AC Omonia of Cyprus goalkeeper, Francis Odinaka Uzoho is beaming with delight after he got the chance of wearing Nigeria’s captain’s band at the 2026 Unity Cup and lifted the trophy in London on Saturday, Sports247 reports.
READ ALSO: Flamingos’ Coach Akeem Busari Rules Out Pity For Guinea, Says: ‘We Need To Give More Because We Are Playing At Home’
Although he did not feature in the team’s two matches – a 2-0 win over Zimbabwe on Tuesday and 3-0 spanking of Jamaica in the final on Saturday – Uzoho took special delight in being called upon to lift the trophy as captain of the side.
It was an unusual scenario, as FC Porto of Portugal striker, Terem Moffi was the team’s onfield captain, but Uzoho got the band as ‘ceremonial skipper’ during the trophy presentation – in recognition of haven been capped before any other player in the squad.
However, despite the uncanny nature of his captainship, Uzoho is exuding delight and disclosed that he felt on top of the world with the opportunity of wearing Nigeria’s captain’s band during the competition.
The tall net minder, who recently won the Cypriot First Division League title, expressed pride with the years he has spent with the national team, adding that he felt honoured helping Nigeria retain the Unity Cup by defeating Jamaica in Saturday’s final.
Uzoho, who shot to limelight as second choice keeper in the Golden Eaglets’ winning team of the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup in UAE, also welcomed what he referred to as healthy competition among the Eagles’ array of goalkeepers.
He asserted, “It’s an honour and a big privilege for me. I know it’s because I’m the oldest in this camp, but I thank the coach for giving me the chance to lead this team. I’m also happy that we won the cup again as we did last year,”
The former Spain-based shot-stopper described the growing competition among Nigeria’s goalkeepers as healthy and beneficial, insisting that rivalry for places should be viewed as a blessing for the national team.
