Interview with Ikenna Anabi

Ikenna Anabi is a 13-year-old boy in JSS 3 who does not only love to watch football, he plays it actively and is distinguishing himself as a talented player. Quite recently,Through the Copa Coca-Cola U-15 football tournament, Ikenna was selected to join other young talented footballers across different countries at the 2016 COPA Coca-Cola International Camp in Paris, where he spent six days before returning to Nigeria.

Tell us about your experience at the 2016 International COPA Coca-Cola Camp?

It was an amazing experience interacting with other people from different countries, seeing the way they play and adding that to the way I play to become a better player.

How do you think this experience will help you as a young man?

It has given me the experience of a lifetime, the ability to relatewith different people in different conditions, so that I’m not enclosed to the same country, the same temperature, and the same people. In this way, I can learn from different people and learn how to play against different people, while also learning the perspective of different managers in football, as well as learning how to perfect my play.

What were the things you were taught in the camp?

They took us through a set of drills, there are drills (archetypes) called the perfectionist, the machine, the rock, the rebel, I can’t remember all of them right now, but they are just a set of drills. The perfectionist is how to place your shots into far corners to score in the net, the rebel is a dribbling and defending exercise, kind of like a Blaise Matuidi-esque style, a midfielder that’s able to dribble with the ball and also able to defend against the opposition.

COPA Coca-Cola has different archetypes for the players, which among them would you call yourself or which one do they see you as in the camp?

I think I’m the joker.

So that means you made friends quickly in the camp and you always make them laugh?

Yes, Yes I do.

How do you think the 2016 International COPA Coca-Cola Camp will impact your off-field life?

For starters, it gives me a feel of Paris, to know how many clothes to pack (jokes). I have made new friends from different part of the world and I saw how great the world will be if there is unity.

So which position do you play?

I am a midfielder basically, I can play from either the right midfield, left midfield or attacking midfield position, I occasionally strike as well.

Was there a mini tournament in the camp? And did your team win?

Oh no, we didn’t win.

Did you make any real close friends in camp?

Yes, I did.

And do you still plan to keep in touch with some of the guys?

Yeah, some of them.

So did you meet anyone big in Paris?

Yes, PSG had coaches and trainers. They came to train us and also observe our attributes and abilities, which was to help make us better. I also met the legendary Xavi.

Did you watch any of the Euro 2016 matches?

Yes, I watched the France versus Iceland match, it was a good game with seven goals.

Overall you had fun, right?

Yes, I had a lot of fun.

So do you have anything to say to Coca-Cola?

Yes, I want to say a big thank you to Coca-Cola for this experience, thank you for believing in teens like me. We promise we won’t let you down.

With this experience you have gone through, do you think you want to be a footballer in future?

If it runs past my course of way, then definitely.

Who is your favourite footballer?

My favourite footballer is Lionel Messi.

Meet the hottie who condemned Messi’s sex life [See photos]

Recently, Argentine model Xoana Gonzalez said in 2011 she slept with Barcelona superstar, Lionel Messi after a party and the experience was awful. Messi was definitely overwhelmed.

Don’t be quick to blame the Barca star until you hear from both sides. Well, you may actually never hear from the other side, but these pictures of the ex-playboy model may give you an explanation of why Messi may have been overwhelmed.

Sunday Oliseh Roasts NFF in His Tell-It-All Revelation

“In my entire 23 years of involvement with the Super Eagles, never has the working conditions and player welfare been as bad as it was when I was in charge. The team stood out like beggars!" He narrated.

He talked about his near death experience as a coach of Super Eagles “One day whilst coaching the super Eagles in Abuja stadium prior to the Burkina Faso game I all of a

sudden felt dizziness, light headedness, headache and could barely stand,” Oliseh narrated. “I managed to finish the session before calling on the doctor into my room who was clueless to what was happening...“For weeks I was bed ridden, lost 7 kilos and could barely walk 5 metres without sitting down. My family was petrified and all feared the worst.

One thing was for sure though: had I not taking that evening flight to Germany when I did, there was a strong possibility of a far worse outcome. Thank God for his mercies.

“All through the last 4 months of my tenure as coach I was far from my complete healthy self and coached the team and stayed in my bedroom.

Often on my bed or sofa. “Imagine how betrayed and pained I must have felt with the lack of support at these life threatening times from my employers the NFF and the shady pressmen who made it a duty not to report the gravity of the illnesses that befell me and my assistant to the Nigerian people and kind of like wished us the worst!

“On the day I put in my resignation letter I was still far from my best health wise and I guess it is better staying alive than getting embroiled with these people who have no interest of Nigeria at heart.”

Photos: Super Eagles player, Simon Moses and wife hit the beach

Super Eagles player Simon Moses and his wife Ibukun enjoyed some time at the beach today. The couple who got married in December last year. More photos after the cut...

 

Dallas Cowboys, Real Madrid & Barca top Forbes 50 Most Valuable Sports teams (Full list)

NFL team Dallas Cowboys are now the most valuable sports team in the World according to Forbes annual list of most Valuable sports franchises released this week. This is the first time since Forbes began compiling their annual top 50 lists of the most valuable sports teams in the world, that a non-football team will be topping it's list. Manchester United held the crown of most valuable in 2011 and 2012, and Real Madrid did so the last three years, but on this occasion American football outfit Dallas Cowboys rank first with a value of $4billion (£3.31bn), up 25%.

Real Madrid's fall from top of the list comes despite a value of $3.65bn (£2.76bn) and a 12% increase in value from last year, when they featured at the summit of the list. Real Madrid stocked with a pantheon of stars led by the world's highest-paid athlete Cristiano Ronaldo, tops a group of eight football clubs on the list. NFL franchises make up 27 of the 50 most valuable sports teams in the world in 2016's rankings, with Real Madrid down to second, Barcelona in third (having been fourth in 2015), and Man United staying in fifth. See the full list below:

He smiled at us! See how these kids reacted to a flash of smile from Cristiano Ronaldo

Just a flash of smile from Cristiano Ronaldo made their day. So cute!