Standing at over six feet tall he doesn’t need to do much to be noticed but Emeka Umeh of Kaduna United took his noticeable frame a notch higher by scoring the third goal in their 3-1 over Jigawa Golden Stars in their first game of the season in the Nigeria National League.
Blessed with close ball control and dribbling skills, he also uses his body frame and height very well as evident in the way he took his goal against Jigawa Golden Stars in the league opener.
19 year old Emeka nicknamed Zlatan was introduced as a substitute in the second half with Kaduna United leading Jigawa Golden Stars 2-1 and the Zico FC product who is in his first season as a professional footballer put the game beyond the reach of the visitors with a third goal for his side.
Heavily courted by SC Braga of Portugal he followed up his punched header with a curler that brought the stadium to it’s feet not for extending their lead only but also due to the quality of the strike.
His burgeoning reputation even before the start of league football in Nigeria this season soared high when he impressed against Kano Pillars bullying their backline for the entire duration he was on in a pulsating 3-3 draw in a pre season friendly.
He trained with the Nigeria U-23 team at the start of camping for their friendly game against Brazil but was dropped after a week and it appears the experience has made him a better all rounder than he was when he first arrived the team.
A common sight he has learn to endure this season is the pressure of fans and players particularly opponents willing to take pictures with him after games, a trend that was maintained after Kaduna United victory over Jigawa Golden Stars.
