BY Victor Akhidenor
Club World Cup hero, Sanni Issa, is hoping his performance at the just concluded tournament will put him in contention for a Super Eagles shirt.
After making history with Auckland City of New Zealand by finishing third at the FIFA Club World Cup after beating Cruz Azul 4-2 on penalties and becoming the first club from Oceania to win a medal in the competition, Issa, who scored the decisive penalty kick, expects the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to “know” him now and extend a national call-up.
“No one knows me back home, especially my federation,” Issa told Goal.
“Maybe now they will know. That’s why I was trying to prove myself. I think this is the moment the world might know something about me.”
Since 2011 when he made his debut with Suva FC of Fiji, Issa has played for three other clubs – Ba Football Association, Amicale FC of Vanuatu, and Waikato FC of New Zealand – before joining Auckland City six days before the Club World Cup.
“It was crazy,” he said.
“The first time I’ve seen my team-mates was in Morocco. I didn’t meet them back in New Zealand. This is my first time training with them. So I was trying to adjust to their style, trying to know them better.”
Coach Ramon Tribulietx signed the 23-year-old after recognising his talents in the Pacific tournament.
“I spent almost three years in Fiji and I spent one year in Vanuatu so when I had the call from Ramon it was really a shock that he wanted me to join Auckland City. To play in a Club World Cup game is something really big.”
Playing for Nigeria in Russia 2018 World Cup would be something really big too for the forward who only three years ago was donning the jersey of Suva FC of Fiji.
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