RKC Genk of Belgium striker, Emmanuel Tolu Arokodare has described his debut for the Super Eagles as a befitting reward to his father for supporting his football career all through the years.
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Sports247 reports that, though Arokodare said he is not an emotional person and he hardly cries, he confessed that he shed tears of joy after getting his first national team cap in the second half of Friday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier away to Rwanda.
Although he could not score in the encounter at Amahuro Stadium in Kigali, the towering hitman, who has netted 19 goals in 35 games for his Belgian Jupiler League side, disclosed that it was a dream come true that he was given a chance to play for his country.
Arokodare, who grew up in FESTAC Town, Lagos, where he previously starred for Kash FC and Marshall Mbre’s Flying Sports Academy, added that he is still shell-shocked and lost for words, as he is yet to recover from the feat of playing for Nigeria in a crucial away victory.
The 24-year-old hitman, who was also once a student at Segun Odegbami’s International Sports Academy in Ogun State, after which he played for Valmiera of Latvia, FC Cologne of Germany and Amiens of France, was eventually able to find some words to describe his emotions, then went on to thank God and his family for making his debut possible.
Arokodare reminisced: “I’m speechless. I have no words to speak about my feelings. But, if I were to put it into words, I would just say thank you to God and my dad. I will also thank my mum, my brothers and my family, who all backed me to reach here.
“I am grateful to them all, most especially my dad; because he kind of dedicated his whole life to my football career … and this is one thing he had wanted the most out of everything.
“That’s a major reason why this means a lot to me, especially as he’s still alive to witness this fulfilment of our aspirations. Although I’m not an emotional person and I hardly cry, I was really overwhelmed by the whole situation, and I couldn’t believe it.”
The dark-skinned dreadlocks-wearing giant then spoke about the awe he has always had for many of the Super Eagles’ stars, hence the extra delight he got from being in the same camp with those he used to admire from afar and follow on social media.
“To imagine that, at the start of this season, I almost left Genk. But, look at me now, playing in the national team … with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Troost-Ekong, Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey. I’m now playing along with so many top players who I used to watch on Instagram. This is simply amazing,” Arokodare concluded cheerfully.
