Enyimba of Aba winger, Anayo Iwuala has described his invitation to the Super Eagles for the two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games against Benin Republic and Lesotho at the end of this month as great news.
Anayo got his invite as a replacement for Sadiq Umar who was stopped by his Spanish second division team, Almeria from honouring the call and the Enyimba winger has revealed how he got the news a day to his birthday.
“I got the news from my club chairman, he called to congratulate me and he said I have been called up to the national team. It is perfect, I call it a double celebration. It is a great news and a great opportunity as well,’Anayo told his club’s official website.
Anayo’s road to getting his first call to play for his fatherland has not been paved with gold as the winger who joined the Peoples Elephant in the 2019/2020 season of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) from Delta Force has endured a tough start to life in Aba. A delayed debut due to injury ensured the winger played just over ten games in his first season at the club.
The 2020/2021 season couldn’t have been better, 19 starts in 20 matches in all competitions tells the story. He could probably be the first name on the team sheet these days. Such has been his form this term that he has become a go-to man for the Elephants, unplayable for defenders, and irresistibly hungry.
Anayo’s goals contribution this campaign has improved in leaps and bounds, a current tally of two goals (versus Kano Pillars & Adamawa United) and eight assists further justifies his invitation to the national team.