Written by Bethel Kalu
Every year, many young players from Africa leave the continent to go play football outside its shores. Others are scouted for the various youth national teams.
One of the coaches who has distinguished himself in spotting talents is Aliyu Zubairu, the coach of Nigeria’s U20 men’s national team, the Flying Eagles. He is also the coach of Elkanemi Warriors, a club in Nigeria’s elite league, the NPFL. In one of his scouting journeys across the country, precisely in Okpala, Imo State, Zubairu spoke to players about what scouts look for in players and we outline them.
- Technique: “If scouts come to watch you, they look out for techniques in you, your God-given techniques.
- Tactical Ability: “It is the ability to play with other players, not only you.
- Your Mental Alertness: “It is very important. If you are in a tight situation, how do you get out of it? It is not all the time that you want to impress people. What do you do in a particular situation you find yourself if it is tight?
- Physical fitness/physique: It is part of the prerequisites. Physical buildup is important, that is why you need to go to the gym.
- Are you coachable? Can you listen to your coaches? If they give you simple instructions, do you adhere to it? No team will want a player who does not listen to instructions.
He further spoke about his trip for a practical coaching training with FC Montana of Bulgaria and how West Africans were analysed as having talent but many of them are ball watchers. He said many of the West Africans in analysis wait for ball to come to them before they react but that a player on the pitch should be actively involved in the game and anticipate the ball always, even making moves through the blind side of the opponents, just like Manchester United’s Amad Dialo.
Zubairu won the Federation Cup with Elkanemi Warriors and helped them get promotion to the NPFL. He also lifted the WAFU B Championship with the Flying Eagles.