Yira Sor Collins arrived in the Super Eagles camp in Turkey with excitement and disbelief after earning his first senior invitation, as Nigeria stepped up preparations for their upcoming international friendlies.
The Belgium-based winger is part of the squad selected by Éric Chelle for the four-team invitational tournament, where Nigeria will face Iran national football team and Jordan national football team over the next few days. Training continued at full intensity, with the team wrapping up sessions ahead of Friday’s opening fixture.
Still taking in the moment, Sor admitted the call-up came as a surprise, especially after recently watching the national team from afar during the Africa Cup of Nations.
” I am a player with a lot of pace. I love the link up play so I hope I can give this to the team and together we can achieve. Just two months ago at the AFCON I was watching the team on television and I was nervous every game they played, because I was supporting the team”, he told the team’s media platform.
“Two , three months later I got called up to be a part of this squad. It was really a shock for me to be very honest but thank God for everything. To represent Nigeria with over 200 million people is something I always see as a honour and you know it’s a privilege and I don’t take it for granted. I have to push to the maximum”, he stated.
Sor, who plays for KRC Genk, has built a reputation as one of the quickest wingers in Europe, combining pace with direct attacking play. His qualities are expected to offer Nigeria a different dimension, particularly in transitions from defence to attack.
With 22 players already in camp and final preparations underway, the Super Eagles will look to integrate the new faces quickly as they hold their second training today (Thursday) with Chelle, using the mini-tournament as a platform to build momentum.
