Nottingham Forest of England striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been hailed as a successful footballer who has not forgotten his roots but continues to demonstrate ‘Omoluabi’ traits that reflect good upbringing, loyalty to his ancestral origins and love for his community.
Sports247 reports that these accolades were reeled out by Kwara State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (Kwara SWAN) on the occasion of the 29-year-old Awoniyi’s birthday, which took place on Wednesday.
While hailing Awoniyi for staying committed to his roots, despite his status as a long-standing foreign-based player, the chairman of Kwara SWAN, Ayodeji Ismail described the striker as a man of great virtues, whose life exemplifies selflessness, humility and service to humanity.
Ismail went on to describe the Super Eagles’ star, who has also played in Germany and Belgium, as an inspiration for budding talents across Kwara State and Nigeria as a whole, then commended his contributions to social service, community development and human empowerment.
These comments were contained in a press release signed by Ismail on behalf of Kwara SWAN, who wished the product of Imperial Football Academy of Odogbolu, Ogun State, many happy returns as well as more blessings, while he continues to uplift individuals and communities through his philanthropy.
The statement added, “We celebrate not just our pride in Kwara but Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Taiwo Awoniyi is a man of great virtues, and he has truly demonstrated his ‘Omoluabi’ traits on all fronts.
“As he marks his birthday alongside his twin sister, we pray that Almighty God grants him sound health, continued success and prosperity. We also earnestly wish him a long life and prosperity.”
Sports247 gathered further that Taiwo Michael Awoniyi was born in Kwara State’s capital, Ilorin, on August 12, 1997, and joined Imperial Football Academy in 2010, from where he gained prominence at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, at which he scored four goals to help Nigeria win the competition.
Awoniyi, who has previously played for Liverpool, FSV Frankfurt, NEC Breda, Germinal Mouscron, AA Gent, SV Mainz 05 and Union Berlin, also represented Nigeria at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand after helping the Flying Eagles win the African U-20 Championship in Senegal.
He scored a brace of goals on his debut for Nigeria’s under-23 team against Zambia on April 12th, 2015, and helped the team qualify for the All African Games, following which he was part of a 35-player provisional squad for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The tender-hearted striker was also part of Nigeria’s senior team to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, where he scored in a 3-1 victory over Sudan during the group stage, and he has two goals altogether in 10 international appearances.
