A member of Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets’ winning squad at the 2007 FIFA U17 World Cup in South Korea, Joshua Daniel has tipped the current cadet national team to make their fans proud at this year’s WAFU-B qualifiers in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire; Sports247 reports.
Speaking ahead of the Eaglets’ opening group clash with Benin Republic on Wednesday, the former Niger Tornadoes of Minna defender, who suffered a car accident that left him in a wheelchair since 2009, predicted a successful outing for Coach Manu Garba and his players.
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The soft-spoken Daniel, whose marriage in 2023 was well captured on social media, as he was in a wheelchair all through the ceremonies in Kaduna, added that he has a lot of trust in Coach Garba, who also won the Cadet Mundial for Nigeria at UAE 2013.
Daniel affirmed, “Manu Garba is somebody who has experience in this kind of thing, and I know he will come out with the right players.
“He should just tell the boys to calm down and deliver what they have to do for Nigeria. They should know that Nigerians don’t settle for less and they always want more.”
After Wednesday’s game at Palais des Sports Scientifique in Yamoussoukro, the Eaglets will tackle Burkina Faso at the same venue on Saturday in search of a semi-finals spot, and the 32-year-old Daniel reckoned that the lads are up to the task of representing Nigeria well.
He continued, “With the help and experience of the coach, the boys he has picked should deliver. I know he has picked the right boys.
“With that, I think they can do well. He just needs to tell them to calm down in order to give their best and get the right results for Nigerians.”
He concluded by reiterating his confidence in the ability of Garba’s hit squad to win their upcoming games and eventually wrap up an overall conquest of this regional qualification competition towards next year’s African U17 Cup of Nations.
“I know the coach trusts in those boys for him to have picked them. So, they need to try and give their best; but I know they will not disappoint him.
“They must also not disappoint Nigerians, because we are all behind them. But I know they will make us proud,” Daniel assured.
