A senior secondary two (SS2) student at Distinction Gate College (DGC), Ikotun, Lagos, Benedict Ifeoluwa Oyetayo has come out with a startling confession that he would love to be a professional footballer instead of an athlete.
Sports247 reports that the youngster, who won two gold medals with DGC’s boys’ 4x100m relay team last year, declared that he knows how fast he can run, but he has no vision about any future in track and field for himself.
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When thrown a poser of choosing between a club in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) or scholarship award to run 100m for a university in USA, the lad fondly called ‘Ben Frosh’ opted to start his career as a home-based footballer.
Oyetayo, who hails from Iree in Osun State, but was born in Abuja and grew up in Kaduna, where he attended Treasure Academy, stressed that he wants to take after his father, who he disclosed played football when he was younger.
Although Mr Tony Oyetayo did not make it big in football, his son has opted to toe the same part and, with huge support from his mother, who hails from Agbor in Delta State, the soft-spoken speedster believes he will make it big in the round leather game.
The fleet-footed lad, whose older brother, Michael Oyetayo, played football for some academies in Lagos before recently taking up a hotel job, recently had a training session at NPA Sports Ground, Surulere, but insists he has a brighter future in football than athletics.
The former student of Defaola College, Ejigbo and West Coast School in Surulere, added, “I know that I’m fast in 100m, but I prefer playing football. I’m not with any football academy yet, but I will join one during the coming holiday.
“I can play well on the left wing and my speed will help me to outrun dedenders. I want to be like Lionel Messi, but I prefer to play for Real Madrid instead of Barcelona.
“I also like wearing Messi’s jersey, because I admire him very much. I also admire Victor Osimhen because of his finishing ability and I see that he can also run very fast.”
