A new talent and very promising midfielder has emerged in the burstling metropolis of Imo State’s capital, Owerri, as Victor Chijindu (aka Jindu) is taking the city by storm.
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Sports247 reports that the new kid on the block is following in the footsteps of two Super Eagles icons – Nwankwo Kanu and Kelechi Iheanacho – who are rated alongside Mobi Oparaku as the best football products ever to emerge from Owerri.
While Iheanacho won the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2013, Kanu and Oparaku earlier won the same competition in 1993, they got gold medals with the under-23 Dream Team at Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games.
Iheanacho, who first played for Manchester City of England, was the most valuable player at UAE 2013, while Kanu, who starred for Arsenal, is the only Nigerian to have won African Footballer of The Year award twice (1996 and 1999).
Incidentally, while Kanu grew up playing football on the dusty backstreets of Amakohia, a suburb in Owerri, Iheanacho made top marks with Taye Football Academy on the outskirts of the city, where 1994 Africsn best player, Emmanuel Amuneke and Paul Onuachu also hail from.
Amuneke, who is the current head coach at Heartland FC of Owerri, played for Barcelona of Spain at the height of his career, while Onuachu is the current top scorer in Turkey, where he plays for Trabzonspor.
On his part, Owerri’s new rave of the moment is currently soaring through the ranks at Chika FC of Orji, where he was spotted by some football scouts during his team’s training session at the community school on Wednesday.
The youngster’s coach, Chika Uba told Sports247 after the day’s tactical drills, “Jindu is a young boy who can play as a defensive or attacking midfielder. He has good ball control, nice mobility, neat marking and accurate shooting.
“I actually wanted the scouts to pick my top striker, who is a little older and stronger, but they preferred Jindu, because he is younger. They are both my players, so I wish him well.”
The tall, skilful, dark skinned youngster with high afro haircut revealed afterwards that his parents hail from Warri, but he was born in Ezeagu, Enugu State and now lives with his grandmother in Owerri.
