Photo: Ekwueme (right) and Chief Collins Onwuzulike signing the MOU making Ekwueme the Ambassador of Moonluck soccer academy Wednesday night in Lagos.
By George Aluo
Ex international, Ifeanyi Ekwueme has tasked players of Moonluck FC, a Lagos based soccer academy, to aspire taking their football career to the highest level.
Ekwueme who was recently unveiled as the academy’s Ambassador spoke to the players on Wednesday moments after the academy engaged a Festac based amateur side 11 Carats in a friendly which they (Moonluck) won by 2-1.
Ekwueme who watched the friendly expressed satisfaction with the performance of the players aged between 15 and 18.
According to the former Super Eagles midfielder, who formally signed the dotted lines with Moonluck FC as the academy’s Ambassador Wednesday night, the management of Moonluck is doing a good job in trying to groom the next generation of the nation’s football stars.
“I have seen the boys play and I was super impressed. I was at the Satellite Town of the academy and I doffed my hat for the Proprietor, Chief Collins Onwuzulike for investing heavily in the academy. He (Onwuzulike) deserved to be encouraged and given all the needed support and this is why I decided to team up with the academy as their ambassador. I told the players after the friendly against 11 Carats that they must not waste the opportunity being offered them by Moonluck. A good number of the boys are talented and have what it takes to make it in the round leather game. I hope to see them playing for bigs clubs in Nigeria and Overseas and lacing boots for the country. On my part, I will pull all the strings as the academy’s Ambassador to see the players take their football careers to the next level,” Ekwueme stated.
Proprietor of Moonluck, Collins Onwuzulike, a diehard Chelsea fan had after the friendly against 11 Carats spoilt his players with some cash as a way of celebrating Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League victory.
Onwuzulike said his dream is to see his players eventually lacing boots for the Blues and other top European clubs.
He was full of praise for Ekwueme who he noted would propel the players to work harder.
“I want to say a big thank you to our Ambassador, Ekwueme. His presence is a big plus for us. Our players are now motivated and want to lace boots for the country as he (Ekwueme) did in his heyday,” Onwuzulike said.
