How important is the World Cup for you?
The World Cup is what every player desires. It’s the highest footballing event in the world. That’s the most important thing one is looking for in his career as a player so it’s very important to me.
So how do you prepare yourself for the big event?
I just try to keep fit, play week in week out with my club and try to get myself ready physically and mentally because I know the challenge will be very difficult.
You have been part of the squad for a long time, how hard do you think it will be to make the final squad?
It is very difficult because there is a lot of competition because at the end of the day, the team will have to come down to 23.
But everybody has to work hard and anybody who makes the final list did not just jump in there, it’s on merit.
Some players did not make the squad. Do you feel bad for them?
Yes. But it is something that you can’t change. It is painful for me to miss these players because we have been together for a while. But there are still more World Cups to come and there is still a chance for everybody. I just pray that they keep their heads down and do what they have to do.
Personally, were you worried at any time that your name might not be there?
Not really. I wasn’t worried. I just believed that whatever God says will happen is what will happen. I just kept praying and believing in God that He will do it and I’m going to get there.
You have been training with Vincent and Ejide for a while, what have you learnt from them?
I have learnt a lot. They’ve been in the team for a long time and they’ve played in Europe for a long time. So I’ve tried to take a lot from them.
I would say the biggest lesson I’ve learnt from them is to be tolerant with people.
Whenever they are in camp, the way they tolerate people, the way they behave and the way they don’t allow anything to affect them on the field.
Talking about tolerating people, did you feel bad about the criticism you got for your performance at the CHAN?
Yeah, but not that bad. Because in this world whatever you do people will talk, you do good, they will talk, you do bad, they will still talk.
I just kept my head up and never took notice of what they are saying. All I did was to continue to work hard in training and do what the coaches told me to do, because for me, it is what they say that is important, not what anybody else says.
What did the coaches have to say?
They said I should keep doing my best and not to think about what anybody was saying. That was what kept me going. They just kept encouraging me and telling me to believe in myself and what I can do. That I know myself and I should not give up.
I thank them so much for the confidence they gave me during that tournament even when everything was not going so well because it helped me to do better after that time.
Daniel Akpeyi has come to make the competition even more on you. Are you worried that he might upstage you?
Like I said earlier, it is only God that has the final say. Whatever he says will happen is what will happen. For me, I will just keep doing my best and training hard in camp and believe God that my best will be good enough.
Assuming you get picked for the World Cup, many people are worried that if for any reason you have to play, you may not be ready. Are you ready?
If you are selected in the team, you should make up your mind that you can be called upon to play at any time.
I know that it is possible that I can be called upon to play at any time, whether it is the friendly matches or the World Cup, so I always prepare myself like I am going to play any game so that when I am called upon, I will not let myself or the team down.
How important is it for the Super Eagles. To win that first match against Iran?
The most important thing for us is to win that first game, so that we can have confidence.
I believe that all the players invited know the importance of the first game and I believe that we will work hard and give the very best to make sure we win that first game.
Is there any team that worries you there?
Everyone is talking about Argentina but it’s football and you never know what can happen. But I believe that the players we have in the team can face any team in the world, so I’m not scared.
If we play our game we can beat any team in the world. We just have to work hard and stay focused.
What is the most important thing for the team to do to make sure you win matches?
We just have to believe in ourselves, that is all.
At the Nations Cup we believed in ourselves and we had the confidence that we can beat any team and with the kind of coach we have, the tactics he gives us and the encouragement, we can always do well. He is always pushing the team, always wanting us to do better, to dig deep and bring out our hidden strength and fire.
What would count as a good World Cup for you?
To make the World Cup would be great and by the grace of God to go on and to win.
