The maiden edition of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup kicked off today, with Egyptian club Al Ahly playing out a goalless draw with MLS side Inter Miami.
Unlike the former editions, 32 teams are involved in this new version, and FIFA have increased the prize money to €1 billion (₦1.55 trillion). This would see the winners take home $125 million at least.
The competition will bring clubs and footballers from different parts of the world, and Nigeria will be there － not clubs though, but players.
Five Nigerian players will be participating at the club World Cup, but only one has played for the Super Eagles- Zaidu Sanusi.
The others are Rilwanu Sarki, Hassan Muhammed, Joshua Udoh, and Onuche Ogbelu. Soccernet.ng writes about these players and their clubs.
1. Zaidu Sanusi (Porto)
Zaidu Sanusi is the only Super Eagles player in the squad. He was named in Porto’s squad for the tournament, and will be the first Nigerian player to play in this expanded edition.
He made his debut for the Super Eagles in October 2020, and he has made 22 appearances since then. However, he has not played for Nigeria since the last Africa Cup of Nations.
Porto have been drawn in Group A of the tournament, alongside Al Ahly, Inter Miami, and Palmeiras.
2. Rilwanu Sarki (Al Ain)
Rilwanu Sarki is on the books of United Arab Emirates club Al Ain. The 21-year-old winger played for Nigeria at Under-20 level.
He played for the Flying Eagles at the last Under-20 AFCON and the Under-20 AFCON, but he is yet to play for the senior team.
Al Ain are in Group G of the competition with Manchester City, Juventus, and Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca.
3. Hassan Muhammed (Al Ain)
Hassan Muhammed is also another player on Al Ain’s books. He is one of the goalkeepers for the club, but it is unlikely that he will get minutes at the Club World Cup.
He has never played for Nigeria, but the 18-year-old can still play his way to the top in the coming years.
4. Joshua Udoh
Joshua Udoh is another of the players from Al Ain, who will be looking to make a mark at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The 17-year-old midfielder is not yet a regular for Al Ain though. The youngster has never represented Nigeria at any level, but he will be looking to play for them in the coming years.
5. Onuche Ogbelu (Esperance)
Onuche Ogbelu is another former Flying Eagles star who will play at the Club World Cup. Like Sarki, he played for Nigeria at the last Under-20 AFCON and the World Cup.
The 22-year-old midfielder has been at Esperance for the last two years, and he has been an important player for them. He will surely play for the Tunisian giants in the competition.
Esperance are in Group D of the tournament, alongside Chelsea, Flamengo, and Los Angeles FC.