Taiwo Awoniyi was the luckiest player in my FIFA U17 World Cup winning team in the UAE because he was not part of the screening exercise in Abuja and I already had a team camping in Calabar at Princeville Hotel Calabar made up of forty players and one day I flew from Calabar for a meeting at the NFF and I saw a clip of the then U15 national team match and in the clip, Taiwo Awoniyi scored a goal with the head and I just said coach Siji Olagunju should give me his number and I called, introduce myself as the head coach of the National U-17 team and told him to try and come to Calabar and fight for a place in the team.
When Awoniyi arrived at Calabar, the team doctor said why do I invite him because they were together in the national U-15 team and he was very slow and can't make it and I told him that I personally saw a clip of his game and invited him and that I want to watch him for some time and God willing, he made the team to the world cup.
Though he wasn't a first-team starter, when Success Isaac, the highest goal scorer in all the friendly games we played and at the AFCON U-17 tournament in Morocco got a hamstring injury while celebrating the goal he scored against Sweden in the group match at the world cup, Taiwo Awoniyi got his chance scored a goal with an assist and finished the world cup with 4 goals.
Taiwo Awoniyi
Taiwo Awoniyi was the main striker when we won the Super 6 Glo LMC Football Competition in Abuja 2015 defeating the likes of Enyimba, Kano Pillars, Warri Wolves, Dolphins, and National U-23, and was the main striker when we won the Afcon U20 Senegal 2015 trophy and Gold Medal and finished with 3 goals and some assist.
This story is a testimony of the development of Taiwo Awoniyi and why we have to believe in destiny whether good or bad. On a final note, I'm delighted to have played a great role in contributing to his development, and Biizinillah, the player can always get be.
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