Frail Nigerian international John Utaka has thrown his hat into the ring for the Swish Eagles coaching job, signalling his readiness to recordsdata the national team with the identical option he confirmed at some level of his taking part in days.
Utaka, now 43, shouldn’t be any stranger to success on the pitch. From lifting the French Ligue 1 title with Montpellier to winning the English FA Cup with Portsmouth and the Arab Cup with Al Sadd, his occupation is embellished with achievements all the absolute most reasonable plan by lots of international locations.
Born in Enugu, the ahead began his first payment stir with Enugu Rangers before transferring to Egypt, the effect he became a fan approved at Ismaily after scoring an impressive 30 objectives in precisely 42 appearances.
His exploits earned him a call-as a lot as the Nigerian national team in 2001, making his debut against Namibia and later that contains in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Utaka’s standout 2nd for the Swish Eagles got here on the 2004 Africa Cup of International locations, the effect he netted twice and supplied an lend a hand to lend a hand Nigeria discover a bronze medal.
Through the years, he played in high leagues all the absolute most reasonable plan by Nigeria, Egypt, Qatar, France, England, and Turkey, experiences that discover now fashioned his coaching philosophy.
For the time being managing the ASPTT Montpellier females’s team in France, Utaka’s coaching credentials discover been gradually increasing.
His first stint with the club’s females’s aspect in 2021 ended in a solid sixth-effect form, and his authentic appointment has been marked by a combination of tactical intelligence and a player-focused manner. Now, he says he is able to raise that identical skills dwelling.
“If the NFF call me, I’ll be elated to achieve,” Utaka urged Brila FM. “The job is to coach the gamers to maximum doable.”
