Wikki Tourist defender Abdullahi Musa is one of the players making waves at the CHAN Eagles camp in Abuja, the player known for his combative style is among those expected to make the final squad to Morocco. He speaks to SHOTS on his journey and expectations.
Tell us about yourself and how you started your footballing journey?
Well, I was born in Kano city and like almost all footballers fell in love with the game at a very early stage. Started by playing with friends on the streets and moving on to club sides after a while and now here I am representing one of the most respected clubs in Nigeria and also on the verge of representing my country in an international tournament.
What has been your experience at the CHAN camp so far?
It has been nothing but amazing. The players and coaches have been massively accommodating and friendly, we are all here for a purpose and we all know what needs to be done. So in all, I will say, I have enjoyed every minute of my being here and I look forward to better days which I pray to include helping Nigeria win its first CHAN tournament in Morocco.
What makes you confident that Nigeria can make an impact at the tournament considering the tough opposition expected in North Africa?
In life, one has to maintain confidence if he intends to achieve his set targets. Without it one cannot get very far. I have been in camp for a while and I have the nature and quality of players in our side, which is one of the reasons why I am confident we can make it. Secondly the efforts our coaches are also putting in is another huge reason for my confidence. They are always drilling us, making sure we get their instructions right. I am not naïve and I know the tournament isn’t going to be easy but we are going there to win and by the grace of God, we’ll come back home victorious.
Now back to your club, Wikki Tourist, last season wasn’t such a memorable one, how do you think this upcoming one can be better?
Yes, as you noted, last term didn’t flow the way we wanted it to but we gave our best till the last day and regarding the upcoming season, we will also be giving our best as players in order to make sure the aims and objectives of the club is achieved. So all I can say is that Wikki is a very big and historic club and should always be challenging for either the title or the continental places and that is what we’ll be doing insha Allah.
How supportive have your family been for your career?
They’ve been very helpful Alhamdulillah, I’ve never had any negative vibes coming from them and I’m thankful for that. Parents and other relatives should always support their children whenever they show interest in certain fields even if that’s not their dream for the child as far as it’s not crime.
Where do you see your career in the next few years?
We are all in this to make progress; every player will tell you that his dream is to play for top clubs, win trophies not forgetting representing the senior national team. All those things I mentioned are the reasons we play football. There’s that indescribable feeling whenever you do something amazing on the field.
Do you have any advice to amateur players trying to become a professional player like you?
Yes, I do. The biggest thing is to be focus, train very hard and also pray very hard. Making it to the professional level isn’t the alpha and omega, it is there that the hard work starts, because you have to keep improving or else someone else will take your place, that is how football works.
