Agent confirms Chelle watched Ligue 1 game; forward who broke Martins & Mbappe's records possible target

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle was in attendance at the iconic Stade Louis-II for the French Ligue I clash between AS Monaco and Olympique Marseille on April 12, fueling speculation about a potential call-up for history-making forward George Ilenikhena, who wears the colours of the Principality outfit.

The Lagos-born attacker entered the history books as the youngest Nigerian-born player to score in the UEFA Champions League, aged 17 years and 119 days, when he netted the winner for Royal Antwerp in a 3-2 victory over Barcelona on December 13, 2023 — breaking Obafemi Martins' long-standing record in the process.

George Ilenikhena (18 years and 34 days) is also the youngest player to score for Monaco in the Champions League, having broken the previous record held by Kylian Mbappé, who was 18 years and 63 days old when he scored against Manchester City on February 21, 2017.

The former Amiens youth teamer could trigger a battle for his international allegiance as he is also being monitored by the French Football Federation. 

However, he has yet to be capped by France at youth level, which opens up the possibility for the Nigeria Football Federation to extend an invitation to him for this summer's Unity Cup.

Chelle's agent, Sidibe, confirmed the Super Eagles coach's attendance at the high-profile Ligue 1 encounter, though he stopped short of confirming whether the Malian football tactician was specifically there to scout Ilenikhena, who came off the bench in the 85th minute. 

"Eric Chelle watched the AS Monaco versus Marseille game on April 12," Eric Chelle's agent, Sidibe told allnigeriasoccer.com. 

"I cannot say if he was at the stadium to scout George Ilenikhena but this is one of the matches he attended." 

Apart from George Ilenikhena, Eric Chelle is believed to be keeping tabs on another Nigeria-eligible forward in Ligue 1 — Rennes starlet Kazeem Olaigbe.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: asmonaco.com 

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