Joebie:
Just because somebody call for Martins, no mean say they believe in old legs. enough of the tagging. Forgiveness for example have always clamored for young players.. so just because he call martins that means say he is in #TeamOldLegs. Me i'm in #TeamPerformance oh.

so much talk about building for the future. The inclusion of Martins can never derail that. I'm not clamoring for Martins but why are we crying as if should Martins manage to make it to the mundial the career of the plethora of 21 year olds we have will end. In fact i'm impressed with the pool of players we have in that 18-22 age range oh.. And I must say so much can happen before Qatar 2022. Team building is a continuous process with a mix of young and old (that are relevant). And it should always be so. Show me 3 solid CFs today that are proven in SE shirt, then I will say forget Martins. But let's truth be told, even at his age many of these young kids can't match his recent stats. Well, but I will be fair, let them battle it in camp. Rohr will not accept bribes.

I am not among those that have tagged you or anybody #TeamOldlegs.

But correct me if I am wrong. You also recently clamoured for Osaze, Emenike and Ike Uche right?

forgiveness:



How did you arrive at that conclusion?

However, statistics do matters most times. Looking at that statistics of both players they are par but when we consider other ingredients like talent wise, experience, fear factor, consistency over 5 years etc Martins Obafemi is better than Ighalo by far.

The ingredients you mentioned are subjective. It depends on the evaluator. To you Martins is more talented, feared by defenders/teammates, and more consistent. But to me, he's not. I've not heard of his exploit not until now. But Ighalo, I have.

It's this subjectivity that makes the choice between who is better between Messi and CR7 difficult.

tbaba1234:
Komekn, The argument for martins is a recurring decimal. We argued for Martins under Keshi. He was invited but could not justify his invitation on the pitch. Martins has not scored since July so he is in bit of a drought. His present form does not justify an invite. However, he is a Nigerian and can be given a shot.

and folks are making a case for him? I think we have not learnt any lesson from our previous world cup woes with the way discussions have been going on here as regards players selection, am afraid Russisa 2018 may not be different, same sentiments ruined our chances in the past and It's haunting us again

safarigirl:
first off, that interview is dated February, 2017. It has been on this thread earlier this year sef. As at that time, we had only won two games. Hardly a reason to tag him an opportunist

Secondly, the boy is just 15, do you really think he's dreaming of a chance to feature in the 2018 World Cup?

Call him up first, even if it's for the age grade competitions, then we'll see what happens

It's because of the way discussions here are going with calls for small children and grandpas to represent us at the 2018 world cup. Am just getting sick of all the calls for all players from all manner of places. As for those small children, whoever is our u-17 or u-20 coach should have an eye on them. Let's leave them out of the senior team for now abeg.

Goke7:


and folks are making a case for him? I think we have not learnt any lesson from our previous world cup woes with the way discussions have been going on here as regards players selection, am afraid Russisa 2018 may not be different, same sentiments ruined our chances in the past and It's haunting us again

Thank you my brother.

On the reasons for our past failures we have all contributed to, I have Toyin Ibitoye's twitter handle. someone should please help us with that of The NFF.

Please summarize some of the points and merge some. Make them more like bullet points so they would be more appealing to read.

We'll present subtle recommendations so it won't seem as if we are teaching the NFF and Rohr their jobs.After which you post the points for us to go through again before posting to Ibitoye and the NFF.
We can also create a separate thread for it and make the mods take it to front page.

I trust you to do a good job.
Thanks.

Goke7:


na when we wan go world cup or win something all these small oyinbo children go dey talk say they wan play for Nigeria, as far as am concerned if they are really serious let them come and start playing for us against african sides that will break their leg first, then we can start taking them serious.

The boy is still young. I doubt he is thinking of world cup now... In fact, i think i posted a report on the guy way before we qualified. Many of these boys grew up with Nigerian identities because of how they were raised.

safarigirl:
first off, that interview is dated February, 2017. It has been on this thread earlier this year sef. As at that time, we had only won two games. Hardly a reason to tag him an opportunist

Secondly, the boy is just 15, do you really think he's dreaming of a chance to feature in the 2018 World Cup?

Call him up first, even if it's for the age grade competitions, then we'll see what happens

My suggestion is we form a good relationship with him and his parents. Even invite him for training with our next U17s. But you know the NFF policy of recruiting the U17 only from our grassroots here (I don't completely know how true). Leave him to mature while at his base in Germany while keeping tabs with his development and then re-invite for the 2021 U20.

Icon4s:


My suggestion is we form a good relationship with him and his parents. Even invite him for training with our next U17s. But you know the NFF policy of recruiting the U17 only from our grassroots here (I don't completely know how true). Leave him to mature while at his base in Germany while keeping tabs with his development and then re-invite for the U20.

Just like the NFF has with Lateef Omidiji and family. Try him when he gets to the under 20/under 23 stage. If he comes good, great, If not, nothing is lost

tbaba1234:


Just like the NFF has with Lateef Omidiji and family. Try him when he gets to the under 20/under 23 stage. If he comes good, great, If not, nothing is lost

That is it.

Goke7:


and folks are making a case for him? I think we have not learnt any lesson from our previous world cup woes with the way discussions have been going on here as regards players selection, am afraid Russisa 2018 may not be different, same sentiments ruined our chances in the past and It's haunting us again

for the first time bro
we are on the same page...I so liked this yr response.
thanks

Kog45:
Honestly i don't want to say much on this coz am not FORBES but i want to tell u starting football early does not determine richness.



Martins earned peanuts at Inter but started earning his mega buck when he move to England which is not upto 40k even in MLS,Spain,Germany,Russian,he didn't earn close to 70k.

On tax I want to tell u there is no European countries u go to u pay heavily for tax or d u want to talk of Spain tax even Germany.

If I may ask u,if UK tax is unfriendly do u think players w be going there for mega pay,though a lot might castigate d league but when it comes to pay pls forget it,EPL is number 1.

Mind u Mikel spent close to 11 years at Chelsea with his last contract earning close to 85k.

Do u know what pushed Martins out MLS,it was MLS salary cap.

In China Martins is on weekly £100k while Mikel £150k even Ighalo £190k

Thanks,u have said it,u are looking at his flamboyant life

It's like saying Emma Adebayour is richer than Drogba coz he always display his wealth for everyone to see.

I don't know know how true it is that Mikel left Chelsea with £2m package for his longevity.

Well,both Mikel and Martins are rich and as i said am not Forbes to tell u d richest.

The 32-year-old will pocket $9 million wages (equivalent of N4.1 billion) in the new deal that he signed, $2.4 million more than he was paid in 2016.

Martins has also represented Seattle Sounders, Rubin Kazan, Levante UD and Birmingham City.

https://guardian.ng/sport/obafemi-martins-signs-new-n4-1b-one-year-deal-with-shanghai/amp

That is about $ 190 per week.

Goke7:


na when we wan go world cup or win something all these small oyinbo children go dey talk say they wan play for Nigeria, as far as am concerned if they are really serious let them come and start playing for us against african sides that will break their leg first, then we can start taking them serious.

what are you saying?
your words lack substances...
sometimes words of this kind are better not said...
it's like you're ignorant of these lad....he has since declared for Nigeria long ago....
supernerd posted it here...prior we even kick start the WCQ.

your words is seasoned wit racism...

is Leon not white?
can you tell me how many times his legs have been broken by Africa opposition...?

here...you have a Nigerian willing to play and represent the country....and you're making fun of him....

what makes you think you're more Nigerian than him...?

tomoro you will start saying they refuse Nigeria when you refuse to recognize and assist them to stardom now...they're still struggling...

I can bet my last cash...if he was your kid with this potentials you won't want him play for Nigeria....

so please....every Nigeria reserves the right and privileges to represent the SE..in respective of his skin color, tribe or place of birth......

forgiveness:



The 32-year-old will pocket $9 million wages (equivalent of N4.1 billion) in the new deal that he signed, $2.4 million more than he was paid in 2016.

Martins has also represented Seattle Sounders, Rubin Kazan, Levante UD and Birmingham City.

https://guardian.ng/sport/obafemi-martins-signs-new-n4-1b-one-year-deal-with-shanghai/amp

That is about $ 190 per week.

new deal right,$ or £ coz $190 means £147 per week

sir icons4 please include in your write up to ibitoye...
the need to look the way of Nigerians especially the kids that have openly declared for this country.
this kids should be encouraged, recognized and if they are good enough....invite them for training/screening...and let the best be picked....

if we go with this approach....we will struggle less to get this kid when they eventually rise to stardom....
change of nationality switch is often not easy and time consuming....

we should adopt this approach...

also....the nff need to learn treat well profesional footballers with dual nationality that have openly declared for nigeria wit recognizarion and value...

for example otigba openly declared for us and even refuse the Hungarian FA invitation all because he wanna play for eagles only to be overlooked by some national team coaches wit greed motives....
then otigba was doing better than some of current team defenders them.....

forgiveness:



He is very young, nevertheless, I think we should invite him for the U17.

yeah...him, the other guy born in las Vegas...omijiji i think so and one other one in Austria.....

the only problem we will be having are the greedy coaches handling out cadet teams...

Humility017:

yeah...him, the other guy born in las Vegas...omijiji i think so and one other one in Austria.....

the only problem we will be having are the greedy coaches handling out cadet teams...

With Finidi as coach, we might not have that problem with greed.

tbaba1234:

With Finidi as coach, we might not have that problem with greed.

yeah you're right..... I pray he succeeds

Sarenren-Bazee training individually.

Icon4s:


I don't even know why this argument is coming up in the first place.

The era of Martins and his classmates is gone.
Its like we did not learn from the mistakes of having Rufai and Yekini at the 1998 WC.
Yekini was even in a better position to make the team than Martins is right now.

We have to move forward with the crop of Attackers we have.

Ighalo, Iheanacho, Nwakaeme, Kayode we have now. I have sadly dropped my case on Abraham.

Let's move on with these ones and any other strikers that may sparkle this season. And as usual we'll also depend on the abilities of our AMs and wingers for us to get goals.

Different scenario. Rufai was a bench warmer while Yekini had gone into oblivion after the first world cup.

He was no longer consistent.

However, Martins Obafemi has been consistent over 6 years in a role. The difference is clear.

Tyton had a terrible performance for Deportivo in the cup game. Uzoho might get the chance to return in the league but i fear that the new coach might be looking at the more experienced keepers instead.

If that is the case, Uzoho will return to the youth team and wait for his chance. That kills any world cup dream.

forgiveness:



Different scenario. Rufai was a bench warmer while Yekini had gone into oblivion after the first world cup.

He was no longer consistent.

However, Martins Obafemi has been consistent over 6 years in a role. The difference is clear.

Yekini was actively part of the 98 WC qualifiers.

When last did Martins play for Nigeria?

Let's call a spade what it is and move on.

i share your sentiments about quality being quality whether you are 50 or 17 years old if you can still perform i'm all for it. that's where i have my doubts about martins can he still bring that quality? from what i watched in his previous recent matches for nigeria against venezuela, kenya and swaziland i'm not so sure if he can still do it for us. however if rohr looks at martins and feels he can offer something hey what's my own as long as the team is improved on i'm all for it. my main concern is anybody we are going to add to the core squad of players should be adding something extra and not making the team weaker whether from a first XI or bench perspective

komekn:


You deviate from the substance of this discourse with a your question, which really is sour grapes.

Are any of these remotely, Ighalo, KC, Kayode anywhere near the tag best striker in the world.

So then why use it with regards to Obagoal. The simple question is are the better than him as it stands.

That's why I said consider the ability and experiential know how of Obagoal and put him in Girona or Leicester what do you think the outcome would be

We really don't know the true quality Of Obagoal until tested. Put any of these players in his Chinese team and would they excel

So to write Obagoal off is grossly unfair and certainly not in the interest of the national team.

Kog45:
new deal right,$ or £ coz $190 means £147 per week

Martins is earning twice as much as Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi in China, with the Chelsea man second in the list of highest earning Nigerian players.

Leicester City big money buy Ahmed Musa is third on the list, while Mikel’s teammate Victor Moses is fourth with Fenerbache Emmanuel Emenike rounding up the top five.

1[b].Obafemi Martins £180,000[/b]
2.Mikel John Obi. £75,000
3.Ahmed Musa. £60,000
4.Victor Moses. £45,000

https://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://owngoalnigeria.com/2016/11/19/highest-paid-nigerian-footballer-obafemi-martins-earning-twice-as-much-as-mikel-musa-in-top-5/&ved=0ahUKEwiDzJfj8ZDXAhWCJ1AKHWB9AgYQFggsMAI&usg=AOvVaw2tytkW_EXApuLH0axtwdOB




Currently, he earns more than Mikel Obi

mank1234:

The ingredients you mentioned are subjective. It depends on the evaluator. To you Martins is more talented, feared by defenders/teammates, and more consistent. But to me, he's not. I've not heard of his exploit not until now. But Ighalo, I have.

It's this subjectivity that makes the choice between who is better between Messi and CR7 difficult.

Hahahahahah! Only to you but to the world he is because statistics are there for all to see.

If you have not heard then you are not current. Simple

Icon4s:


Yekini was actively part of the 98 WC qualifiers.

When last did Martins play for Nigeria?

Let's call a spade what it is and move on.

Martins, martins,Martins, ..dis thing is becoming annoying,shey martins pay una ni?


Martins bawo,even if u guys re clamouring for emenike,we hear DT one,even though DT one sef,he no cut slack for my side, WC one kan b martins again?

Wen we av like 4 options on ground,and martins is no way better Dan dis guys,age no kan dey him syde join



Abeg just tell US one tin wey martins will add to DT squad,I don't want to hear any mumu EXPERIENCE O cos he has been dere ever since we no win any trophy,just one advantage, make e no pass ONE,DT oda striking options won't give to d team?

safarigirl:
lol....only Ighalo will be in his thirties by then and I can assure you that he has a 10% chance of still being in the fold by then, what with the rise of players like Dessers, Tammy, Awoniyi, Orji Okonkwo and co.

Kelechi and Iwobi will not be tagged grandpas as they will be around 26 at most by then....they will be in a similar position as Mikel was in 2014. They will certainly be nowhere near 30 and as long as they remain within the fold till then, they will be the ones doing the initiation Onazi is currently in charge of.

So, I disagree with your false assertion

Na today we don dey see am! I will call you out if God keeps us till then.

Humility017:

what are you saying?
your words lack substances...
sometimes words of this kind are better not said...
it's like you're ignorant of these lad....he has since declared for Nigeria long ago....
supernerd posted it here...prior we even kick start the WCQ.

your words is seasoned wit racism...

is Leon not white?
can you tell me how many times his legs have been broken by Africa opposition...?

here...you have a Nigerian willing to play and represent the country....and you're making fun of him....

what makes you think you're more Nigerian than him...?

tomoro you will start saying they refuse Nigeria when you refuse to recognize and assist them to stardom now...they're still struggling...

I can bet my last cash...if he was your kid with this potentials you won't want him play for Nigeria....

so please....every Nigeria reserves the right and privileges to represent the SE..in respective of his skin color, tribe or place of birth......

How many foreign born players have declared wanting to play for Nigeria compared to now that we have qualified for the WQ?

true martins hasn't been really part of our squads to the few tournaments we have attended between 2013 till date. we won AFCON 2013 without him, got to 2nd round of 2014 world cup without him, now we have qualified from arguably nigeria's toughest world cup qualifying group ever with a game to spare also without him so i don't think the heavens will fall if we don't call him back. yekini's own could even be excused since he is our all time leading scorer i can see some sense in why he was recalled

Icon4s:


Yekini was actively part of the 98 WC qualifiers.

When last did Martins play for Nigeria?

Let's call a spade what it is and move on.

elyte89:




Martins, martins,Martins, ..dis thing is becoming annoying,shey martins pay una ni?


Martins bawo,even if u guys re clamouring for emenike,we hear DT one,even though DT one sef,he no cut slack for my side, WC one kan b martins again?

Wen we av like 4 options on ground,and martins is no way better Dan dis guys,age no kan dey him syde join



Abeg just tell US one tin wey martins will add to DT squad,I don't want to hear any mumu EXPERIENCE O cos he has been dere ever since we no win any trophy,just one advantage, make e no pass ONE,DT oda striking options won't give to d team?

You quoted the wrong person bro.

Icon4s:


Firstly, Etebo is not in the class of Muller. In fact no Nigerian player is.

To your last paragraph, check my earlier comment: I said Etebo cannot be playing the number 10 position when we have Mikel and Iwobi in the team. Also that this is the senior level and not the U23.

We are talking about the FIFA world cup here.

And as I said before, the type system you play will go a long way in determining the type of 10 you'll field.

Etebo has the same attribute as Alli and Muller i.e they are very good in exploiting space and making runs from deep. He can play as a 10 i.e AM provided you have creativity on the wing and a good ball playing CM behind him.
He can always switch positions with someone like Iwobi during the game.

Humility017:

yeah...him, the other guy born in las Vegas...omijiji i think so and one other one in Austria.....

the only problem we will be having are the greedy coaches handling out cadet teams...

Your last paragraph has already been the problem.

Unless, somebody's Pam is greased they will never give him a chance.

forgiveness:


Martins is earning twice as much as Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi in China, with the Chelsea man second in the list of highest earning Nigerian players.

Leicester City big money buy Ahmed Musa is third on the list, while Mikel’s teammate Victor Moses is fourth with Fenerbache Emmanuel Emenike rounding up the top five.

1[b].Obafemi Martins £180,000[/b]
2.Mikel John Obi. £75,000
3.Ahmed Musa. £60,000
4.Victor Moses. £45,000

https://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://owngoalnigeria.com/2016/11/19/highest-paid-nigerian-footballer-obafemi-martins-earning-twice-as-much-as-mikel-musa-in-top-5/&ved=0ahUKEwiDzJfj8ZDXAhWCJ1AKHWB9AgYQFggsMAI&usg=AOvVaw2tytkW_EXApuLH0axtwdOB




Currently, he earns more than Mikel Obi

FALSE SOURCE (OWNGOALNIGERIA)

This is what they earn now (TOP 3)

Odion Ighalo £190k

Mikel Obi £150

Obafemi Martins £100k

Note:that was Mikel(75k) wages at Chelsea,old V.Moses (45k)wages and your source owngoal

Pls give me correct source and I w keep shut.