Golden Eaglet: Why appointing Manu Garba is well deserved- El-Bonga

The appointment of Manu Garba as the new gaffer of the Golden Eaglet is a well-deserved one as a matter of fact. There is no better person for the job currently. The former Gombe United player, and later coach, is one of the topnotch indigenous coaches we have ever produced in Nigeria.

The former El-Kanemi warriors midfielder hitherto had two stints at the U17 levels which culminated into winning the World Cup with the Golden Eaglets on two occasions: first as an assistant to the late Yemi Tela in Korea in 2007; and as a full-time coach in 2013 in the UAE. So talented during his playing days, Manu Garba was one of the most talented midfielders to ever grace Nigerian football. He was a terrific attacking midfielder with amazing vision, pace, and dazzling skills. Manu Garba was a household name in the 80s and early 90s and that earned him a huge cult-following especially in the north.

When he later turned to coaching after his retirement, Manu Garba’s major strength lies in his abilities to properly identify talents even in situations those around him think they’re not good enough. His teams play with width and are always able to hit their opponents in the counter given the pacy and technical players he often selects. He builds his teams with good transition.

I have had the opportunity to discuss football with Manu on different occasions and I can indeed attest to the fact that he knows his onions. He told me several stories about how most of his top players were able to make it to stardom. One amazing thing I picked from our various discussions was how he managed to weather many storms in the midst of ineluctable deluge of pressure to favour some players. Yet, Manu Garba’s philosophy is simple: merit and hard work over ethnic or religious affiliation. He is a complete gentlemen full of integrity and principles.

During the course of our numerous discussions at the height of the erstwhile African Nations Cup, Manu Garba narrated to me how he resisted calls, gifts and juicy offers from those at the top of the social and political ladder in order to pave a berth for their clients to be included in the team. He was very blunt and straight toward: merit over everything. Manu Garba never compromises those values he holds dear.

Until his appointment, Manu Garba is the current Technical Director of Mailantarki football academy in Abuja. Under his watch, the team won the Dana Cup in Denmark in 2022. Additionally, many young stars of the academy have been shipped to Europe to begin their professional careers as well.