Emenike Reveals His Greatest Achievement As A Footballer

Former Super Eagles’ striker, Emmanuel Eme­nike has revealed that winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was a very big achievement for him.

Emmanuel Emenike. Photo credit: Photo credit: BuzzNigeria

Although he went on to admit that he did not truly felt the value of the AFCON conquest under the charge of late Stephen Keshi until several months later, the for­mer Fernebahce of Turkey hit man posited that he soon came to realize that it was one of the greatest moments of his career.

Emenike disclosed during a Radio Sports programme monitored Lagos how happy he now is having been part of the AFCON 2013 success story under ‘The Big Boss.’

Emenike, who scored nine goals in 37 appearances for the Super Eagles, said: “I did not know how big winning the Nations Cup was until people started talking about it when I met them. People were look­ing at me in a great way, and talking so much about me.

“I knew it was because of the Nations Cup victory. That’s why I will always tell young players they should be determined when they are playing for the country. It’s good to play for your country, and winning the Nations Cup is a very big thing to do.”

It will be recalled that Eme­nike was an integral part of the Nigerian squad under Keshi, and he went on to score four goals in spearheading the Super Eagles to a third African title, while also getting named joint-top scorer in the process, such that it was a case of dou­ble glory for him in South Af­rica, where he actually started his career overseas with Black Aces and Cape Town FC.

Incidentally, Emenike could not feature in the AFCON 2013 final against Burkina Faso because of a thigh injury, but his performances in earlier matches earned him a spot in the competition’s all-star 11, while memories will continue to flow over his amazing long distance free-kick that gave Ni­geria victory in the semifinals against Cote d’Ivoire.