Share
Abiodun Adewale
A UK-based Nigerian agent and scout, Ben Eni, said his son, Tristian Mitchell, a goalkeeper, wants to play for Nigerian champions Enyimba and other clubs in the Nigeria Premier Football League, just as the youngster fancies the chance of playing for the Super Eagles in the near future as well, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Eni, who is of Igbo descent, made a series of posts via his X account on Monday evening, asking for possible links to get his son attached to any of the clubs in the domestic league, adding that Tristian was inspired by current Super Eagles first choice keeper Stanley Nwabali.
“My son Tristian, who is also a Canadian citizen, just told me that he wants to play for Enyimba FC so he can fight for a place in the Super Eagles squad. Nwabali really inspired him,” Eni posted.
When contacted by our correspondent, Eni also explained why his son preferred to play for Nigeria and not Canada.
“The quality of football (in Nigeria) is better than Canada, the fame, the fans, the culture and of course the allure of the national team,” he told PUNCH Sports Extra.
On the mixed reactions that trailed his post, Eni told PUNCH Sports Extra, “The feedback has been amazing and of course some people say negative things but that’s expected.
“It’s not a competition. Even home-based Eagles will be a big feather to his cap,” he added, in response to one of the replies on his post.
Born in 2000, the goalkeeper, Tristian, plays for Lochee United FC in Scotland and they play in the Midlands League. He also shared a video expressing interest in moving to Nigeria.
“Hello everybody, thank you for the encouraging words. I’m really looking forward to coming over to Nigeria hopefully to get a good opportunity with a top club and hopefully the national team and I’m really looking forward to meeting the legend Nwabali,” the keeper said.
Nwabali became fans favourite in the Super Eagles following his heroics at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast where Nigeria finished second.
The Chippa United goalkeeper has a well-documented history with Enyimba, Lobi Stars, Katsina United and other clubs in the NPFL and broke into the team just over a year after making the move to the South African side.