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Super Eagles star Kelechi Nwakali stars in his first game for Ponferradina

Published

2 years ago

July 29, 2022

Fahuyost (ANE Staff)

Super Eagles star Kelechi Nwakali stars in his first game for Ponferradina

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The Nigerian international played his first game for the Spanish side since signing for the club.

Super Eagles star Kelechi Nwakali was in action for the first time for his new club Ponferradina in their clash against Real Valladolid. Nwakali joined the Spanish second division side this summer after he was controversially released by Huesca.

The Super Eagles star had been without a club since April after he was dismissed by Huesca. However, Ponferradina offered him a new opportunity with a deal. Nwakali showed the club’s fans what to expect with an assured performance in his first game.

Nwakali impresses on his first start

Making his first start in his first game, Nwakali was tidy in possession while he also got into some promising positions before he was taken off at half-time.

Although Ponferradina lost the game 2-1, the club’s coach Jose Gomes would have been pleased with the performance of Nwakali.

Gomes had already praised the signing of Nwakali, praising him for his ability since the U17 days.

“I knew him, he scored a goal against me when I was at Almería,” Gomes said.

“In the U-17 World Cup, he was the best player in the tournament, and it was no coincidence.

“He is very intelligent, knows how to take up space, filters very good passes, dribbles well, and pulls out,” he added.

Ponferradina offer Nwakali a fresh start

Nwakali will hope his move to Ponferradina will kickstart his career. The Nigerian came into the spotlight after leading Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup.

He signed for Arsenal after the tournament but never made any first-team appearance for the Gunners before signing for Huesca. His time at Huesca was full of controversy, but he will hope for a fresh start at Ponferradina.