'It's not by my power' – Olusegun reflects on humble journey from Future Eagles to Super Eagles call-up

Olusegun Olakunle has described his maiden call-up to the Super Eagles as a dream come true, calling it a "privilege and honour" to represent Nigeria ahead of their international clash against Russia.

The FC Krasnodar striker, who won the league title in the just-concluded season, expressed his excitement and humility upon receiving the national team invitation.

"Playing for the national team is what all players want (to play for the national team)," Olakunle told the Super Eagles media team. 

"So finding myself in the national team is a priviledge and honour for me because it is not by my power or by my play.

"But I believe, I can do better and I have to show myself and the quality that I have and I have to show everyone that I am ready to play for the Super Eagles."

Olakunle admitted he was initially surprised by the timing of the call-up but revealed that his family's encouragement gave him the confidence to embrace the opportunity.

"When I received the message, I was thinking it was too early for me," he confessed. "But my family told me that it is not early, you just have to go there and do your job."

The 23-year-old's journey to the national team began years ago, first appearing on the radar during his time with Nigeria's U-15 squad (Future Eagles) in 2017. 

However, it was his standout performances at the U-17 level in 2019 that began turning heads.

"When I played for the U15 back in 2017, it was like a child game," he recalled. 

"But when I went for the trial at U17 in 2019, you know going to trial where about thousands of players are invited to the camp - that is very hard and intensive then but I was able to show myself and show what I can do."

Olakunle eventually became the top scorer in the qualifiers and was part of the squad that secured a ticket to the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, where Nigeria reached the Round of 16.

"And going for the qualifier, we were able to qualify - I was the highest goalscorer, and for the Nations Cup, we were able to take the tickets for the World Cup in Brazil in 2019, which I was there also but we were knocked out in the Round of 16."

Reflecting on his title-winning campaign, the striker described the achievement as a remarkable one, especially considering that many had doubted their chances of winning the league.

"Everyone believed we could not win the league but we were able to show ourselves and we have the discipline and dedication to win the league this year - because the previous six years Zenit won the league in a row.

"So, winning the league this year is a great achievement because this is the first official trophy for them."

However, he pointed out that Krasnodar has four players in the national team, underscoring the strength and quality of the opposition.

"They have four players from FC Krasnodar in the national team, the goalkeeper, Stanislav Agkatsev, Nikita Krivtsov, Aleksandr Chernikov, and a former Krasnodar right back, who play for FC Zenit Saint Petersburg."

As the Super Eagles prepare for the friendly match against Russia, Olakunle will hope to showcase himself to earn further invitations to the team.

Adeyemi Adewale

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