Hamburger SV forward Philip Otele has expressed delight after recently debuting for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a 2-2 draw with Jordan during the just concluded March international break, Footynaija.com reports.
The Bundesliga based winger didn’t quite manage to get much game time over the course of what was his first involvement with the Nigerian senior national team. Otele saw just nine minutes of action overall, coming on in the 81st minute to replace Frank Onyeka after being an unused substitute in the 2-1 victory over Iran.
Despite only receiving a handful of minutes in Antalya, the 27-year-old former Basel man was full of pride and emotion after finally representing his country at senior international level.
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“For me, it was a dream come true. We always play football to represent the national team, so I always wanted to play for Nigeria, and it was a big moment for me and my family,” Otele told the Super Eagles, per quotes on Complete Sports.
“I am proud of this moment. As a player, when you play for your national team, it gives you that extra boost, and it also means a lot in general because of the tournaments you get to play with the national team.
“Being here is a huge thing for me because I am a patriotic fan, and I have been following the team for a long time.”
After officially becoming Super Eagle, Otele will now return his focus to the German Bundesliga where he’ll be looking to help Hamburger SV push on as high as they can on the league standings and finish the ongoing season in the best way possible.
Hamburger currently occupy 12th place and have a tally of 30 points from 27 games so far. Their major objective this season would be to retain their top flight status and with only seven games left to play, it looks like they’re on course to achieve that target.
