First, we congratulate England for their historic success, winning the Fifa U- 20 World cup for the first time in the 2017 edition - "England U20 Champions of the world!"
England defeated Venezuela 1 - 0 in a very thrilling finals. The Venezuelan team gained reputation as the tournament's favorite with a flair and free flowing style of play, you could almost bet the American champions would rule the world cup.
But England had to dig deep and took-on the never-say-die attitude of a typical Nigerian team at the world stage. Little wonder, but....
Did you know six Nigerian youngsters played key roles in the English team conquest of the World?
Nigeria did not qualify for the U-20 World Cup 2017 FIFA U-20... they crashed out to Sudan in the Africa qualifiers losing 2-3 on aggregate.
But then, England’s Head Coach Paul Simpson decided to employ the resourcefulness of six Nigerian born UK citizen to fortify his squad, knowing Nigeria's pedigree in world youth soccer....And did it pay- off?
England’s Junior Three Lions named Everton player Ademola Lookman, Ovie Ejaria and Sheyi Ojo (both from Liverpool) Dominic Solanke and Fikayo Tomori (from Chelsea) and Joshua Onomah of Tottenham Hotspurs... And each of these players were instrumental to this success story.
Who are these players?
Ademola Lookman
Lookman is a 19-year-old who plays as a forward for Everton. The forward was born in Wandsworth, London to parents of Nigerian descent.
He represented England U-19s at the 2016 European U19 Championships. He has turned down the opportunity to represent Nigeria, choosing to switch his allegiance to England.
Ovie Ejaria
Ejaria is a midfielder who plays for Liverpool. Born to Nigerian parents, the 19-year-old trained with the Nigeria Under-17s team in 2013.
Although he committed to Nigeria, he accepted a call-up to the England U20 team in September 2016.
Sheyi Ojo
Ojo also plays for Liverpool joining them as a 14-year-old. Born to Nigerian parents, Ojo is eligible to represent both Nigeria and England.
He has so far played for England at under-16, under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels.
Dominic Solanke
19-year-old Dominic Solanke plays for Chelsea and has represented England at the Under-17 and U-19 levels. He has even trained with the England senior team.
He is also eligible to play for Nigeria through his descent.
Fikayo Tomori
Tomori was born to Nigerian parents in Canada but grew up in England making him eligible to play for the three countries.
He started off playing for the Canada Under-20 before he was called up for the England Under-19.
He is 19.
Joshua Onomah
Though born to Nigerian parents, Joshua Onomah has represented England from the Under-16s to U-20s.
The 20-year-old plays for Tottenham Hotspur.
