It was a raw but energetic 15-year-old Daniel Daga who against all odds propelled the Flying Eagles to top the WAFU qualifiers for the U20 AFCON last year in Niamey, Niger Republic.
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He scooped two Man of the Match awards for Nigeria to brush aside the likes of defending champions Ghana and Benin Republic to qualify for the U20 AFCON.
It is now hoped that the mercurial defensive midfielder will again carry the team to punch above their weight at the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina.
This was after a no-show at the recent U20 AFCON in Egypt, where he suffered a serious knee injury in the first half of an opening group game against eventual champions Senegal.
Daga, who enjoys the confidence of both coach Ladan Bosso and his fellow teammates, was badly missed as the Flying Eagles barely booked their passage to the U20 World Cup with a third-place finish.
“Daga was seriously missed at the AFCON,” analysed journalist Kola Daniel.
“The Flying Eagles midfield was built around him and in his absence that huge responsibility fell on the schoolboy Onuche Ogbelu, who found the going a little rough.”
Such is the infectious confidence that the Dakkada FC midfield star commands that team officials told SCORENigeria his fellow teammates were begging him to continue the game even when he injured his knee against Senegal.
The Flying Eagles medical team immediately swung into action to ensure Daga was back in action in time for the World Cup.
The result is that the combativeness and dynamism that the Flying Eagles midfield desperately lacked in Egypt in March are now guaranteed in Argentina.
Daga is a ferocious competitor, whose drive to succeed eclipses even his other qualities like a tigerish tackle and a powerful shot from distance.
Many are therefore looking forward to a great comeback by the player after a massive overhaul of the midfield that has brought in AC Milan U19 star Victor Eletu, Bulgaria-based Tochukwu Nadi and back-to-form Samson Lawal.
Busy-as-a-bee attacking midfielder Lawal was a delight to watch at the WAFU qualifiers with Daga the enforcer behind him.
This can only be good news to the Flying Eagles attack at the World Cup after they suffered to get quality service from the midfield at the AFCON.
For Daga, suitors from overseas have been keeping close tabs despite his tender years – he will only be 17 next January – and this tournament could well determine the next step in a very promising career.
