Philip Otele has expressed his pride after making his debut for the Nigerian senior national team in their 2-2 draw against Jordan on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise in his career and earned a loan transfer from Swiss club Basel to German side Hamburg during the winter transfer window.
Otele was handed a first senior call-up when Eric Chelle named the 23-man squad for the friendlies against Iran and Jordan and finally made his bow on Tuesday, becoming the fourth player to achieve the feat across the two friendlies.
Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez came on as a second half substitute against Iran for his debut, before Trabzonspor defender Chibuike Nwaiwu was also introduced into the national team in the same match.
Then, it was the turn of Yira Sor to make his first appearance for the Super Eagles when he started the game against Jordan, before Otele entered fray in the second half.
Nigeria went on to record a 2-2 draw against the Asian side in the keenly-contested friendly match, which also saw them reduced to 10 late on when Alex Iwobi was sent off.
Al-Taamari gave Jordan a shock lead, before Moses Simon and Fernandez, with his first international goal, turned things around in the first half.
Mohammad Al-Daoud scored in the second half to seal a memorable draw for the Jordanians in the encounter.
Otele delighted with Super Eagles debut
Speaking after the encounter, the on-loan Hamburg forward said the moment marked a remarkable one in his career, expressing delight and satisfaction with his progress.
“My name is Philip Otele from Bayelsa State, Nigeria. I am a winger. I am very happy to be here; it’s a pleasure for me and my family, and I want to say a huge thank you to God first. I also want to thank the Super Eagles for trusting me with this call-up”, Otele stated.
“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.
“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”, the former CFR Cluj forward said.
Otele will now return to action with Hamburg after the international break, hoping to continue impressing for the club to boost his chances of earning more caps for the Super Eagles.
