Having delivered a string of top performances to confirm his rating as one of the finest shot-stoppers in the South African top division, Daniel Akpeyi has the quality to excel outside the continent, says the ex-Super Eagles goalkeeper
Former Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama has charged Nigeria’s current number one Akpeyi to draw inspiration from his (Enyeama’s) European sojourn and consider a move abroad before calling time on his (Akpeyi’s) career.
Enyeama’s triumphant exploits on the African continent in the early 2000s with Enyimba International opened the doors of the Super Eagles to him.
The two-time CAF Champions League winner then secured a move to Israel where he helped both Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Hapoel Tel-Aviv to league titles.
But it was at Lille that he took his game to the next level, keeping an incredible number of clean sheets and lifting the 2013 African Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles.
Akpeyi, 33, has never played outside the shores of the continent having turned out for clubs in Nigeria and South Africa.
But the former Heartland goalie has been crucial to Kaizer Chiefs’ charge towards the league title this campaign, and Enyeama thinks the Amakhosi keeper can become even better by playing abroad.
“I know him personally. I have been in the same national camp with him,” Enyeama told Soccer Laduma.
“I read reports that he (Akpeyi) has had an exceptional season with Kaizer Chiefs.
“Akpeyi can succeed at the highest level. The same applies to (Itumeleng) Khune. I wish them both luck and if they can look at me and consider that I succeeded in Europe, then what stops them from succeeding as well?”