German-born Nigerian footballer, Leon Balogun has dedicated Nigeria’s ticket to the World Cup in Russia 2018 to his paternal Grandmother.
Balogun who made this known in a chat with Vanguard said he dedicated the ticket to his Grandmother who he never saw until she passed on.
The 29-year-old who was born in Berlin speaking about his emotional attachment to his grandmother said.
‘’Before the game against Zambia, I thought about my Nigerian grandmother, who I never got to see, as she has passed on but was told of the love she had for me and the other grandchildren I thought about what this World Cup ticket would have meant to her were she to be alive and the answer I got from my mind is that she would be weeping and overcome with emotions in the afterlife’’.
The fair-skinned defender who is parented by a German mother and a Nigerian father said the qualification was made sweeter as it was achieved against a very tough and good Chipolopolo side.
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Balogun further said he also dedicated the World Cup ticket to his father and other family members who supported him throughout his football journey.
Speaking about the Super Eagle’s victory against the Chipolopolo of Zambia he said, the Zambians gave the Nigerian national team a good run all through the match.
‘’The victory is sweet because it was achieved against an amazing Zambian side, who gave us a good run for the ticket. Other teams that we played against do not have the technical depth of the Zambians. They have a complete team inside out. They kept coming at us from all sides of the field. It was very difficult containing them.
‘’Their wingers were very quick and skilful. They are a unit. They play for each other. They gave us a tough time throughout the game. They are a team for the future. They would have qualified if they were in another group.
Balogun began his Bundesliga career on 19 April 2009 with the German club, Hannover. He would have joined the league of African stars born in Germany, like Jerome Boateng and David Alaba, who rather than stick up for their father’s countries, chose to play for European nations.
Balogun who seems fulfilled to play for his father’s country said.
‘’I can’t describe how I feel. It is unbelievable. It’s probably going to my first and only World Cup, so I still need time to realise that I am going to play with the best players in the world. I need time to realise what this means”.
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