Leganes of Spain defenders, Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem have both blown the lid off the identities of their respective football heroes, with former Manchester United stopper, Rio Ferdinand named by the former, while the latter’s choice is Real Madrid skipper, Sergio Ramos, megasportsarena.com reports.
While Awaziem opted for one of the duo’s current rivals in the Spanish top-flight league, La Liga, as his biggest source of inspiration and star he likes to style his playing pattern alike, Omeruo is going back in time to a retired player, as he recalled how good Ferdinand was in his heyday.
Although Omeruo never got to play against Ferdinand in the English Premier League during his seven-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea, as The Blues kept loaning him to smaller clubs in and outside England till he left to join Leganes in 2018, the dark-skinned stopper says he adores the ex-United star, who is regarded as one of the finest central defenders to play the game.
During his time at Old Trafford, Ferdinand, who has visited Nigeria on several occasions to promote sports marketing and tourism ventures, won the UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, League Cup, Community Shield and FIFA Club World Cup, thereby giving cause for Omeruo to admire his achievements.
While noting that Ferdinand’s achievements also include playing for England at three editions of the World Cups (1998, 2002 and 2006), Omeruo, who has played for Nigeria at two editions of the Mundial and won the Africa Cup of Nations as a teenager in 2013 before adding bronze in 2019, added that another hero for him was former Super Eagles’ captain, Joseph Ikpo Yobo.
Omeruo told Hora Blanquiazul: “I used to watch a lot of English Premier League games. When I was younger I was a supporter of Manchester United, so I loved him (Rio Ferdinand), I loved his style of play. In Nigeria Joseph Yobo. He played at Everton, captained Nigeria a lot of times, he’s a central defender.”
On his part, Omeruo’s colleague at Leganes, who is on loan from FC Porto of Portugal, Awaziem picked Ramos as his football role model and hailed the leadership qualities seen in the Madrid captain and Spain international, who he first played against in October 2019, and saw his hero contribute to a 5-0 thrashing of Leganes at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
The former FC Nantes of France loan signing, whose spell with Leganes will run out in June and says it is up to both clubs to decide his future, has 18 games under his belt so far in the Spanish La Liga this term, and he is looking up for more under his boots as the days go by.
Awaziem also told Hora Blanquiazul: “I always like Sergio Ramos, I have always been a Real Madrid fan. I love the players and I admire Sergio Ramos – the way he plays and his leadership – he has always been my idol.
“Right now I am more focused on the season and getting Leganes out of relegation. I don’t know want the future holds, I just focus on the next games and try to get all three points. After the season I speak to Leganes and Porto and they decide together if I stay or not.”
