Two 'Aspire Football' Stars May Be Drafted Into The Golden Eaglets Squad

The performances of two 16-year-olds in Spain's Costa Brava over the
Easter period may hold the key to head coach Emmanuel Amuneke's fortunes at this year's FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Chile in October.

The picturesque coastal region that runs from just north of Barcelona to the French border was the setting for the famous annual Mediterranean International Cup, better known as MIC, which features junior teams from a number of big European clubs and elsewhere.

The U16 version of this year's MIC included teams from big clubs such as Villarreal and Sevilla as well as the eventual winners – Aspire Football Dreams from Senegal.

Aspire – funded by oil money from Qatar – provided some scintillating high-tempo play spearheaded by the Nigerian duo of striker Bamgboye Funsho Ibrahim and attacking midfielder Agbaoye Yemi Samson.

In particular, the striker better known as Funsho, provided some sublime moments with his play during the tournament.

He appears destined for bigger things and is a player blessed with many qualities – his speed, his ability to evade defenders with one touch and his clinical finishing with either foot.

In the final held last Sunday at Estadi Palamos Costa Brava, it was
Funsho who provided the magic, this time as a playmaker.

Funsho was involved twice in the play, including the telling final pass,
that put the ball on a plate for one of his Aspire team-mates to fire in
the winning goal from close range.

Providing creativity and attacking threat behind Funsho was his Nigerian team-mate Agbaoye Yemi, who is also a player that looks to be made of the right stuff.

Whilst Nigeria finished in fourth place at the 2015 African U17
Championships held earlier this year in Niger, a position that gave them automatic qualification to the World Cup, some good judges say the team were less than convincing and lack quality in the final third of the
pitch.

It will not be a surprise to see Emmanuel Amuneke call on the twin
talents of Funsho and Agbaoye Yemi to provide a greater attacking threat as the Golden Eaglets chase World Cup glory in Chile this October.