Nigerian international and Villareal Fc budding star, Samuel Chukwueze has been making waves in the Laliga league and this has gotten the attention of one of the renowned Spanish league columnists, Sid Lowe stating that the 22-year old can be as great as Lionel Messi in the round leather game.

The British football Journalist with vast coverage of Spanish League, has also confirmed that professional footballers looking for international exposure would make great exploits in Spain and same for football reporters yearning international clout.

The renowned journalist for LaLiga was in Lagos State; Nigeria over the weekend where he engaged with the media and stakeholders on the importance of sports journalism and highlights on international character of LaLiga.

He confirmed that with his over two decades in reporting the league there is minimal barrier for greatness either for journalists or for footballers in the Spanish League irrespective of language and cultural barriers.

“La Liga is more than just football.” he started, ‘Players and clubs passion for the game go beyond the ecstasy on the stadium but down to culture and life and religion. And this makes lots of juicy reports for journalist and an awesome experience for international players in the league,” he said.

“African players in the league are doing great and Samuel Chukwueze from Nigeria who plays for Villarreal CF as a winger has been high-flying since he joined in 2017 and i see him making great impact in this year’s Africa Cup of Nation,” he said while responding to questions of opportunities for African players in the league.

“I was received with open hands when i started reporting the league by indigenous colleagues and they were very friendly and helpful just like the footballers. It was a bit tough when i started but when David Beckham joined the league, that was the turning-point  I starting translating during press conference and i became more useful for my colleague and the league,” he explained.

Recall that the Abia state born player, Chukwueze joined Villarreal CF’s prolific youth setup in 2017, from local side Diamond Football Academy After being initially assigned to the club’s Juvenil A squad, he made his senior debut with the reserves on 15 April 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute for Sergio Lozano in a 1–1 Segunda División B away draw against CE Sabadell FC.

He  scored his first senior goal on 20 May 2018, netting his team’s second in a 3–1 away defeat of Bilbao Athletic. He contributed with two goals in 11 appearances during his first season, as his side missed out promotion in the play-offs.

Chukwueze made his first-team debut on 20 September 2018, replacing Nicola Sansone in a 2–2 home draw against Rangers, for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. He also made his league debut on 5 November 2018, playing a 90-minute full play in a 1–1 home draw against Levante, for the 2018–19 La Liga.

In April 2019 he won the Nigeria Football Federation’s 2018 Young Player of the Year award

Also commenting at the event, Managing Director LaLiga Nigeria, Javier Del Rio said, “We are excited to be creating premium experiences for our partners and we are certain hearing from a professional reporter has been exciting.

‘We saw this as an opportunity to showcase insights from the league through the view of a professional reporter, in a bid to educate on the culture and passion of LaLiga. As one of the best journalists reporting for LaLiga worldwide, Sid Lowe allows us to connect with the Nigerian media, through the view of an industry analyst.”

LaLiga continues to build its brand’s presence in Nigeria through events such as this one. Nigerians are becoming more and more familiar with LaLiga and its various big games which has garnered more Nigerian supporters. Along with supporting the growth of grassroots football in Nigeria, LaLiga is committed to inspiring new fans of the beautiful game, introducing them to the Spanish league and the best in world football while expanding their worldviews.