amagunnerfan:
I watched both albeit I only watched the latter part of Yekini's career ( I am 86ner but started watching football very very early due to an hitherto addict of a father ), I watch Shearer well enough too and can say he was better than Yekini. Albeit not a wide difference.

The only striker Nigeria had after Yekini shamefully was Obafemi Martins who due to age cheating never fulfilled his potential. Martins was all round unlike Aiyegbeni who was one dimensional.

BascoVanVeli:


the more I think about it i say no. I remember his goal from around the corner flag against i think Algeria. The man was a goal machine, i will always remember Tunisia 94 all his goals were class.

Martins age cheating? I say who cares as long as he can still perform all that stuff is nonsense. How can u call the man a age cheay when he is still signing big contracts. Football is a job and the man follows his money i have no problem with that at all.

amagunnerfan:
Yes, he has been because he is good and plays with a team that is equally good but we can't say because XYZ won ABC, he is better than DEF.

amagunnerfan:
Maybe because I know him enough.

Ambrose is another one. I call his younger brother "bros" and I am 30. He was at least 28 when he went to the under world cup.

Football is all about money but we shouldn't complain about our politicians if we can't complain about our footballers' dishonesty.

BascoVanVeli:


Age cheating is in our head. It does not have anything to do with football. If u can perform at 50 good for u but when u stop performing we should not select u, simple. All this talk about blaming age cheating is bad bele if a man is feeding his family, with a lie that is not a crime what is it to me. Millions have been spent for reasearch and FIFA claims MRI works so we have nothing to make excuses about.

Icon4s:


When Finidi was bossing d Right wing in Europe Figo was jst coming up. Beckham, that one was still in d academies.

Finidi changed the role of a Right Winger. He invented the modern way of playing from the Right wing.

The old way of playing the Right winger (i was a Right winger) was to run as fast a u can towards the conner flag and throw a pull out to ur striker hu would be waiting to nod d ball into d net.

Finidi will from d Right wing drive d ball towards d 18yards box and either make d killer pass their or take d shot for a goal.He scored lots of goals for both club and country even as a winger.

He re-invented d Right wing play.Today strikers can play from d Right wing.

Welcome on board fellow gunner

TheGoodJoe:



When Athletic Bilbao played Partizan Belgrade in a Europa League match here Thursday night, eight of its starting 11 players had risen through the club’s academy. The other three have Basque heritage.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/11/06/sports/soccer/using-only-local-talent-athletic-bilbao-goes-a-long-way.html

BascoVanVeli:


are u saying Neymar would be better if the Brasilian FA had allowed him go to chealsea?

enomakos:
finito was the best crosser of the ball in his time
better than beckham and figo

amagunnerfan:
Exactly my point and this is why we lost Barkley to England. I am 100% sure if you let them know they are appreciated, even if they prefer England to us, you will manage to confuse them. For now, the decision is often easy for the players as they don't feel Nigeria ever wants them.

amagunnerfan:

The NFF should simply employ 2-3 people in the top 5 major leagues to keep tab on players of Nigeria decents who are good and likely to become good, check on their development, talk to them, let them know they are been watched by Nigeria and will get their chance at the appropiate time.

TheSuperNerd:
Now this comment really got me thinking. It's funny when I think of it... But I don't think Alaba has ever been on a Fifa/Fifpro World XI... Crazy isn't it? Hmm...

BascoVanVeli:


the more I think about it i say no. I remember his goal from around the corner flag against i think Algeria. The man was a goal machine, i will always remember Tunisia 94 all his goals were class.

Martins age cheating? I say who cares as long as he can still perform all that stuff is nonsense. How can u call the man a age cheay when he is still signing big contracts. Football is a job and the man follows his money i have no problem with that at all.

TheGoodJoe:


I feel Shearer was better but I think has more to do with preference of Shearer's style and his longevity on the big stage.

Yekini was up there with the best hitmen in the game. He was a top talent.

I do not think Martins was an age cheat. I met a friend of his in Calabar. The boy read Biochemistry and he was a good player. He was about the same age Martins claimed. Martins longevity tells that he was really young when he burst into the scene.

Martins remains the most unfairly treated Nigerian striker in the Super Eagles. He was top quality but never got a run to prove himself in the National team.

TheGoodJoe:



Alaba is up there but Marcello has been a beast for a long time and there was one Abidal who was also a monster.

TheGoodJoe:


I feel Shearer was better but I think has more to do with preference of Shearer's style and his longevity on the big stage.

Yekini was up there with the best hitmen in the game. He was a top talent.

I do not think Martins was an age cheat . I met a friend of his in Calabar. The boy read Biochemistry and he was a good player. He was about the same age Martins claimed. Martins longevity tells that he was really young when he burst into the scene.

Martins remains the most unfairly treated Nigerian striker in the Super Eagles. He was top quality but never got a run to prove himself in the National team.

TheGoodJoe:



I do not even get what point you are making.

A player like Hazard will develop faster at Barcelona than at Chelsea.

Neymar will develop faster at Barcelona than at Chelsea.

Neymar will develop faster at Chelsea than at Sunderland.

You compare the level of footballers and coaches in a club, then you will know where is more suited for a player to develop.

That is why we are happy with Kelechi Nwakali signing for Arsenal than Sunderland.

TheGoodJoe:


Finidi was like Xavi on the wings. He hardly made a wayward cross.

When he hit the cross, it was when he was sure there was a good chance for a goal.

A lot of times, he pulled the ball back to keep possession when he felt the attacking players were not in place to muster an attack.

Finidi was a genius and I hope he comes back to contribute in the development of Nigerian football.

Icon4s:


Bros I know Martins reach house o.

amagunnerfan:
Well, we cheat ourselves off the chance of getting a team that will dominate in Africa or the world for a long period by this mentality.

BascoVanVeli:

So Santos is better than chealsea? Cuz thats were he came from.

TheGoodJoe:


Neymar's case is different from a lot of players. Since Neymar was young, like about ten years old, Old Santos players used to come to train with him.

When Robinho was a Cityzen, he used to travel to train and play with Neymar. That was how I first knew Neymar.

So that was why he had good nurturing and development at Santos. Santos is an academy that produced some good players like Diego Ribasa and Robinho. Coupled with the Senior support, a talent like Neymar was well nurtured.

BascoVanVeli:


Of cuz Neymar was well taken care of even Pele had an hand in it but that was not the case for the other players there. Name a top player that came out of santos after Neymar?
U can beat around the bush but nothing u have said could lead me into agreeing that our u-17 should be turned into a members only club.

TheGoodJoe:



When I say Age cheat, I mean he was not like 27 years claiming 17.

I knew a player of 36 years, claiming 18.

If you ask me my guess of Martins age, I will say 34. I can not put him above that because that is close my age, I am 35 and I believe I was older than the Martins friend I met in 2002-2003.

TheGoodJoe:


What do you mean by members only? I am not asking them to change anything. I am saying the way it is works. Promoting our local talents is a good thing because the Europeans have an easier pathway to top pro football.

If you can prove that the Europeans do not have an easier path, I will like to read it.

BascoVanVeli:


No matter where u are from making it as a professional player is hard. That is why i respect every pro no matter what league. How many kids are still waiting for a chance at city? Iheanacho showed up and he is already a first teamer. Manu Garcia might even feel he has it easier. It is all about seizing the opportunity when it comes by.
Playing at the u-17 does not guarrantee anything. How many players have gone unsigned off this set who won the cup?

Icon4s:


Martins graduated from Secondary school in 1997 when d average age of Sec Sch graduants then was 17-18yrs. Oya work ur maths.

safarigirl:
Did Dele Alli express interest in playing for us and got shunned? Who is discriminating against them? Have the local guys not been discriminated against? Did Iheanacho not sit by and watch our U20 hopes dashed because of discrimination? Is Iheanacho not sitting by while Bony starts ahead of him because of discrimination? You think the EFA won't dump Dele for a kid with an English name eventually cuz of same discrimination? Bro, let us not act like football isn't a game of discrimination. We have missed better homegrown players than Kelechi and co cuz of discrimination, the diasporan boys at least have other options and can always bask in club football greatness, the kid in nigeria has none

Icon4s:


Just so that tomorrow pple will nt say he was snubbed by Siasia.

But remember I said if interested. That guy as far as I know is not interested in playing for Nigeria.

safarigirl:
To displace who? I doubt he's interested, he's never expressed interest. Just another pale-skinned negro like Dele Alli

TheGoodJoe:



Do you understand what limited resources is? Do you understand how difficult it is for a young boy to succeed in Football in this country. Do you understand that Awoniyi and Yahaya can not play in England because despite their talents. They do not qualify for Work permits.

The likes of Alli, Barkley and Co. do not face this. What about the ratio of Foreigners that can play in a foreign European team. Yaya Toure could not play for Arsenal because of a Work permit.

So it is harder for Africans to succeed in Europe which is the highest ground for professional football.

So how can you tag Nigeria using the U17 World Cup for development and exposure of our local young talents wrong.

The Foreign born Nigerians can represent us but not at the U17 level. It is one of the few ways to expose local talents.

That is why I welcomed the CHAN tournament. It is another Avenue to showcase our local African talents.

I do know how you see it as wrong.