Former Super Eagles’ striker, Emmeanuel Emenike has shot his mind back to the glorious days he had during his days with the Nigerian national team, and concluded that winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations was a very big achievement for him and the other players, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although he went on to admit that he did not truly felt the value of the AFCON conquest under the charge of late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi until several months later, the former Fernebahce and Karabükspor of Turkey and Spartak Moscow of Russia hitman posited that he soon came to realize that it was one of the greatest moments of his career.
Indeed, Emenike was an integral part of the Nigerian squad under Keshi, and he went on to score four goals in spearheading the Eagles to a third African title, while also getting named joint-top scorer in the process, such that it was a case of double glory for him in South Africa, where he actually started his career overseas with Black Aces and Cape Town FC.
Incidentally, Emenike could not feature in the AFCON 2013 final against Burkina Faso because of a thigh injury, but his performances in earlier matches earned him a spot in the competition’s all-star 11, while memories will continue to flow over his amazing long distance free-kick that gave Nigeria victory in the semi-finals against Cote d’Ivoire.
Now 30 years old, the all-action striker, who also featured at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil but announced his retirement from international duty in October 2015, also starred for West Ham United of England, Al-Ain of United Arab Emirates, Las Palmas of Spain and Olympiakos of Greece, but is currently clubless after he was released by KV Westerlo of Belgium in November.
Regardless, the soft-spoken striker, who cut his football teeth playing grassroots football in the Ajegunle and Okota areas of Lagos, has no regrets about his career, for which he cited the gold medal he got from winning the continental soccer showpiece in Nelson Mandela’s country as a major highpoint for him in the national team.
Even as he now concentrates on managing an expanding corporate enterprise that includes housing estates in Lekki and Owerri, as well as an ultra-modern hospital he is also sponsoring in the Imo State, Emenike disclosed during Mega Sports on Star 101.5 FM, Lagos how happy he now is having been part of the AFCON 2013 success story under ‘The Big Boss.’
Emenike, who scored nine goals in 37 appearances for the Eagles, said: “I did not know how big winning the Nations Cup was until people started talking about when I met them. People were looking at me in a great way, and talking so much about me.
“I knew it was because of the Nations Cup victory. That’s why I will always tell young players they should be determined when they are playing for the country. It’s good to play for your country, and winning the Nations Cup is a very big, big, big thing to do.”
