The 21-year-old recalled some moments during his first international outing and how the coach got the best out of him Lille star Victor Osimhen revealed former Nigeria youth coach Emmanuel Amuneke deserves half of the success he has had in his career because of the way he got the best out of him. Amuneke took Osimhen to the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup in Chile where the forward heralded himself to the world by winning the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards after scoring 10 goals and laying two assists in the competition. Prior to the outing which secured Nigeria’s fifth U17
World Cup title, the Lille striker had a tough time with the Barcelona forward which nearly made him abandon the
camps training but it has made him a better player now. Editors’ Picks
“I would rewind to when I joined the U17s and when I first went to the camp. In my own mentality, I felt the coach didn’t like me. Every time, he would speak to me and yell at me on the pitch. For me, I thought maybe he was making me suffer,”
Osimhen told NFF media .
“There was a time I wanted to leave the camp, I spoke to the coordinator and he told me to be calm that the coach knew what he was doing.
“For me, I think when you have chosen this path, you have to be disciplined. Discipline is the first thing, whether you have a coach or you don’t have a coach guiding you, I think discipline is the first thing. And I am really happy with what I went through with coach Emmanuel Amuneke.
“Everything I am today, everything I would be in the future, I attribute almost half of my success to him. Whatever I have achieved, he really set my path, he made me understand life isn’t all about talent, you have to work hard, you have to be disciplined and listen to the coach’s instructions either on or off the pitch. I think other players that played under him can also testify, not just me.
“So, I think whatever path you choose, be it football or music or any other thing, you have to be disciplined and know what you are doing and what you want.” Since his arrival from Belgium in July, Osimhen has set Ligue 1 on fire with his fine run in front of goal where he has 10 goals in 18 games so far this season.
