Peter Olayinka relishes first AFCON experience
The soft-spoken winger has continued to relish his AFCON debut, describing it as a lifetime experience.
By David Meshioye
Sparta Prague forward, Peter Olayinka has described his moments at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon as a lifetime experience that will remain fresh in his memory even if he lives to be 100 years old.
In an exclusive chat with 234sportsng.com, Olayinka described his late call-up as a miracle and expressed his relief and delight for making it count following his sublime performance against The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the second round.
Super Eagles may have lost 1-0 to Tunisia, but the Sparta Prague striker was a delight to watch as he rose to the occasion when he was introduced to help salvage Nigeria's AFCON dream. His timely pass and ability to put opposing defenders on the back foot stood him out as one of the revelations of the Nigerian side.
But the striker believes such lifetime experience will go a long way to help him develop his game at the club level. He added that the camaraderie in Super Eagles camp helped him to get along with teammates who welcomed him with open arms.
" The AFCON has been a great experience for me in particular," begins Olayinka.
" I was not even thinking of AFCON until the surprise invitation came. The players helped me to feel loved and wanted too, and that helped me to settle down in the team quickly.
" This has been a lifetime experience for me, and it will forever remain with me for a long time to come.
" I'm just want to thank the coaching crew and my teammates for their roles," he said.
Olayinka scored four goals in 12 matches before teaming up with Nigeria for the AFCON campaign. But it remains to be seen how he intends to lift his club after missing out of the club's winter training due to AFCON.
