Nedum Onuoha shows class in Euro 2020 coverage
The adage that opines that it is not only one road that leads to the market came to the fore as Nigeria born former England junior international Nedum Onuoha showed class in the coverage/analysis of Euro 2020.
The Warri born Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers defender has been partnering with ESPN since the championship kicked off June 11 and according to the verdict has been superb in his analysis.
The outfit said Onuoha who though eligible to have played for either the Three Lions or the Super Eagles did not play for any before bidding the pitch bye in his soccer career,emerged as a star of their coverage of Euro 2020 which ends on Sunday with England taking on Italy in the final.
Onuoha, who is based in the United Kingdom, is spending three weeks in Connecticut covering UEFA European Championship.
One of several former defenders in the Premier League who has gone on to become a standout analyst, Onuoha discussed how being on teams of various levels informed his commentary and analysis today. “When I was on teams fighting relegation where every match matters, it’s a crazy environment to be in as it is fighting to get out of the Championship. It informs how you view and analyze the game,” explained Onuoha.
Among the current crop of analysts that Onuoha played alongside Manchester City in their backline are Danny Mills, Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards. Speaking specifically of Richards, Onuoha is very happy to see how big a star he has become on British television as well as in the United States on CBS Sports coverage of the UEFA Champions League.
Media training for players both at Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers (QPR) helped Onuoha develop the skills necessary for appearing on television and speaking in a detailed manner about soccer. Serving as captain of QPR for his final three seasons at the club also helped lead directly into his broadcasting career.
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Onuoha who is happy who has found fun and fulfilment in what he is doing after retiring from football, may have urged currently active footballers to start early to begin the venture into off the pitch activities when he said in a chat with World soccer
“I did several shows over two and a half years for the BBC on Five Live,” . “I knew I was getting to the end of my career, and I knew I had to do something else. I also have been on other podcasts and in that time I developed how to speak with other people, what the audience liked and didn’t like, and learned in that time what people want to hear about beyond just playing on the field”
Omuoha made 377 career appearances for four different clubs scoring 12 goals between 2004 and 2020.