Sotubo Ayomide
The former veteran defender has been appointed as the assistant coach of the Super Eagles by the Nigerian Football Federation and will be working with coach Gernot Rohr to lead the national team to continental and global success.
Joseph Yobo represented the country in the 1999 U-20 world cup having first been discovered as a talent with immense potentials at Michellin-Harcourt between 1996 and 1997. Yobo also had a remarkable club career as he played for top European club like Marseille, Standard Liege, and most notably, Everton. He also skippered the Super Eagles to Africa Cup of Nations success in South Africa in 2013.
Yobo became the first African to captain Everton in October 2007 and made more than 250 appearances for the Toffees, helping them qualify for the Champions League in 2005 and playing in the side that lost the 2009 FA Cup final to Chelsea.
With so much pedigree both on national, continental and international soil, the former defender will have his work cut out for him, even as the assistant coach of the Super Eagles. With some fans craving to see "one of our own" as the coach, many will believe that Yobo is the coach in waiting for the Super Eagles. Logically, it is expected that he becomes the full time manager of the team when Gernot Rohr's current contract with the team expires. However, this is subject to the managerial instincts and tactical nous displayed by him in what is his first real coaching experience.
Undoubtedly, Yobo will be expected to play a major role in bringing foreign talents into the team. The fans will love to see talents like Bukayo Saka and Tammy Abraham donning Nigerian colours. Even at that, We all expect to see local talents flourish in the team and it becomes a duty for Yobo to propagate a harmonious team to lead the team to the promised land. Nigerians will expect NPFL stars like Victor Mbaoma, Tasiu Lawal and Ibrahim Mustapha to be integrated into the team under Yobo's watch. Imperatively, the scouting network of the team will be expected to experience a total overhaul to ensure the country is well represented.
Ultimately, Yobo will be required to instill leadership acquired from his experiences as a captain in the Nigerian Super Eagles and act in the best interest of the team to propel them to greater heights. Nigerians finally have what they crave. Up to you now Joseph Yobo, cometh the man, cometh the moment.
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