Scorer of Nigeria’s first goal the WAFU Under-17 championship Emmanuel Michael has explained why he dedicated his man of the match award to Super Eagles ace Moses Simon.
Michael opened scoring with a sublime freekick from over 30 yards to set Nigeria on the road towards beating host Ghana 4-2 in the first game of the tournament.
He was subsequently awarded the man of the match award which he said he is dedicating to Simon, whose wife owns the academy that he plays for Simoiben Academy.
Explaining he said he is dedicating the award to the Nantes star as he is the brain behind his current status. He also said the boot he used in scoring the goal was gifted to him by Simon. Same boots he used at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in January.
“This award is dedicated to my mentor Moses Simon, he is the brain behind my current status and he gave me a chance to live my dreams by enrolling me into his academy”, Michael said at the post match.
“The boot I used in playing against Ghana was the boot Moses Simon used at AFCON in Cameroon. He gave me the boot and I decided not to use the boot till God saw me through the U-17 screening and I used it in the first match, which I played well and got this award”, he stated.
