Posted by By CHIMAOBI UCHENDU on
Out of favour Super Eagles' striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, has affirmed his readiness to lace his boots once more for the team if he is invited by national team handlers.....
Out of favour Super Eagles' striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, has affirmed his readiness to lace his boots once more for the team if he is invited by national team handlers.
Speaking from his base in England yesterday (Monday), Aiyegbeni said he had never said he would not play for Nigeria again. He challenged the architects of the rumour making the rounds to invite him to play and see if he would not honour the invitation.
'I never said I will not play for my fatherland any longer. Those who are spreading the rumour quoted me out of content. I am proud to be a Nigerian and to wear the green and white jersey of the country, which is an honour.
'I marvel how people can spread falsehood, just to destroy what one has been able to achieve."
Aiyegbeni made it clear that he would want to be an integral part of Nigeria's qualification for the 2008 Nations Cup and 2010 World Cup.
'Never in my life have I made pronouncements that I would never play for Nigeria. What will I gain from not playing for Nigeria, or am I bigger than those who are still playing for Nigeria?" he asked.
'In fact, I want to be part of the squad, which will qualify Nigeria for Ghana 2008 and the 2010 World Cup."
He also said Nigeria has the calibre of players who could win the 2008 Nations Cup, but called on the technical crew to line up programmes which would propel the team to victory at those competitions.
'We are blessed with talented players in Nigeria, which most countries in Africa cannot boast of. But our problem is on preparation. I can bet you, if we prepare very well, winning the Nations Cup or even the World Cup will not cause us any headache.
'There is no good league in the world where Nigerian players are not doing very well, but the players need to play together for a period of time in order to understand themselves to do well.
'I urge the technical crew to draw up programmes, which would bring nation forward."
Yakubu also said the absence of Super Eagles in Germany for the last World Cup should be a lesson for all Nigerians.
'We in the Super Eagles have learnt our lessons, though in a bitter way. I hope we will give our best next time. It was quite painful not going to the World Cup, and this time, we should be hungry to make sure we win all our games."