Allwell wey nor well dey use in younger brothers destinies go drink ogogoro come dey talk plenty nonsense for press. LMAO. Better cut correct warning give your nephew and in brothers….LMAO.
The truth is that… He is trying to get noticed again at a time that other top talents just turned up in their numbers… his progress was really slowed by Arsenal… then the money was good, but it was the wrong move for work permit reasons…
Kelechi should go and work on his career as a player…he should sort out his future at club level like chukwueze and osimhen have done….then national team will come… going from one loan stint to another at very lowely clubs is not befeating for a Nigeria international specially now that Nigeria has lots of talent the way we have now
The guy just came out and denied the statement, and y`all still hitting on him, grow up guys, he said he didn’t say such thing, and you still condemning him. Yeah, he might not be as lucky as Osinmeh and others, but bro, the guy is still pushing it, and opportunity and hard work is just like gasoline and fire, it takes no time for both to cause damage and make history, and you? Sit on the computer and bring people down, go work on yourselves so people can switch on their laptops and write about you too.
Well said Brodaman. Ndi Nwakali is a reckless footballer , shame never catch una? They abuse the guy before learning of his own side. Ngwa Nwakali is not serious… Una see una sef. Somebody don fart.
@saint palmers, don’t mind that badbelle human being, if people say nwakali is more talented than Mikel obi, which I am still very much in accordance with, does it require people to start insulting a player because his fans love him, jealousy badbelle people, thank God wise people are beginning to recognize the real moron in this forum, nwakali may not be lucky to play for chelsea and he is yet to acquire the level of experience Mikel have got, nevertheless he is still more talented than Mikel obi, anybody can cry if they want, the guy shoots better than Mikel, dribbles better than Mikel, passes accuracy well ahead of mikel’s, both long and short, he is more offensive and attack minded than Mikel obi these gifts are easy for open minded people to see, even his eagles debut against athletic madrid is enough to earn him a good club on a very lucky day, Mikel’s in the other hand is a more or less a combative midfielder/central midfielder with a little offensive quality, he was very lucky to have had a club like chelsea who patiently waited for him to grow up with games, he was never the best of his time, what works for him was that there wasn’t much competition in the eagles midfield during his playing days and he was the only manageable midfielder we had at his time, Truth being said his time was the worst eagles I ever watched all my life and wickest eagles am ever, thanks for afcon title which was inspired by onazi emenike and vmoses these three deputant gave us that cup, Mikel low quality midfield cost us three afcon qualifications, his midfield lost to Ghana2008 despite being one man down the highest humiliation eagles ever experienced in afcon, onazi out of france game Mikel yansh Open, so how is Mikel now maradona, with side ways passes and back passes, alot of Nigerians supported Mikel out of sentiment and love for his under 20 explosion, but out side that he wasn’t that superb midfielder that can’t be compare to nwakali, Mikel was not a corner kick master wasn’t a free kick master he wasn’t a penalty master he wasn’t even a pass master, he was for me, a good midfield contributor with alot experience acquired in chelsea and supereagles he is supposed to remain in premier league if he was that talented, for me nwakali is very I repeat very close to Pogba in terms of all-round quality, if given the right freedom he is having now the future will tell the rest, he is a dead ball master.
Alot said @collinsid,only time will tell!!! I still feel nwakali can use some more doses of humility, put his head down, focus on building his career and disproving all naysayers… Then we can make any reasonable comparisons with tested and proven Champs like our darling Mike!
@Collins id, are you being serious to maintain that Nwakali is better than Mikel? Wonders shall never end, did you read your reasoning yourself? How can you compare a tested and trusted stalwart to a struggling pretender my guy? There’s notting like Mikel is lucky to play for Chelsea, he deservedly earned it particularly with his exploit at the U-20 WC in 2005, that performance was not a fluke my brother. And don’t forget that ManU and Chelsea started fighting for his signature long before his U-20 performance. And for him to be trusted by various coaches after Mourinho means he is special. Why were all the coaches whom Nwakali has played for till date never trusted him and can’t wait for an opportunity to ship him out on loan?
I tire for you o, comparing someone who cannot cut it with a relegation threatened Team to someone with a distinguished long career in one of the best Teams in the World coached by various best coaches available.
And to tell you the truth, Nwakali could’ve shone during the U-17 WC in 2015 but after that he has been crap, I have never been impressed in any of the matches he played for Nigeria ever since. Scoring a fluke goal against Athletico doesn’t make him a genius, did you see the beauty of the goal scored by Usman Mohammed in that same match? Why are we not clamouring for Usman too in SE?
I once said that… truly, in my opinion, Kelly Nwakali is more talented than Mikel… lol, the stick wey @Dr.Drey give me for that comment, come use am form some kind alias for me… hahaha, fear never allow me mention that perspective again for almost two years now… with kelly, hugging some low-key headlines once again for decent performance, I may yet, be able again, to begin to reason I may not have been wrong in the first place… @Collins id… please help me own that comment for the main time… I go stand with you later when e dey safe… I dey your back, make I buy groundnut for junction… hahaha!
Lolz… Wise man, it’s good to eat some groundnuts, they are good for ya health…
I beg to differ here bro. Mikel was not lucky to play for Chelsea, he was simply talented, young and brave to be in a squad that had Michael Assien, Frank Lampard, Sidney Sidwel, Michael Balack, Joe Cole and more. Let me quote you “nwakali may not be lucky to play for chelsea and he is yet to acquire the level of experience Mikel have got, nevertheless he is still more talented than Mikel obi” this statement is completely wrong, Nwakali no doubt has so much talent but is not hardworking and does not have a big heart to challenge himself, mind you this is no longer the under 17 level, here he will have to face the reality of beating the European politics that young non EU players face. For you mentioning just his debut game against athletic Madrid here is Mikel getting into the super eagles as a mere young boy ” He made his debut for the Nigeria senior team on 17 August 2005, when he came on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 friendly win over Libya. He did not play for the national team again prior to being named in the squad for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. In Nigeria’s first group game, against Ghana, Mikel was an unused substitute. However, he was introduced into the second game against Zimbabwe early in the second half. Within ten minutes of coming on, he had supplied both the corner that resulted in Christian Obodo heading the game’s opening goal, and scored Nigeria’s second goal. He made his first international start in Nigeria’s final group game, a 2–1 victory over Senegal”. So you see my brother. We are all CHALLANGING Nwakali to brave up and learn resilience from his friends Osimehen and Chukwueze by working harder, we need him in the super eagles team because he has so much attribute that are lacking in the current super eagles team like his accurate passing skill and free kick. So brothers let continue to wish him well instead of comparing his with legend Mikel, every player is different in their own ways. Just like Mikel was different from Okocha. This kind of unhealthy comparison was what affected great Wilson Oruma because he was trying to play like Okocha but forgot that he can create his own brand and yet be useful in the same team that had Okocha but the opposite was the case.
Bia, colins ID, its like you watch the back of your TV, which Nwakali passes better than Mikel? At which club biko did Nwakali do all these passing, which Nwakali defends better than Mikel, I watched almost all Nwakali ‘s games at Huesca in LA LIGA, he is the chief culprit in losing poccession,sometimes resulting to goals against his club, Mikel has distinguished himself at Lyn Oslo, Chelsea, Tianjin Teda, Middlesbrough, Transbospur and now currently at age 34 is one of Stoke city’s best performers, Mikel aslo was splendid for Flying Eagles, (the best), Super Eagles, even at the Olympics, he and Etebo was our best player. Nwakali only did well at Under 17 I. Chile, and the fluke performance against an unserious Athletico Madrid B team at Uyo, When Arsenal signed him,I personally celebrated, but he has fallen short ever since, he flopped at his loan spells at a Dutch club, flopped at Porto B, flopped at Huesca and is only playing well at Alcoron, and you stay he does everything more than Mikel, ??You love Nwakali , fine,but keep that love to yourself, he has to merit his call up to SE by consistent club performances, He is 24 now, At that age Mikel was already indispensable in SE, which coach can start an SE game at that age(24)/without Mikel, ???that coach wan die ????
Nigerians will not stop to amaze you. Comparing John Obi Mikel with Nwakali, like, with what yardstick? Someone talking about Nwakali’s talent? Please, where is it? At the U17?
Mikel at Nwakali’s age was commanding a starting shirt at almighty Chelsea. A team that had Michael Ballack, Essein, Deco, Ramires, Sidney Lampard etc. And he did that for 10 years straight, and you said that was luck? Like are you serious???. Nwakali couldn’t even command a shirt in a newly promoted team in La liga. Mikel left chelsea and he has never been considered surplus to requirement ever since. I mean he’s 34 now and he’s still considered good enough to start every game in the championship.
Someone wrote about how Nwakali hits the ball and dribble people….? Where? in the second division? or against Athletico madrid in Nigeria? or where? What you are all talking about is potential, and when a potential is not realized, it is as good as nothing.
Nwakali is very far from the least of Mikel’s achievements in the game, and im very sure he knows that. I wouldn’t respond to this on a normal day, but this is a complete disrespect to John Obi Mikel. We were lucky to have had Mikel in the super eagles, and as a Nigerian im grateful for his contributions to the growth of our football. A great footballer, and an acheiver with great personality. No drama, just zeal and business
@Abdul… if you understand the English well, no one is comparing Nwakali, as in flatly to the whole career and achievement that Mikel has had. We are just saying obvioulsy, looking at how they play, like Mikel’s timelines put parallel to Nwalaki’s, solely for how they play and command the ball… body of game and perculiar qualities… Nwakali’s showing at U-17 even left FIFA themselves with no more doubt…
@Jimmyball
My brother.
Even to the bias mind.
In no basis this should be a subject of discussion .
There is no comparison.
There is simply no bar for comparison.
U17s
U20s
U23s
Olympic team
Super Eagles.
Club side.
Consistent wise.
Professionalism.
Skill wise. Talent wise.
Mikel was. Still is; better than Kelechi.
We only hope and pray Kelechi Nwakali gets to the standard Mikel produced.
For those who have forgotten so soon,those who chose to forget who Mikel was; history and facts don’t forget.
Mikel is a legend.
@Mr Hush… I will be humble for your position. Clearly Mikel does not score U-17 level above Kelechi Nwakali, U-17 of Nigeria 2003 to which Mikel was a part crashed out at group stage, albeit to a coin toss… tough luck. But I will agree with you since Mikel played U-20 (Silver), U-23 (Olympic Bronze and Super Eagles… where Nwakali failed, it was just down to a team failure which cannot be entirely attributed to him… but to me, Mikel Lost something going to Chelsea which may never had been case, had he stayed at United… we can only be able to truly compare Nwakali once he starts being part of the Super Eagles as an established player, if it ever happens… I hope he will be able to take the challenge from Chukwueze and Osimhen and push himself. One love…
This people know the truth(how can a normal human being compare nwakali and Mikel)…they are just using you guys to generate traffic for complete sports,collins id and co…make una dey reply them….them dey use una catch cruise
When we say young people shouldn’t do drugs, there are 1 million and one reasons for that….and one of them is comparing a 23yr old who cant tie down a place in Huesca to another who at the age of 18 was a subject of transfer war between 2 of the biggest clubs in football (MANCHESTER UTD and CHELSEA), between two of the greatest managers football as ever seen (JOSE MOURINHO and ALEX FERGUSON) who Chelsea had to eventually cough out 16m to have, going on to represent the club for 10 solid years under as many managers.
I guess Mikel was just “lucky” too to be a subject of transfer war between the biggest clubs of that era.
The less said the better.
Someone should pls tell that kid once again to quit drugs.
@Dr.Drey… You forget say one boy wonder called Roysthen Drenthe sef been confuse big guns like Madrid splash money just like Man united and Chelsea fight for Mikel obi?
Bro Mikel is still far better than nwakali, I totally agree with you guys, been better in the world of football is not necessary by talent alone, some people have Talent but they could not really command their talent in the big level, Mikel have achieved his potential in football and he won almost everything thing except wcup, nwakali is still coming. But in terms of talent comparison, nwakali have it More than Mikel, he can go behond Mikel’s limit’s on his very good day, what he need is consistency, and progress, like I said he is another pogba pirlo , kind of play, in football you can compare any talent to any legend, ndidi is constantly being compared to kante even when he haven’t won any trophy, compare to kante who have won alot trophys, messi was always compared to maradona from his young age even by maradona himself, so what is so big in Mikel that I can’t compare him to nwakali, me I am a big fan of all Nigerians in this game, I mostly watch matches that Nigerians plays, I am also a big fan of the ball juggling part of the game, it’s the most important part of the game to me, football is entertainment and honestly nwakali iwobi okocha kanu chukwuez kalu, osihmen babayaro finidi odewingie vmoses ahmed musa, iheanacho, ike uche, kalu uche, Mikel obi and few others are great entertainers of supereagles, it requires talent to be a dazzler, the likes of ndidi oliseh stephen keshi ighalo, martins, amokashi, garbal lawal are great hard workers of eagles, who also became great through hard work and better understanding of the game, Jay Jay didn’t win much as Mikel but he is considered an icon of the game because he does great uncommon things with the ball, same with nwakali he have the capacity to command the ball more than Mikel, you can’t give what you don’t have, Adriano can’t head the ball like klose can do and klose can’t shoot the way Adriano does it doesn’t matter how many trophy klose won but football lovers will still place Adriano ahead of klose in terms of talent, despite klose being greater than Adriano as history will always remember, echiegile for example won more trophies and even played in uefa and afcon final, he also won olympic silver in 2008 or so but taye taiwo is more talented left back than uwa. I have watched both Mikel and nwakali
and direct my eyes can’t decieve me like your comments does. Nwakali have great Ball command than Mikel does he is yayatoure and pogba germ, these kinds those great things with the ball that Mikel Will not even practice in training, Mikel do what the couches want and u can almost never expect any surprise from his types.
Clap for yasef….LMAO
Make Nwakali “great ball command” help am make Real Madrid and Barcelona engage in transfer war for am make we see 1st…..LMAO.
Mikel hadnt even played for the Flying Eagles yet when 2 of the greatest clubs in the world had to drag themselves to CAS to have him on their team….LMAO. 10 solid years at Chelsea, averaging 25 matches per season…..no single loan….LMAO. Na person wey nor fit qualify ordinary U20 and U23 with in “great ball command” and yet to debut for the national team or tie down a 1st XI position in Huesca at the age of 23 naim better pass Mikel…..LMAO
Shebi Mikel was just lucky……LMAO. E easy to dey lucky abi…?! LMAO. Make Nwakali too lucky make we see na….LMAO.
A gold fish has no hiding place…na for 2nd division a whole BAYERN MUNICH use corner eye dey look Sadiq Umar so….make we see whether Guadiola and Zidane go drag mr “great ball command” the way Ferguson and Mourinho take drag 18yr old boy wonder Mikel that time too….LMAO.
Great Ball Command ko….2nd Mechanized Division ni……LMAO
Dr. Drey…………Please tell them make then hear @Collins id and @JimmyBall
@Collins id
Firstly, there is no need putting Okocha in this conversation. On the contrary , it invalidates your point.
Okocha is a legend of the game not just because of his potential or “dazzle”; lest you forget, Okocha is a legend in Frankfurt, Fenerbache and at the time was Africa’s most expensive player; he broke the financial dome in France, with his move to PSG. And we all know what he did in England with Bolton. He is so good they named him twice.
Okocha also won the Afcon with the Super Eagles.
So Okocha wasn’t defined by talent alone. He is backed by his accomplishments. His talent spoke and we all listened.
Kelechi got talent. But that volume is way low..
And the comparison between Elderson and Taiwo is debatable. Elderson did so good , he was named best LB in the Afcon.
No matter how you want to paint it..
Mikel and Kelechi Nwakali doesnt belong in the same conversation. Mikel is far better.
The 2 things they have in common is that they are both footballers and they are both Nigerians. It ends there.
Anyday Collins and Jimmy doesn’t discredit Mikel, their days will never be made. Lmaooo Onazi, Emenike and Moses gave us afcon 2013. The same Onazi that cost us our first game against B/Faso. If football is a religion, this is blasphemy. Well, I’ll leave both of you to keep wallowing in ur stupidities. Anyways your short engine is clueless at 28
First of all every players are lucky to play in premier league not to talk of chelsea, only an ignoramus will deny luck in the world of football, as far as I am concern luck is very important in life, if you are lucky that ur hard work pays you, u should be greatfull to God and it can also be a reward for your parents past favour on people, some times you have also been blessed by great hands and holy hearts, these factors contributes to people success apart from hard work, there are many players who works harder than the ones u see on tv, God knows the best so I can’t just sit down and be judging people who couldn’t succeed or are yet to succeed, Mikel played in the highest level I agree but was converted and very patient too with alot bench roles ten years for chelsea with less 3 goals or four is nothing to be proud about, for a supereagles number ten, he was often brought in to fulfill one tactics or add to the defense I was never impressed it was all mediocrity to be pretending that Mikel was a super star in chelsea and no team ever made offer to buy him unless free transfer, even when he wasn’t playing regularly, he did his best and his best was just good enough for the coaches that likes him, to defend and keep the ball on track, never went beyond that, I was always disappointed he never reached my expectations in chelsea and wasn’t bold enough to quit. His relationship with the boss family also contributed to his long stay. Chelsea long experience is the only thing Mikel have ahead of these names, we are not talking of team achievement here, iheanacho, aribo, iwobi, inspires me to start watching eagles with my mind relax just like the days of Jay Jay and olise, because I sha trust on any of them to do magic, as for Mikel era oh my God I hated eagles, dull and sluggish uninspiring midfield era that brought us to the super chicken title, 2013, if not for moses ethiopia don commot us finish u guys need to stop these mediocrity, onazi brought in the class that upgraded our midfield phylosophy, only few experts midfield dissectors, like me will tell u the truth, Dr drey knows nothing more than goal keeping.that team qualified to afcon without the service of Mikel and heaven didn’t fall, ajilore ayila and keita qualified us to 2010 wcup and afcon, nigeria best result against a world champion was our victory in france against france, Mikel was not part of that team, and I remember I was in amsterdam watching that match with some holand guys, who said nigeria played like holand that day. Mikel was not part of the olympic team that won silver in china 2008; u guys are just making it look like Mikel have been supereagles messiah, as if we were not Born yet when he played, u are always all about chelsea achievement and afcon title that he have to behave well to be lucky to be part of that team, odewingie missed out, Mikel was busy confused with the ball when onazi took it from him and quickly lunch Moses who controls and dribbled the deffender to locate uwa for the first goal against mali in the semi final 2013′ emenike free kick conquered cotedvoir Sunday mba is the real legend if we want to be honest in regards to that eagles achievement, Mikel didn’t win player of the week or month for chelsea in ten years, and u are here talking like say na god of soccer, u can tell that to new generation not eyewitnesses like me and jimmy ball, how many assist and goals Mikel recorded at chelsea in ten years? Eagles number 10 with two afcon goals in 5 afcon tournament one against zimbabwe and another against Benin republic is complete mediocrity, go check ayew records for ghana or keita of mali record for Mali. I beg nwakali will grow to become our own pogba, buy buy to yeye buy friends,
@Collins id… You Sabi wetin you the talk. Salute… Some go think say we hate Mikel but we just the vibe reality. How many goals in ten(10) years career for Chelsea? They will mention Makalele now… but Makaleke till date na benchmark for Defensive Midfield for World Football… when him leave Real Madrid, even Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Raul no fit save Real Madrid.
Hahahahaha…how come Mikel was in the team of the tournament and your Onazi wasnt…? How come Mikel was the CAF runner up in the 2013 AFCON MVP Award and your Onazi wasnt…? How come Mikel was runner up in the AFOTY 2013 award and your Onazi wasnt…LMAO. E be like say na you sabi watch football pass for the whole Africa o….LMAO….even pass CAF sef. Abeg which brand of TV you dey use watch match….I go like buy am o.
Why didnt Shevchenko’s relationship with Abrahamovic also keep him at chelsea for 10 years too if na by relationship….LMAO. Abi Mikel get relationship with Roman pass Yuri Zhirkov and Ivanovic…why these ones to nor spend 10 years for Chelsea simply based on relationship….LMAO
Mikel single handedly carried our ill-prepared u23 team to Brazil bankrolling the team with his credit card up to the bronze medal match…..abi na onazi and emenike do that one too…..LMAO. You say Mikel in the middle was the reason we were super chickens and couldn’t qualify for AFCONS but all the other people you were glorifying were also part of the team then…LMAO.
When you are done with you beer parlor argument, you will crawl back to your kernel. Lolz
Mikel no do this, Mikel no do that….wetin your Nwakali don achieve with in “great ball command” at the age of 23…..LMAO. At the age of 23 Mikel don win 5 trophies already….LMAO. Na the same CDM wey Mikel play for 10 solid years for CHELSEA naim they give your “great ball commander” for Huesca wey e nor fit tie down 1st team shirt wey make dem ship am troway make e go play for league we be in level.
“Great ball command” my foot….LMAO. E get great ball command naim e dey in 5th loan for 2nd division at the age of 23…LMAO. You think say na lekurutu football dem dey play for highest level…LMAO.
This summer will be 2 years he transferred to tiny club like Huesca with nothing to show for it. Make una no go advice the boy make e jejely face in career. Make una dey deceive am say e better pass mikel there…..LMAO. E better pass mikel naim e nor get work permit for england…?? Mikel never even play for FE not to talk of SE wey Home Office don give am work permit for England via “exceptional talent” rule. Make una dey dia dey hype person wey still dey battle relegation for segunda division at 23yrs of age over person wey win 12 career trophies by the age of 28
Pikin dey fail dey repeat one class 5 times, destiny destroyers dey praise am say e get fine handwriting…..LMAO. Nonsense…LMAO
Kelechi abeg nor mind dem o….nor let them deceive you o…you NEVER reach ANYWHERE for football o. You no see as things dey hot hot for laliga level when you manage play some matches earlier this season, you see as things hard sotey you nor even the see the ball touch, wey you even come take forget how to play football. Better face your career and try to rebuild it little by little and dont let these sycophants put banana peels on your path, b4 your career go turn to collateral wey every club go use the collect loan….LMAO
Collins and Jimmy,
Happy weekend to you guys. Regarding this argument about Nwakali being better than Mikel, I actually see where you are coming from. Skill-for-skill (all other things being equal) you are certain beyond reasonable doubt that Nwakali is way more skillful in the art of midfield play compared to Mikel.
That may be.
But where I think you will have problems in trying to convince others is that the “basis” for your analysis does not exist. The central premise to base your position on is simply non-existent.
There are 1 million midfielders who will come out to say they are better than Mikel. But how can we tell? On what basis can we put their claim to the test?
– Have they played under 20 football at the highest level (and excel like Mikel did)?
– Have they played Olympics football and excel (like Mikel did)?
– Have they played African tournament football and excelled with a trophy and individual recognition (like Mikel did in 2013)?
– Have they acquitted themselves in the best league in the world like Mikel did?
– Have they excelled in the 2 major European tournaments like Mikel did?
I am not talking about accomplishments here. Rather, I am trying to establish a basis for comparison.
Nwakali might be better than Mikel as you say. But we need to be able to put him side-by-side with Mikel in order to make that comparison and then draw a conclusion that is compelling.
For now we simply cannot do that. The framework to draw the comparison simply does not exist or is defective leading to the backlash received when a flawed attempt at comparing both players is made.
At this stage of his career, even Nwakali will laugh at the thought of being compared with Mikel.
He might feel he is better than Mikel but even Nwakali knows that he has to prove it first.
Then perhaps a compelling case can be made. But for now, let’s not bring Nwakali into conversations that aren’t good for his health.
If he is indeed better than Mikel, let him earn it first! Knowledge without qualifications to back it up will never be recognized by any professional body.
Jimmy and Collins, Nwakali’s time might come – you never know. Circumstances may become ripe to make a compelling case for him being better than Mikel.
But for now, we are not there, just yet
Mikel played Olympics football as an overage in 2016 and not with his mates in 2008… regarding Olympics of 2016,Mikel was just honored and allowed to Stroll in and never participated in qualifiers. If Rohr was not selfish and had allowed Osimhen, Chukwueze and Dennis Bonaventure to team-up with Nwakali in Egypt in that 2019 tournament and not invite all of them to play a Lesotho who can’t even beat Enyimba or a properly selected home-based Eagles team… Nwakali will be dreaming to pertake in the Olympics now and we could have had a better basis for comparing him at that level to Mikel. But Mikel did not, like I said earlier play U-23 at the tournaments proper age… he played when he had already been at Chelsea for over 8years and played Super Eagles for over ten(10) years… but again did Mikel score any goal at the Olympics… the answer is no. Meanwhile Nwakali was one of the lights for Nigeria in the failed qualifying tournament in Egypt, where unfortunately like it is Characteristic of Imama Amapakabo, he choose and paraded a completely whack, weak and bad team… the failed U-20 qualifiers for the grand Afcon U-20 again was an unfortunate incident… Sudan Qualified at our expense, after we won first leg in Khartoum, Sudan… in the return leg, the Sudanese changed 75% of the previous team, replacing them with mostly, clearly overaged team… On the day of the return leg in Lagos… it rained throughout the match and football was hard to play unfortunately… such situations will cause unexpected mistakes and difficulty which could sway the game either way… Flying Eagles led 3 – 1 at some point in the game when football was still a bit playable under the rainy condition and soggy artificial turf… in the end it was a nervy finish as the physical superiority of the clearly bigger and overaged Sudanese U-20 team shifted the adavantage and Sudan equalized and scored a winner at the dead of the game… what we have said is just on the basis of one-to-one talent between Mikel and Nwakali… and not on success achieved, in the game of football, a player’s success is his team’s success… but we are talking the direct comparison of innate talent… Mikel does not come close to Nwakali… my opinion though!
“…Sudan Qualified at our expense, after we won first leg in Khartoum, Sudan… in the return leg, the Sudanese changed 75% of the previous team, replacing them with mostly, clearly overaged team…”
Hahahaha…dem don come again with their lies and flimsy excuses o….LMAO. Mr Man quit telling us lies. Sudan came with the same teamwe played in khartoum. They had been grooming that team from U17 level. Majority of them graduated into the U23 team our U23s defeated in the U23 AFCON qualifiers. Stop giving silly excuses. It was inside the same rain Sudanese score all of their 4 goals.
Your tin-god was leading a riot in camp when they were supposed to be preparing for the Sudan game. They even threatened not to play the match unless NFF pays the bonuses of their previous matches vs Burundi. The long-throat boy put money above his and his teammates’ careers instead of looking at the bigger picture of qualifying for the afcon and world cup and using those platfroms to open doors of greater opportunities. Sudan came prepared and taught them the bitter lessons they will never forget in their careers.
As for the U23 AFCON there was no way Osimhen and CHukwueze would have featured bcos it was not on FIFA calender, so clubs wouldnt have released them. The foreign based like Nwakali that took part in that tournament were mostly benchwarmers and inconsequential players for their clubs. Leave Rohr out of it.
Dont come and feed us with lies and fake stories here as usual.
Nwakali failed at U20 and U23s and has never hit the same heights he hit at U17 level. Finis en Klaar.
Flying Eagles’ players have refused to back down on their threat to boycott Saturday’s Under-20 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan in Lagos. The players who have shunned training for THREE DAYS running, are demanding that their outstanding allowances stretching back to their Golden Eaglets days be paid. Otherwise, they will not step out to defend the 2-1 advantage they posted over Sudan in the first leg in Khartoum. Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick spoke to the players yesterday urging them to be patient with the cash-strapped federation. But according to one the players (WHICH WAS CAPTAIN FASTASTIC ALMIGHTY KELECHI NWAKALI) who spoke on the issue yesterday, things are becoming unbearable to them in the camp. “They are treating us as if we are slaves. Imagine that when we came back from South Korea where we won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, they only gave us N20,000 as transport to go home. Since then nothing has been paid to us. “Even our coaches have not been paid for eight months. They have families at home. Are they spending all their days with the team for nothing?” Amaju attributed the financial squeeze to the non release of government subvention to the NFF for two months running. “We will try to do something for the boys. Things are really difficult, but we will see what we can do. “The Flying Eagles are not the only team that have not been paid. The Super Falcons, the Super Eagles are all affected.”
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/afcon-u-20-qualifiers-dont-boycott-sudan-match-pinnick-begs-feagles/
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@Jimmy…..above is the reason why our U20s never made it to the AFCON. Short-sightedness and putting money first ahead of career….not your flimsy excuses up there. You dont train for 3 days and you expect tow in a winner takes all qualifier, the very last game in the qualifying series that would have guaranteed qualification to the AFCON.
@JimmyBall. How did Mikel not score at the Olympics?? Which kind lie be that one?? Who scored our first goal against Denmark in the quarter final?? Abi na Los Angeles 84 you watch or Barcelona 92?? Lmao!!!
For once I will respectfully disagree with you, the great @Deo.
If I understand @Collins ID very well, he specifically mentioned ‘TALENT’ wise. There is a certain Pavel Morrison who came through the ranks with the Man Utd academy. He was regarded by far as the most TALENTED of his peers. Where is he today??. The argument is not about achievements but on pure TALENT.
Ofcourse like we all know, talent alone is not enough in life. We will need hardwork, dedication, commitment and more than anything elde; MOTHERLUCK!
A lot of people including CR7 himself will tell you that Ricardo Quaresma was more talented than CR7.
Robinho was such a talent but never achieved much
Mario Balotelli is a prodigy
Who remembered Tarila Okorowanta?? He was head and shoulders above his peers then who mostly achieved more than him
Duke Udi was another great talent
I am not holding brief for Nwakali as I havent paid much attention to his game to draw conclusion. I only want us to limit our response to TALENT alone.
In life, we all know a lot of factors contribute to success.
Etim Esin was a precocious enigma whose career was cut short by indiscipline.
Some may be due to spiritual problems. For others, luck may not be on their side. That should not however take away the fact of their natural abilities which is TALENT.
God bless us all
Father JP,
Thanks for your message. Actually, I am not taking sides particularly. I see where you are coming from. But talent needs to be put to the test for us to test its elasticity.
Mikel is talented; Nwakali is more talented than Mikel. Mikel talents have been put to the test and seen to pass the test of time. Nwakali’s talents have yet to be exposed to such rigours hence I have no data to compare Nwakali’s talent elasticity to that of Mikel.
I need raw data to make analysis, draw comparisons, make juxtaposition and arrive at compelling conclusions.
And I just don’t have it.
Dr drey, u can’t kill me with laffin thins, wish one be failed classes with fine handwriting, I beg acknowledge a Nigerian pogba for once and stop mocking him, he is the New midfield general of accorcon and they can beat stoke city with his free kicks and strikes, our people say na wen u take wakeup na be ur morning. marez Aubameyang mane drogba yayatoure, áll won africa best players while playing for big teams regularly our bross nor win anything for himself for 10 years, to make dicision wey fabrigas dey close eyes make with ball, our bross go first bend yansh up and down left and right before he decides, every defenders don recover finish, even the ones wey be go sheet for back of stadium, go even clean yansh come back to recover position, then bross go return to side mirror passes, him played with the world greatest midfielders, deco balack lampard mata fabrigas Matic etc e didn’t learnt nothing from them, thesame game for ten years, ronaldinho spent less than two seasons with Jay Jay and we know the rest, even nwakali was only learning from TV and he already master the footwork of class juniho, while we are here celebrating mediocre
So wetin Nwakali footwork don achieve for am wey e still dey in 5th loan at the age of 23 for 2nd division…..LMAO. At least Mikel dey bend yansh for 10 years take am win 12 trophies and several other medals both for club and country…..your mediocre tin-god footwork nor even fit win first XI shirt for local govt team like Huesca…..LMAO. I sure say after this loan now, e still dey go another loan next season…..LMAO…bcos he no even near the current midfielders of Huesca wey dey pull dem out of relegation now .
In mates don dey ball for UEFA levels, e still dey use footwork dey do collateral upandown…..LMAO. After 10 years of loan, in eye go clear say playing at the highest level na by efficiency and consistency…nor be by footwork…LMAO
You don’t expect a baby lion to defeat a Rothweiler matured dog, while still young, but I can’t be blinded to the fact that if the lion eventually grows up, it will take up to seven Rothweiler plus german shepherd to stop him in a battle Field
Hi Jimmy,
Thanks for your reply to me submission. Kindly find below my responses to specific points made by you:
1) Yes Mikel went to the 2016 Olympics as one of Nigeria’s over aged players. This by no means invalidates his participation. All teams are allowed this element thus providing a level playing field. All teams are not allowed to parade the overaged players in qualifiers hence why Mikel can only be introduced in the tournament proper.
Olympics Basis for Analysis: once Nwakali participates as an overaged player in any Olympics, then we can compare his performance side-by-side with Mikel. Also, (most importantly), neither Mikel nor Nwakali ever participated in the Olympics as one of the Under-23 players. So “” No Basis For Analysis Exists “”.
2) You took the pains to go into great length as to why the Amuneke-Tutored Under-20 side failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2015. Valid as your points may be, it only goes to buttress the fact that Mikel participated and performed well in Under-20 World Cup whereas Nwakali never participated in that level at the global stage.
Under-20 World Cup Basis for Analysis: as you yourself acknowledged, Nwakali did not participate at this level hence we can never compare his (non-existent) output with Mikel’s output at the 2015 World Cup (where he came close to legendary Messi in individual acknowledgement).
Jimmy, allow me to draw your attention to an excerpt of your last paragraph which reads: “but we are talking the direct comparison of innate talent… Mikel does not come close to Nwakali… my opinion though.”
I can’t argue with you on this point for 2 reasons: 1) it is your subjective point of view in which you are 100% entitled and 2) this is a view you believe very strongly.
But, let me borrow something from the world of criminology. Prosecutors will always say: ‘what we know is one thing, what we can PROVE is quite another.’ Hence if they can’t prove a case compellingly in the court of law, (however strong their convictions are) that case will never see the inside of a courtroom.
Simply because the prosecutors do not want to make a fool of themselves.
Jimmy, you have strong convictions about Nwakali being better than Mikel skills-wise. But I put it to you that you don’t have enough evidence to be able to prove it conclusively at this time.
Therein lies your problem!
@Deo… Point of correction, Kelechi Nwakali participated in the 2019 Olympics qualifiers as under age not overage… you are only allowed to play as overage in the tournament proper, which will have been staged last year 2020 but for Corona. Kelechi Nwakali will be 23yrs by June 2021… by his biodata.
I know that. I was referring to the tournament proper (not qualifiers) where neither player has participated as one of the under-23s.
Any thanks to deo and drey for contributing to a very funny and interesting argument, of this nature, we will meet again on this issue, dr drey enjoy ur victory today, I will catch u next time on this matter.
Thanks Collins. We will surely revisit this issue once you have compelling data to back up your stance.
There is one guy whose name i cannot remember right now, he played with Ayila, Ayodele Makinwa and Martins many years ago around surulere and lagos island axis back then. I think the guy was a mechanic. The boy was so good to the extent that so many people felt he is better than Jay Jay. A greedy agent took him to Uzbekistan and that was the end of the boy’s career.
Another player was Esther, the lady that played for Super falcon. Personally, I felt she is going to be the best female player that as ever played for super falcon with what I saw her played when she was a little girl in lawanson but many years down the line, I realized there is more football than been a local champion at street level or under age competion. Another example is Rabiu Ibrahim who was a gem of player that never fulfilled his potential at the highest level. Guys let be cautious how we compare this rookies to guys who are legend of the game because one day someone will come to this forum and tell us Amoo u17 boy is better than jayjay.
Part of why I joined the conversation is those historical analogies. The fact Rabiu, Esther and that guy (I remember Martins saying the guy was way more talented than him. Pls note emphasis is on TALENT not career achievements which everone agrees takes more than talent only) didnt go on to have stellar careers doesnt negate their being TALENTED!
We all almost missed enjoying the pleasure of the enigmatic Eric Cantona (no thanks to disciplinary issues) until God had meecy on him by way of Sir ferguson taking a chance on him. Recalled no team wanted to have anything to do with him before Man Itd came calling. The rest is history.
Gascoigne till date is universally acclaimed as the most talented English player of all time. What is his achievements compared to David Beckham a far less TALENTED player than him??
Even the legendary Jay Jay achieved less than Mikel but we all will agree he was by far more TALENTED than the latter.
I watched Edema Fuludu life waltzed through a sea of legs of defenders of Doibres Noires (Red Devils) of Kinshaha in an African champions cup semi finals for Julius Berger at the national stadium in 1995 and still recall him repeating such trick in a league game against 3sc Fc at Ibadan for BCC Lions few years later. I can bet that guy was more talented than most of the guys who went on to play in Europe and for Eagles during his time.
My submission: TALENT is different from achievements
I will like to hear what people think about the original submissions of @Collins ID and @Jimmyball.
For me the Mikel before Chelsea was a supreme talent. He could dribble, had grace
I remember him against Argentina at the U20 WC…he was classy
Nwakali was also classy in that U17 tourney he captained.
For me the only noticeable difference is that Nwakali is adept at Set Piece (Free kicks) and shoots the ball better than Mikel.
Meanwhile, thanks @Deo as usual, for your unique way of addressing topics devoid of name calling and mudslinging
How do one measure talent?
Talent is relative till proven.
Consistency defines talent.
There are loads of talent in the graveyard yet no one knows how good they’re. .
If Edison didn’t prove his talent by giving us electricity, such talent would be rebuffed. It could be argued as non existent.
Simple;
K.Nwakali is talented but isn’t proven to the extent Mikel has proved his.
So it is insubstantial how good K.Nwakali juggled the ball 15yrs ago if he hasnt shown such consistently in bigger stages like Mikel has overtime.
Until the time comes, K.Nwakali proves that talent like Mikel has done; this argument is futile. K.Nwakali’s talent, even if, is hypothetical.
On the other hand, Mikel is proven.
Hopefully, Kelechi gets to show us that talent that we ‘presume ‘ he has.
That is what I was looking for all along: measurement!
Kelechi Nwakali is more ‘talented’ than Mikel. Well, there are hundreds of local footballers in the streets of Ajegunle far ‘talented’ that Nwakali himself.
But we need a ‘measurement’, we need a ‘yardstick’ with which to make such comparison.
Okay, I think Iheanacho is more talented than Yakubu Aiyegbeni. Already this comparison is flawed because one player is has hit the end of the road while the other is still making the journey. But that by the way side, I think Iheanacho is better and more talented than Yakubu, True or False?
– Both have played in the English Premer League
– Both have featured in Uefa competitions
– Both have been to World Cups
– And (MOST IMPORTANTLY) both have played against the best footballers in world football.
Against this backdrop we can make an attempt at comparison, why because we have parameters to MEASURE their talents against.
We need to measure Nwakali’s talents against set parameters before we can conclude how good he really is and who we can start to compare him.
Guys, I was a huge (I mean) HUGE fan of Rabiu Ibrahim. I saw his talent and thought he would take the mantle from Okocha. Nothing could be further from the truth. I saw his game at Slovakia and thought that once he moved to a mainstream league, his talent will erupt!
He went to Scotland and his talents could not bear out. He went to Belgium and his talents failed to MEASURE up. Then he had to go back to Slovakia where he continues to have mild to moderate success.
Then that though me a big lesson : NEVER BET ON TALENT UNTIL IT IS PROVEN, HOWEVER PRECOCIOUS THE TALENT MAY SEEM!!!
Of what use is talent that cannot lift you beyond the strata of the ordinary….? Just as I stated jokingly above, of what use is your beautiful handwriting if you cannot pass exams with it…?
Nwakali is talented, Nwakali is a star…Nwakali is this….he is that, yet at 23 he has only been good enough (at best just decent) for district clubs like Masstricht, Venlo and Alcorcon. He couldnt cut it at Arsenal, Porto A or even lowly Huesca. More or less a small fish in a small pond. Let him go and swim successfully in the ocean where there are sharks and ocres first and let see the wonders of his being.
Mikel hadnt even been an u20 international yet when Alex Ferguson himself went to watch him in Oslo. He was barely 18 years old when the 2 biggest clubs of that time were tussling for him. He remains probably the only u20 player of chelsea that was NEVER sent out on loan. In his 1st season alone at chelsea he made 42 appearances in all competitions (including NINE in the UCL)…playing in the same team that had Lampard, Essien, Makelele, Ballack, Joe Cole, Diarra, Geremi and their likes and going on to be regular under each and every of the 12 managers of the club in those 10 years. Can a player who isnt talented can survive such a team as big as the Chelsea of that era for such a long time…??? If Conte had not been Chelsea manager in 2016 Mikel would probably have remained at the club and continued to commandeer the defensive midfield of the team till probably 2019 when he clocked 30.
And someone thinks a kid who couldn’t crack FC Porto A squad or even force Arsenal to invoke home office arbitration to force the “exceptional talent” rule to have him permanently or even tie down a shirt at HUESCA (of all clubs) in 2 years is more talented….like seriously is someone kidding me….? Im talking of a kid whom Arsenal outrightly cnaceled his contract with 3 years left on it and practically dashed him out to Huesca on a free transfer. And yet 2 years later has barely played a dozen games for HUESCA…? Abeg who dey for Huesca wey we know…???
Like seriously have these sycophants even been watching him play in his club of late….??? I watched Huesca play a few nights ago and without gainsaying or sounding pessimistic, unless a miracle happens, If that team remains in the Laliga next year, Nwakali will need a huge turn around in fortunes to break that midfield monopoly of Maffeo and Ferreira judging by the way he currently saunters around Alcorcon midfield like some Alcorcon club legend.
That kid needs more of prayers if you guys really love him rather than all these superfluous hypes that are contributing to his dwindling career. If you are taking 2-3 years to tie down a non-contestable 1st team shirt at Huesca, how many years will you play enough to get noticed by top 4 – top 7 clubs in the top leagues where his contemporaries are already carving a niche and a name for themselves.
Once again, Of what use is talent that cannot lift you beyond the strata of the ordinary….? If your talent cannot lift you beyond the realm of the ordinary, my brother, you are as ordinary as others. Period.
@Dr.Drey… He could not play at Arsenal because he had not appeared for his national team and met the quoto of appearance needed to be issued work permit… We will leave this argument now and wait and see how he makes a case for himself between now and Qatar 2022…
@Jimmyball
No one is doubting Kelechi’s talent; the problem here is categorically stating, he is better than Mikel.
That’s a farce , almost comical.
Every talent has its place on the scale of things.
Mikel’s quality is high grade.
Kelechi’s is still being measured and would be substantiated down the line.
Diamond becomes quality after being polished. It is useless in the dirt..
Any way, we wish Kelechi Nwakali well.
If he succeeds , it is for his and our glory.
How many matches had Mikel played for Nigeria when he was signed by Chelsea….? How many matches had Isaac Success played for Nigeria when he was signed by Watford…? How many had Iheanacho played for Nigeria when he was already a registered player of Man city….? The “exceptional talent” rule allows work permit to be issued to youngsters who are truely “exceptional”. Give us something better than excuses pls.
I don’t understand this boy called nwakali what is your problem u re simply not better than those in d super wages setup at the moment so y re u making a hel of noise u have to merit ur callup to d national team nt by media noise ND what is all this noise that u want to switch ur allegiance
Yes… I maintain Kelechi Nwakali is more talented than Mikel. Talent is different from success. Was Phillip Osondu not more talented than even Jay Jay Okocha? Phillip Osondu is also more talented than Mikel Obi… those remain my conviction! Feel free to have yours…
As long it remains your convictions that’s fine na. If you think talent is better than achievements Good luck with that. You came here to lie to us that Mikel did not score at the Olympics. Which Olympics did you watch?? Who scored our first goal against Denmark in the Quarter final?? Comparing Nwakali to Mikel in the first place is quite laughable. Even a blind Barthomew know that Mikel is way better than him in all ramifications. Someone who at the age of 23 still struggling in Spanish Segunda. You better advise him to bring his head down if he can’t make the cut within now and next season he should forget about his football career. Because by that time he would already have a bright future behind him. Lmao! We can only which him all the best and hope he at least reach a minimal potential because time is running out on him. By the way the list is out and both Simy and Moffi are called up. Good luck SuperEagles.