Former Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland Football Club) striker, Ishaya Jatau, has expressed surprised that his 19-year-old of having scored 17 goals in a single league season could stay for so long.
After being honoured as Nigeria’s league hero by the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) in Ilorin 11 days for his record of having scored the most goals in a single season, Jatau said he did not expect that his feat could remain for this long.
Jatau’s 17-goal record was equalled last season by Akwa United striker, Akarandut Orok, who has since moved to Tunisian side, CS Sfaxien.
Jatau, who now runs a football academy in Kaduna, could not hide his admiration for Orok in spite of failing to assist his side retain its Premier League status.
The former Nigeria international believes that for his 17-goal record to last for 19 years means that the league during his days had more quality strikers than the present-day.
“Well I didn’t know that my record of scoring 17 goals then would stay this long. I must tell you that I am happy that someone has at last equalled that record after close to 20 years. In those days, our league was strong because we had so many good strikers and I was one of them and there were a number of other people too then. But at some point, the league failed to produce good strikers and I think that was responsible for my record staying so long. But I must I am really surprised.
“The player who equalled the record must be really praised because it means that he has talent too become one of the best strikers in the world if he continues in that form,” he said.
But Jatau, whose 17-goal in 1990 helped Heartland FC (then Iwuanyanwu Nationale) to the league title, is hoping that Orok’s feat would create the belief in Premier League strikers to target surpassing the record.
He charged the strikers of the 20 clubs in the Premier League ahead of the next season to aim at taking a step ahead of him and Orok in the race for the most goals scored in a single campaign.
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