Denizlispor of Turkey midfielder, Eddy Ogenyi Onazi has cast his kind back to his early days in the Nigerian national team, and confessed that he holds a lot of respect for the Super Eagles’ late former coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, who gave him his breakthrough in 2013, megasportsarena.com reports.
It was only four years after he shot to limelight as a fringe player in the silver-winning Golden Eaglets’ squad that could only place second on home soil at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Abuja, but Keshi deemed him good enough for the senior squad.
Memories of how ‘The Big Boss’ believed so much in him, even urging him to learn how to play out of position once in a while, in order to be a versatile member of the squad, have now been stirred afresh by Onazi, who previously starred for My People FC of Lagos, SS Lazio of Italy and Trabzonspor of Turkey.
The 27-year-old battling midfielder, who went on to become vice-captain of the Eagles and a key player in the squad, until battles with injuries knocked him out of favour with the current coach, Gernot Rohr, recalled that his performance for Lazio against Tottenham Hotspur of England in a UEFA Europa League fixture earned him his first invitation to the Eagles.
He recounted that Keshi watched him in the encounter with Spurs back in September 2012 and ‘The Big Boss’ was impressed with his display, following which the lad was officially extended a maiden call up, and eventually played a key part as the Eagles clinched the Africa Cup of Nations title for the third time in their history at South Africa 2013.
Although Onazi, who garnered 52 caps all together, was left out of the Eagles’ squad that won bronze at AFCON 2019 in Egypt, after failing to recover in time from an Achilles injury, he had earlier featured for Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was part of the 2018 edition in Russia, all of which he admitted was made possible by the trust Keshi reposed in him.
Subsequently, Onazi has now sparred time to eulogise the man that gave him his national team breakthrough, without which he believes he would not have made the name and gains he got in Nigeria’s colours, after making his debut in a 2013 AFCON qualifier against Liberia.
Onazi told Super Eagles media via Instagram live: “I have so much respect for The Big Boss, I never forget about him, he’s a legend and may his soul rest in peace and God bless him wherever he is, he contributed massively to my football career.
“Coach Stephen Keshi personally watched me playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League when I was in Lazio. That was when he asked Enebi, the team secretary if I was a Nigerian and he said yes, he said he wanted me in the national team, so that’s how I came to the Super Eagles.”
