By Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Nigerian starlet Atama Anza Usman is hoping to excel at the Summer Britannia International Cup Football Tournament, which holds in Chester in the United Kingdom.
The player, who hails from Nasarawa State will return to the summer football camp/Britannia Cup having been among the winning team in the UK at the Summer Football Camp in 2021and 2022 respectively.
Aside inspiring the participants, the Britannia Cup, which is an international tournament for under- age players, offers guided tours of Liverpool FC Anfield, Manchester United FC Old Trafford, and Manchester City FC Etihad Stadium for all the players.
The budding Nigeria youth, who is very comfortable on the ball is already dreaming of using the international tournament as a window to develop his skills and attract the attention of scouts that work for some of the top clubs in Europe.
Without mincing words, he said his dream is to play in the English Premier League, which is the most coveted league in the world.
He captains the U-12 age group at the Pepsi Football Academy in Abuja and has won several laurels presenting the academy.
The 12-year-old player, who is a student of Africa Community School (ACS), Asokoro, Abuja is an attacking midfielder.
Usman, who also played for FAFC in the Abuja Kids League, has scored more than eight goals this season.
His football role model is the legendary Brazilian, Ronaldinho who won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and is the only player ever to have won a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores and a Ballon d’Or.
A global icon of the sport, Ronaldinho was renowned for his technical skills, creativity, dribbling ability and accuracy from free-kicks, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals. The now retired player is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
“Ronaldinho is my football role model. He inspires me and I dream to play at his level one day. He is an inspiration to me and several other young players of my age. But aside from him, I also love watching all the big clubs and their armada of stars like Christian Ronaldo, Messi, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Ansu Fati, Vini Junior and Victor Osimhen. I believe if I continue to dream and put in the extra work, I will definitely actualise my dream and become a household name like one of them” Usman said.
Usman also dreams of captaining the Super Eagles and winning laurels with the national team. But the starting point for the starlet is to represent the Nigeria’s U-17 national team, the Golden Eaglets, using the famed age-grade team, which has produced world famous stars like Nwankwo Kanu, Celestine Babayaro, Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho, Taiwo Awoniyi as a platform to attain stardom.
“My immediate aspiration is to show what I am capable of doing by impressing at Britannia Cup. But in the coming years, I aim to be selected for the Golden Eaglets and the Flying Eagles. From there I will work hard and make the grade for the Super Eagles. My dream is to captain the national team of Nigeria and play at the FIFA World Cup,” Usman said.
