NPFL Boss Lauds Chibuike Nwaiwu’s Super Eagles Debut

Gbenga Elegbeleye, Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), has praised Chibuike Nwaiwu’s recent debut for the Super Eagles.

The Trabzonspor star came on as a second-half substitute for Igoh Ogbuh in Nigeria’s 2-1 friendly victory over Iran on Friday.

Before moving abroad, Nwaiwu played for former NPFL champions Heartland and Enyimba. The 22-year-old was part of the Enyimba squad that secured a record-extending ninth NPFL title in the 2022/23 season.

The versatile defender departed the Aba giants for Austrian club Wolfsberger AC the following season. Nwaiwu then won the Austrian Cup with Wolfsberger before joining Trabzonspor in January.

Elegbeleye described the player’s rapid ascent as a “significant source of pride” for the NPFL. “This is a massive bragging right for the NPFL. It will motivate our league players to up their game to get scouted by foreign clubs and our national team handlers,” Elegbeleye told the NPFL media.