Trabzonspor of Turkey defender, Chibuike Nwaiwu has disclosed that he was very happy that he made his senior debut for Nigeria during the Super Eagles’ 2-1 win over Iran on Friday in Antalya, Turkey, and posited that it was a dream come true.
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Sports247 reports that the 22-year-old centre back went on for Igoh Igbu in the 57th minute of the friendly, after which he said it was the fulfilment of a vow he made while playing in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
The former Enyimba of Aba and Heartland of Owerri star, who previously played for Nigeria’s under-23 team, also spoke about his reaction the moment he first heard about his invitation to the Nigerian squad, which made him overly excited.
He recalled that he was still excited for several hours after officials at Trabzonspor informed him about his first senior national team invitation, to the extent that he almost missed his flight to Turkey, where he had to quickly join the Eagles’ camp.
With his call-up having come barely 24 hours before the game, Nwaiwu admitted he had to hurriedly change his plans for the weekend, but concluded with a pledge that he will always put aside all personal matters for the love of his country.
Nwaiwu said: “I’m very happy to be here to wear the shirt. When my club posted it, it was a great moment for me. I was very excited and, because of the excitement, I nearly missed my flight. It is a privilege for me to represent my country.
“Right from my NPFL days, I always said I would wear the national team shirt, (because) I want to represent my country. The dream of all footballers in the world is to represent their country, and I am very happy to make my debut.”
