After getting his international clearance to appear for the Nigeria national soccer team, Shola Ameobi has revealed his excitement at getting the call to play against Venezuela on Wednesday in an international friendly match.
After getting his international clearance to appear for the Nigeria national soccer team, Shola Ameobi has revealed his excitement at getting the call to play against Venezuela on Wednesday in an international friendly match.
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“Nigeria is where I’m from, that’s my heritage and I’ve never forgotten my roots. The majority of my family are from Nigeria and they’re really excited about this,” the 31-year old said upon his arrival in the team’s Miami, Florida camp.
“I’m really excited about it and hopefully I can go and meet up with the rest of the guys and see where we go from here,” he said.
“My focus right now is getting through this week and really looking forward to the game next weekend against Swansea,” he added.
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Ameobi also revealed his lingering desire to make an international career.
“You’d be a fool if you didn’t want to play at the very highest level and certainly I’m no fool.
“I want to play at the top as every other player does – that’s what drives me and that’s why I’m still here wanting to play in the Premier League.
“Newcastle United will always be No 1 for me, that is the bread and butter so that is something we’ll look at.
“But he [Alan Pardew] is delighted for me, as you’d expect because he wants a squad full of internationals here. He’s happy for me.”
Nigeria takes on Venezuela on at 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday night at Marlins Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Florida Marlins.
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