Sports Minister Thumbs Up Samuel's Villarreal to Lift UEFA Champions League Cup

April, 14 2022.

Mr Sunday Dare has thumbed up Samuel Chukwueze’s Villarreal to lift the 2022 UEFA Champions League cup.

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development said he is supporting the club, as Samuel Chukwueze is the only Nigerian youth in the competition.

The Minister made this known, while receiving the UEFA Champions League trophy in Abuja.

Villarreal qualified for the Semifinals of the Champions League, on the account of Samuel's goal, Tuesday night.

This was revealed in a statement made available by Mohammed Manga, the Press and Public Relations Officer of the Ministry.

The statement reads in part, “The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, who received the trophy presented to him by Heineken, in his office at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja, expressed his excitement over the choice of Nigeria for the touring of the trophy, describing it as the second most important trophy in football after the FIFA World Cup trophy."

The Minister diplayed optimism that Chukwueze, the only Nigerian youth left playing in the Champions League today, will be the next Nigerian after Finidi George, Nwankwo Kanu and John Mikel Obi to put his hands on the trophy.”

Dare said, Nigeria, as a football-loving nation, has a strong attachment to the Champions League over the years and called on Nigerian youths to get themselves involved in sporting activities, stressing that the regime of the President Muhammadu Buhari is dedicated to the development of sports in the country.

The leader of the delegation and the Corporate Affairs Manager of Nigerian Breweries, Shade Morgan, while officially presenting the trophy to the Honourable Minister, said "the presentation of the trophy was, among other things, aimed at boosting the morale of Nigerian youths towards sporting activities to make themselves self-employed and self-reliant so as to contribute to the growth and development of Nigeria economy".