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After AFCON duty, Samuel Chukwueze set to rumble in La Liga

By Gowon Akpodonor with agency reports
01 August 2019   |   4:16 am
One of the stars at the recently concluded Egypt 2019 Africa Cup of Nations was Super Eagles’ winger, Samuel Chukwueze. The 20-year-old and the Super Eagles team...

One of the stars at the recently concluded Egypt 2019 Africa Cup of Nations was Super Eagles’ winger, Samuel Chukwueze. The 20-year-old and the Super Eagles team ended their campaign at the AFCON by beating Tunisia 1-0 in the third-place game. Chukwueze has now turned his focus on the new 2019/20 La Liga season, where he looks to continue the incredible progress he made with Villarreal. He will certainly catch the eye of football fans on SuperSport in the new season.

Ikwuano-born Chukwueze came a long way very fast following his La Liga debut against Levante on November 4, 2018, having scored his first senior goal for club from Spain’s eastern coast in a Copa del Rey tie against Almeria a few days earlier.

A first La Liga goal arrived on November 11 when he drove into the area and dribbled past two defenders before firing low through the legs of Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.

A second league strike came the following weekend, when Chukwueze received a back-heel from teammate Santi Cazorla and showed composure and technique to fire the ball low into the bottom corner for the winning goal against Real Betis at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

The huge moments kept coming for SuperSport viewers, with the teenager completing the 90 minutes in a narrow defeat at Barcelona’s Camp Nou, and hitting his first Europa League goal in a 2-0 victory against Spartak Moscow to confirm Villarreal’s progress as group winners to that competition’s last 32.

All that seemed a long way away, when Chukwueze was born back on May 22, 1999 in Abia State, Nigeria. He began playing football at the age of five, although his parents originally wanted him to concentrate on his studies. His natural talent and dedication soon shone through.

While honing his skills at the famed Diamond Football Academy, Chukwueze came to international attention with his thrilling performances as Nigeria won the 2015 U-17 World Cup trophy. Three goals in the competition, including a strike after just 25 seconds in a 5-1 win against hosts Chile, secured him the competition’s Bronze Boot prize.

After joining Villarreal’s youth system in 2017, he quickly settled and was first promoted to the C Team before rising into the B reserve side playing in Spain’s third tier.

Having impressed his coaches in training with the senior side, a first-team chance soon arrived and was taken with
both hands.

Chukwueze, a fast, direct winger, who likes to cut inside and shoot, has been compared to former Real Madrid star, Arjen Robben.

Another Nigerian international, Ikechukwu Uche, who played for Villarreal between 2011 and 2015, is a close follower of his compatriot’s career.

His immediate impact on La Liga has raised hopes that Chukwueze could emulate another Nigerian, Christopher Ohenhen. The former Real Madrid youth teamer scored 48 goals in 117 top-flight games for SD Compostela in the 1990s, making him the third-highest African scorer in
La Liga history.

In what was a difficult 2018/19 season for the Yellow Submarine, their emerging Nigerian star is a rising star to keep their spirits high in the new La Liga season.

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