Ex-international and assistant coach of the Golden Eaglets, Nduka Ugbade has attributed the success achieved at the recently concluded Zonal U17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Niger Republic to hardwork.
Nigeria picked the sole ticket in Zone B qualification for Tanzania 2019 courtesy of a 3-1 penalty shootouts win over Ghana in the final.
“One aspect we normally emphasise to the boys is hardwork. Footballers must make it their watchword in every area of their lives,” Ugbade enthused to Sports247.ng.
“For these young lads they can’t afford to relax but always strive for the best in their chosen careers. Having talent isn’t enough but working extra mile for a better future in the game.”
Ugbade admitted that the team encountered challenges as a result of the NFF crisis, but remained grateful that the Golden Eaglets were able to surmount every hurdle to come out tops at the end of the day.
“Nothing is life is prefect. We had few ups and downs before the tournament but that didn’t deter us from carrying out out the assignment before us.
“We are very grateful to have achieved our objective in the tournament.”
