Shell Cup MVP’s Relish Feyenoord Experience

Femi Solaja

The two Most Valuable Players of the current edition of the annual Shell Cup football among secondary schools in the country, Joseph Eze and Kelvin Amadi, have described their outing at the one-week training programme at the Feyenoord FC academy in Holland as a life changing moment in their respective careers.

The duo arrived Nigeria at the weekend and in an interview with Thisday monday described their outing as a wonderful one and looking forward to a better football experience alongside academic pursuance.

Eze, who is a student of Foster Academy in Abuja, said that that it was great to be part of the training programme, which would help improve their game and expressed hope that he would one day become famous like his Idol, Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid.

“The Feyenoord trip no doubt as changed my world. I have learnt more on how to operate within the team and it also gave me a unique opportunity to make more friends in other continent and socialise with them while enjoying the life in the beautiful game called football.

“I cannot quantify the experience in monetary value and I have to say is thank you to Shell?NNPC Joint venture for this unique platform given to me at no cost,” he remarked.

On his own part, Amadi, who is a student of Excel School in Port Harcourt, Rivers State noted that they learnt more about how football should be played and was happy to watch a live game, which ended in favor of their host Feyenoord. “The atmosphere inside the stadium is awesome. I just can’t describe it because experience is a better way of knowledge. The crowd experience is something I can never forget. I was the first time in my life that I will be in such a huge crowd that is well organised with recourse violent or stampede.

“I will start this crusade from my school and thereafter take it beyond the school confine on why the youths of today must eschew violent and let us all be organised as a steady way to success rather than disruption,” he remarked.

The young star commended the sponsor and promised to be a better footballer than Lionel Messi of Barcelona. ” I don’t think Messi was privileged to have this opportunity given to me by Shell/NNPC Joint venture and if I make good use of it as a platform, I think I could be a greater football in life,” he noted.

Tolu Derin Adefuwa, who led the players to Holland commended them for conducting themselves well during the trip and said the experience would be invaluable as they players continue to progress in their career.

She said the Shell Cup, which is in its 18th year, has given opportunity to young footballers in school and urged Amadi and Eze to exhibit the skills they learnt in Holland.
In his remark, Shells’s General Manager, External Relation Nigeria and Gabon, Igho Weli expressed the companies commitment to the development of young talents. He also urged the players not to drop out of school, noting that ‘sports and educational are not mutually exclusive’ but can go hand in hand.

“This is the beginning of greater things in their life because I will not say the experience is its a life time experience. Where do they go from here? The answer is very simple, the duo will enjoy scholarship scheme from us because beyond football, education is very important we have to encourage them to be a role model in life,” he remarked.