SUPER Eagles new striker, Ekigho Ehiosun, is the most sought-after player in the on-going WAFU Nations Cup in Abeokuta, Ogun State. His unique way of celebrating after scoring, as well as his cool headedness, has made Ehiosun the toast of many fans and journalists covering the competition, which is in the semifinal stage. After helping the Super Eagles to a 4-0 thrashing of Niger Republic on Saturday, he told Gowon Akpodonor that he wants to be celebrated in the football circle through regular goal scoring.The number, 7, looks like a special one for Super Eagles new kid on the block, Ekigho Ehiosun. On Saturday, May 7, he scored a goal in Nigeria s 4-0 demolition of Niger Republic to hit the semifinal of the on-going WAFU Nations Cup. That strike took his goal tally to seven since he made his debut for the national teams in the international friendly against Sierra Leone in Lagos. Before then, Ehiosun had scored seven goals for his club, Warri Wolves, in the Nigerian Premier League, including a hat trick against Sharks of Port Harcourt.Speaking with The Guardian in Abeokuta over the weekend on his sudden rise to national limelight, Ehiosun said: First, I must say that whatever I have achieved as a striker in the national teams is by the Grace of God. It is also by the collective responsibility of my teammates. But as for my role as a striker, my duty is to score goals and that is what I am out to do whenever on the field of play.Ehiosun scored on his debut for the Super Eagles against Sierra Leone a few months ago. Soon after that game, he was drafted to the Olympic Eagles for the London 2012 qualifier against Equatorial Guinea in Benin City. In that game he scored again, thereby, setting a record for himself as the first player to score on his debut for both teams. He went on to record a hat trick in the return leg in Malabo to take his goals tally to five.On the opening day of the WAFU Nations Cup, Ehiosun was the saving grace for Nigeria, as he scored the Eagles lone goal against a more agile Liberian side. It was his sixth strike for the country. And on Saturday, he struck again, this time the third goal in the 4-0 victory against Niger Republic to land Nigeria in the semifinal.For the player, the hallmark of a striker is to always go the extra mile by digging out a goal no matter the circumstances.He said: Whenever I am on the pitch putting on the green white jersey, I always want to give 120 per cent of my energy and it has paid off for me. I have to do all within my ability to put the ball behind the goalkeeper and it has been my dream to bring smiles to the faces of Nigerian soccer fans through my goal scoring.Ehiosun has been a member of Warri Wolves from its days as Delta United and later Delta Force FC, while he was schooling at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Warri.He graduated a few days after scoring his first goal for the Super Eagles in the friendly tie against Sierra Leone. He actually came to limelight after helping Warri Wolves to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup two years ago. But the team could not make it to the group stage after losing on a 1-3 aggregate to CAPS United of Zimbabwe. But that misadventure in the continent has not diminished Ehiosuns value as a potent striker.According to an official of Warri Wolves, Ehiosun is currently worth over $5 million.For Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, the ability of a player, especially a top striker, to deliver when on the field of play has to do with his ability to implement whatever he learns from his coach during training. What I tell my strikers is to always stay in the middle and position themselves very well for any given opportunity. What matters much in the game of football is the goal. When we played our first match against Liberia, I told everyone that I was happy for the win even when we did not play well in the second half.With that extra energy from Ehiosun, we got a 1-0 victory against Liberia last Thursday and the 4-0 win over Niger has taken us to the semifinal.I congratulate the boys and I want to also commend mosquito (Bartholomew Ibenegbu) for scoring a brace as well as propelling the attack of our team well in the match. My boys played to instructions and we were technically better in the match, Siasia said.Siasia acknowledges that he still has a lot of work to do to get the home-based players on equal footing with their foreign-based counterparts. He said, We are using this championship and other games to gauge on the progress of the team we are building.We will give the home-based players the same opportunity as we give the Europe-based stars, and as I always say only the best is good enough for Nigeria no matter where the player is based.That is the fillip Ehiosun says he needs to show what he can do for the Eagles. I am happy that the national team is now open to every Nigerian and I want to promise my fans that I will do my best to ensure that I justify the opportunity given to me by Coach Samson Siasia.My ambition is to become Nigerias top striker and I know with God on my side I will achieve that, Ehiosun said.Whenever I am on the pitch putting on the green white jersey, I always want to give 120 per cent of my energy and it has paid off for me. I have to do all within my ability to put the ball behind the goalkeeper and it has been my dream to bring smiles to the faces of Nigerian soccer fans through my goal scoring.
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