Former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju says calling young players next Lionel Messi or Austine Jay Jay Okocha put them under too much pressure.

Adepoju stated that the local media and fans must desist from the act which according to him is detrimental to the players growth.

“I believe calling young players in the youth teams as next Messi or Jay-Jay Okocha is unfair and unnecessary,” Adepoju told BBC Sport Africa.

“Indulging in this comparison is setting them up for failure because the weight of expectations will definitely affect these players mentally.

“It’s the main reason some players refused to work hard and be themselves because they easily get carried away by what the press was writing about them.”

Read Full Story Here: https://winninggoals.com.ng/wrong-to-call-young-players-next-messi-or-okocha-adepoju/

on point sir...we should stop killing young stars with unnecessary hype...dts how we killed d career with dt rabiu ibrahim and haruna dt were hailed d next jay jay..
they both got carried away and vanished into thin air

If you ask me, I would say without a doubt that it is a marketing strategy deployed by their unscrupulous agents.

It is all in a bid to sell the players faster. Unfortunately, some media agencies often collaborate with these desperate agents.

He kicks a ball once and he suddenly becomes the 'next Messi' or 'Ibrahimovic'.

Nonsense.

Very true there

paulolee:
on point sir...we should stop killing young stars with unnecessary hype...dts how we killed d career with dt rabiu ibrahim and haruna dt were hailed d next jay jay..
they both got carried away and vanished into thin air

I do hope they'll just stop that excessive hyping of players. Most especially English players

mansakhalifa:
If you ask me, I would say without a doubt that it is a marketing strategy deployed by their unscrupulous agents.

It is all in a bid to sell the players faster. Unfortunately, some media agencies often collaborate with these desperate agents.

He kicks a ball once and he suddenly becomes the 'next Messi' or 'Ibrahimovic'.

Nonsense.

a