President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has said that they will do all they can, to ensure a player from the country win individual awards again.
Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama lost out to Yaya Toure, in the African Player of the Year title and it was the fourth consecutive year the Ivorian midfielder won the prize.
The last time a Nigerian was named the best on the continent was in 1999, when Kanu Nwankwo took the gong home.
“I can’t remember the last time an English player won the European player of the Year yet they have the richest league in the world,” Pinnick said.
“What it has shown is that African football has come of age, anybody in Africa can win it.”
Pinnick also claimed that Nigerian footballers need to play for big clubs, to improve their chances of winning titles and individual prizes.
He said: “It means we have to work very hard and we are working very hard to make sure our players, people like [NPFL record goals scorer] Mfon Udoh should not go and meet an agent that will trick him into going into [contractual] slavery.
“Imagine an Emem [Eduok] in an Arsenal jersey, in three years he will win the African footballer of the Year.”
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