CD Feirense of Portugal midfielder, Abraham Marcus has revealed how delighted he is with his first ever invitation to the Super Eagles, as his name is surprisingly included in a provisional list of 31 players named for an international friendly against Cameroon.
Marcus is one of four uncapped invitees in the squad list that will enter camp at the end of this month for the battle against the five-time African champions at Wiener Neustadt in the Austrian capital, Vienna starting at 8.30pm on Friday, 4th June.
While Marcus is called for the first time, there is a second invitation for Enyimba of Aba winger, Anayo Iwuala, who helped Enyimba to the quarter finals of the CAF Confederation Cup, has a big opportunity to continue on his surge into the national team, following cameo appearances against Benin Republic and Lesotho in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in March.
The list of 31 will be pruned to 23 before the Eagles fly to Vienna to face The Indomitable Lions, who beat Nigeria for three of their five AFCON titles (1984, 1988, 2000) but have not gained any win over their rivals in regulation time since a 1-0 triumph in a 1990 World Cup qualifier at Stade Omnisports in Yaounde on 27th August 1989.
On the other hand, the Eagles lashed the Lions 4-0 in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Uyo in September 2017 and were forced to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Yaoundé, setting the stage for Nigeria’s qualification for the finals in Russia.
Eagles’ coach, Gernot Rohr’s provisional list has four goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (APOEL Nicosia, Cyprus); John Noble (Enyimba FC); Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands); and Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Heartland FC).
The defenders listed are: Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Kevin Akpoguma (Hoffenheim, Germany); Chidozie Awaziem (FC Boavista, Portugal); William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Fulham FC, England); Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); Tyronne Ebuehi (FC Twente, The Netherlands); and Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England)
The midfielders are: Oghenekaro Etebo (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Abdullahi Shehu (Omonia Nicosa, Cyprus); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Abraham Marcus (CD Feirense, Portugal).
The forwards include: Ahmed Musa (Kano Pillars FC); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Sadiq Umar (Almeria FC, Spain); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); and Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France).
Others are: Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Anayo Iwuala (Enyimba FC); Peter Olayinka (Slavia Praha, Czech Republic); Terem Moffi (FC Lorient, France); Paul Onuachu (KRC Genk, Belgium); and Simy Nwankwo (Crotone FC, Italy).
Feirense, which has been owned by Nigerian businessman, Kunle Soname, since 2015, also expressed delight at the inclusion of Marcus in the Super Eagles’ provisional squad list for the upcoming international friendly against Cameroon.
The fast-rising 21-year-old winger is one of four uncapped players picked by Rohr in the latest list of 31 players, the others being Enyimba’s John Noble, Lorient’s Terem Moffi and Almeria’s Umar Sadiq.
Marcus has been rewarded for his fine form at Feirense, which has seen him muster 11 goals in 24 appearances, and he was voted Liga Portugal 2 Player of the Month for January, after scoring in three consecutive matches in the division.
Feirense took to social media to celebrate his maiden national team invitation and he club gleefully posted: “💥💥💥 Marcus was called to the Nigeria National Team 🇳🇬 💎 An absolute debut that makes us so proud @NG_SuperEagles 👏🏿.”
