Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze has said that the discovery of new footballers from local sporting events would help the country secure a more prosperous future in football competitions.
According to him, such events would project many raw talents into the international football market, just as he himself benefitted.
Chukwueze made this statement on Sunday after the final match of the 4th edition of the Samuel Chukwueze All Stars Football League, played between AC Milan and IPOD FC at Ugba Community School, Umuahia.
He noted that organising football championships, as he has done, leads to the discovery of many hidden talents who could go on to win trophies for Nigeria in both youth and senior football tournaments, and eventually become superstars in major football leagues around the world.
The AC Milan of Italy player, who scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out during the final match against IPOD FC, said he was discovered at Ugba Community Primary School a few years ago as a raw talent. It is for this reason that he has continued to host the competition at the same school ground to discover more players for Nigeria.
He expressed confidence that many of the players who featured in the competition would be signed by foreign clubs, and he urged young talents across the country to seize every opportunity provided by sporting events to showcase their potential.
“This is the place I grew up from. I also want other talents to be discovered from here and showcased and I hope the world is watching,” Chukwueze said.
