Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has disclosed that Amaju Pinnick, the former President of the Nigeria Football Federation, played a crucial role in securing his inclusion in Nigeria’s 2018 FIFA World Cup squad.
Musa revealed that Pinnick intervened by contacting Gernot Rohr, the Super Eagles coach at the time, to ensure the inclusion of his name in the World Cup squad, despite the forward not actively playing for Leicester City at that time.
The 31-year-old shared this insight during a ceremony in Lagos on Friday, held to unveil the team’s ‘Let’s Do It Again’ mantra as they aim to clinch a fourth AFCON title in Ivory Coast next year.
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Musa said,
“For the former President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, I can remember when I was at Leicester City and I was not playing. He called the Eagles coach (Gernot Rohr) and said, ‘no matter what, Ahmed Musa must be invited to the team.’ And I went to the (2018) World Cup and was one of the best players at the tournament. Why? Because he (Pinnick) believed in me.
“When I was playing for JUTH FC, he was the first person that wanted to sign me for Warri Wolves back then because he knew what he saw in me when I was playing in Nigeria. I will say thank you very much sir.”
He added,
“Also, Aisha Falode always supported us, she’s not just about women’s football. She always encourages me and gives the team the moral support that we need.”