Ikechukwu Ezenwa says he was pained not to have been given a chance to play a single game at the World Cup 2018 in Russia after his role in qualifying the country for the tournament during the qualifiers.
In an interview with a popular radio station in Lagos monitored by Owngoalnigeria.com, Ezenwa who was the first choice for the latter stages of the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup said he was disappointed that Francis Uzoho was picked ahead of him.
Uzoho was made the first choice goalkeeper of the team for the World Cup after his breakthrough season at Deportivo La Coruna that saw him keep goal in four Laliga games before a change in coach saw him drop to the B team.
The decision to make Uzoho first choice at the World Cup didn’t go down well with Ezenwa but he believe he has overcome the pain and he is now focused on reclaiming the number one spot of the team when international football returns.
He however made his bitterness known while speaking on how he motivated Uzoho not to lose focus after he was relegated to third choice at the 2019 African Cup of Nations.
“This is how life is. You (Uzoho) don’t have to show people you’re angry or anything. Remember you came to the World Cup and you kept. I didn’t show that I was angry, but I felt bad that I qualified and I didn’t play. I left that behind and moved forward in my career. So in any situation, you find yourself Uzoho, this is the lesson. Don’t you show the coaches or anybody that you’re not happy”, where the words he claimed he told Uzoho at the AFCON.
Ade Emmanuel
