Super Eagles newcomer Benjamin Tanimu has revealed that he was so excited when he found out he was invited to the senior national team that he couldn’t sleep on the first night.
Benjamin Tanimu began his professional football journey at Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) club, Bendel Insurance, until February 12, 2024.
He played a key role in helping the team get promoted to the NPFL and was instrumental in their 21-game unbeaten streak in the league.
Additionally, Benjamin Tanimu was part of the Bendel Insurance team that won the 2023 Federation Cup after 43 years.
His outstanding performance as a 21-year-old defender led to his selection for Nigeria’s under-23 squad in 2023 and a move to Tanzanian club, Ihefu, where he has played 6 games this season.
Although he couldn’t help the Flying Eagles qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, his efforts did not go unnoticed, resulting in an invitation to the senior national team for upcoming friendly matches against Ghana today and Mali on March 26.
“That particular day I couldn’t sleep until 1 am, but since then I haven’t been thinking too much about it because I have league games to attend to and things must be taken one at a time,” Tanimu told Punch.
Reports stated that Benjamin Tanimu was selected for the national team because he was playing overseas. However, the young player told the Punch that it was actually his strong performance in the NPFL that led to his call-up.
“No. Six games in Tanzania aren’t enough to earn me a national team call-up. The technical department must have been watching me from the NPFL and also the time I was in the U-23 — it all started from the NPFL”, he said.
The Kaduna state-born defender added, “Playing in the NPFL is no joke as it is highly tasking and requires you to be on top of your mental game at all times. At Bendel Insurance, our first season in the NPFL after gaining promotion definitely brought a lot of attention to many of us, and being consistent playing in the league opened the way. We set an unbeaten record of 21 games in the league and everyone had their eyes on us. The league is without a doubt one of the best in Africa and I thank the NPFL board and the NFF for improving the league and giving me the opportunity for the world to see what NPFL players are made of.”
While playing for the under-23 team, Benjamin Tanimu took photos with some Super Eagles players without realizing that he would be training with them within just one year.
He said, “Honestly, I didn’t think my invitation to the Super Eagles was going to be this soon. When I met the likes of (Victor) Osimhen, (Alex) Iwobi, and others in Abuja last year, I was just wishing I would be in the national team like them one day. I didn’t imagine we would be training together this soon. It was cool being around those great guys. That feeling makes me feel more excited and at the same time it keeps me cool and focused on my game.”
