Anthony Nwakaeme is still going strong even at the ripe old age of 32 after another eventful season in the Turkish Super Lig with Trabzonspor.
He scored seven goals and supplied seven assists in 34 matches as the Ankara-based club finished fourth and as a result will feature in the newly-introduced UEFA Conference League.
He has been regarded as the “lucky charm” of Trabzonspor after stats showed that any time he got on the score sheet or gave an assist, his team do not lose.
Nwakaeme netted double figures in his first two seasons in Turkey, but failed to maintain such a record this past season no thanks to a number of weeks on the sidelines due to injury and illness.
However, he remains one of the key players for this ambitious club.
He was ranked No 28 in the SCORENigeria TOP 30 edition in January 2021.
His international career may be all but over after a most forgettable debut in Algeria on the Super Eagles Road to Russia 2018.
But the winger or striker will maintain coach Gernot Rohr did not give him a second chance because he did not play for a club in one of the top leagues in Europe.
“If I had played in England or Spain instead of Israel (where he was at a time of his debut), they would have given me another chance,” the experienced Nwakaeme said in a TV interview recently.
“Because I played in Israel, the national team coach Rohr looked down on me.”
