"He was Drinking Garri at Home When I Called Him to Come Join the World Cup Team."

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By Bunmi Blair.



2013 FIFA U17 world cup winning team coach, Manu Garba, has hailed the goal scoring exploits of Union Berlin of Germany striker Taiwo Awoniyi.


Awoniyi, who moved from Liverpool to the German side this summer, scored again over the weekend, as Union Berlin beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 in the German Bundesliga.


He now has five goals in six games for the club in the new season.



Manu Garba, a two time FIFA U17 world cup winner, could not hide his excitement at Taiwo's newly discovered goal scoring form. He also went down memory lane to recall how Awoniyi began his rise to stardom from the slums of Ilorin, a city in Kwara State, Nigeria.


"That's a great goal from a great player that has a great future in the game. He wasn't part of the U17 screening process in Abuja and was drinking Garri at home in Ilorin and I called him to come and join us in Calabar and fight for a place in the FIFA U17 world cup winning team." Manu said.



Awoniyi scored four goals to help Nigeria win the FIFA U17 World cup in 2013 and his style of play has been compared to that of Nigeria's all-time highest goal scorer, late Rashidi Yekini.


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