The national team has been designed to accommodate players that are performing at a standard level.
Players hit their strides between the ages of 19 and 30, they get the attention of their national team selectors.
Fans and followers of the round leather can take pleasure in seeing future stars mature from their adolescence into superstardom.
Some take longer to nurture their talent, while others are slotted into the limelight from their teenage years, forced to live up to their potential now rather than later. For Midtjylland striker Ebere Paul Onuachu his case isn’t different.
The powerfully built attacker has become the nightmare of defenders in the Scandinavian region with his excellent performance for Midtjylland in the Danish SuperLigaen.
Since Rashidi Yekini called it quit with national team duties in 1998, most of Super Eagles strikers have found his shoes hard to fill.
Perhaps Ebere Paul Onuachu could be the solution and become the “New Rashidi Yekini”. How has his journey been so far?
The goal bomber moved to Danish club FC Midtjylland in 2012, on a scholarship, from their affiliate team in Nigeria, Ebedei.
Onuachu, who is known for his predatory approach was a prolific scorer for their youth team, and made his first-team debut in the Cup later that year, before making his league debut in December 2012.
In June 2013 he signed a new three-year contract with the club,before extending it for a further three-years in August 2015. In early 2015 he was loaned to Vejle BK, before returning to FC Midtjylland ahead of the 2015/16 season.
He is being tipped for a bright future on both the national and club stage.
A forward built in the same mold as Victor Okechukwu Agali, Onuachu is currently causing waves in the Midtjylland’s ranks this season, scoring 14 goals so far.
Onuachu is a proven quantity and scored against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League three seasons ago.
Nigeria have now realised what a deadly striker the imposing Onuachu is. He recently received his first call-up to the Nigerian senior national team for the upcoming games with Seychelles and Egypt.
The invitation is long overdue due to Onuachu’s consistent goal scoring form in the Danish top flight.
He could swiftly take the next step into senior national team matters and make the number nine his own property.
