'You Won't Know He's The Second Goalkeeper' - Ezenwa Wowed By Enyeama's Confidence Vs England

Of all the goalkeepers to have represented the Super Eagles in the past, Ikechukwu Ezenwa has picked Vincent Enyeama as the player he looks up to.

The Nigeria international highlighted Enyeama's confidence and calmness in front of goal despite the magnitude of the game and made reference to his World Cup debut against England in 2002 in which he posted a shutout.

"It's unfortunate that for now he's no longer playing but Vincent Enyeama is my mentor, even up to date I still call him, I still talk to him, we do chat," Ezenwa said in an Instagram Live chat with the Super Eagles Media Team on Saturday.

"He's one person that inspires me, truly speaking. He plays in a big game as if there's nothing happening, you will not find him jittery, that self-confidence.

"When I watched him at the 2002 World Cup, they brought him in the third game against England, that charisma, that inbuilt confidence, you see him playing his first World Cup as if there's nothing at stake.

"You won't even know that he's the second or third goalkeeper, so I started following him.

"One thing about goalkeeping is confidence, you might know how to do everything but you might be tensed facing the crowd but he's one person despite the situation you see him calm, doing what he knows how to do best, and I'll say it's a thing of joy choosing him as my mentor because I keep following him, keep trying to talk to him."

Ezenwa recollected his first meeting with Enyeama in the Super Eagles camp in 2015 and the former Lille star had predicted that the Heartland goalie would go on to represent the national team which came to pass.

"When I met him in the Super Eagles, the first invitation, after the first training session he called me to his room.

"I will never forget, he gave me a pair of gloves and Lille jersey and told me I am a good goalkeeper, told me I have what it takes to keep for Nigeria.

"He told me when he leaves myself, Daniel Akpeyi and then Alampasu will wear the Super Eagles jersey. Since then everything has been going according to plan."

A regular invitee to the Super Eagles, Ezenwa's last competitive match for Gernot Rohr's team was against Madagascar at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel