FIFA U-20 World Cup: Flying Eagles No.1 goalkeeper picks No.21 jersey

Flying Eagles No.1 goalkeeper and Super Eagles invitee Kingsley Aniagboso has been given the No.21 jersey according to the official squad list for the U-20 World Cup that begins on 20 May.

Aniagboso heads the list of 16 home-based players in the 21-man squad picked by Coach Ladan Bosso for the World Cup. The five overseas-based players are defender Abel Ogwuche from Trelleborgs FF, Sweden; midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi from Botev Plovdiv, Bulgaria; forward Victor Eletu from AC Milan, Italy; forward Ibrahim Muhammad from FC Cartagena, Spain, and Umeh Emmanuel, also from Botev Plovdiv in Bulgaria.

The oldest player in the squad is midfielder Salim Lawal from Mavlon FC, while the youngest is midfielder Daniel Daga from Dakkada FC.

The Nigerian squad will have to be at their very best as they confront five-time champions Brazil, Italy, and newcomers- the Dominican Republic. The best Nigeria has accomplished at this tournament has been two second-place finishes in 1989 and 2005, where they lost to Portugal and Argentina, respectively.

Eletu of AC Milan has been handed the iconic No.10 jersey, while Salim Lawal will wear the No.9 jersey. Coach Bosso was chastised for his team’s sluggish and lacklustre performance at the CAF U-20 Nations Cup, but the 55-year-old has vowed better results in Argentina.

In an interview monitored on radio, Bosso revealed how Ogwuche and the other four overseas-based players were chosen to fortify the team for the World Cup. “Thank God, everything about the professionals has been positive. We’ve been able to Google and download and get the statistics of the appearances of the foreign players we have invited in the last ten matches,” Bosso told Nigerian Info.

“So, if you’re not a regular player in your team, you can’t be here. All we are trying to do is to avoid the mistakes made by the Under-23. Because it’s a grave mistake inviting players that you don’t know their form. So, we have to take our corrections from there. And I think all things being equal, we are on the right way.”

READ ALSO: Nigeria’s Flying Eagles arrive in Buenos Aires ahead of U-20 World Cup

The Flying Eagles kick off their tournament against the Dominican Republic on 21 May, followed by Italy on 24 May, and their final group game is against Brazil on 27 May.

The squad and their jersey numbers

Jersey No Name

1 Nathaniel Nwosu

2 Augustine Njoku

3 Solomon Agbalaka

4. Daniel Daga

5. Abel Ogwuche

6. Daniel Bameyi

7. Rilwanu Haliru

8. Tochukwu Nnadi

9. Salim Lawal

10. Victor Eletu

11. Ibrahim Muhammad

12. Benjamin Fredrick

13. Israel Domingo

14. Ibrahim Abdullah’ı

15. Jude Sunday

16. John Utoblo

17. Kehinde Ibrahim

18. Samson Lawal

19. Umeh Emmanuel

20. Joshua John

21. Kingsley Aniagboso