The Super Eagles skipper went to the Netherlands as a starry-eyed teenager and had to cope with the harsh weather condition that was nothing like what he was used to in Nigeria
Al Nassr forward Ahmed Musa has opened up on how his African ‘mentality’ helped him overcome the difficult challenges he faced when he made his first trip abroad to play in the Eredivisie.
Dutch side VVV Venlo recruited the then 17-year-old after watching him excel during the WAFU Cup tournament hosted in Nigeria.
A few more months were spent in the NPFL as Venlo waited for the youngster to turn 18 before moving to the Netherlands.
Musa continued to lighten up the domestic scene in the colours of Kano Pillars F.C, eventually setting the then-league record for the most goal scored in a single campaign.
His move to Venlo was completed after that season with the Nigerian international going on to score ten goals and provide 12 assists in 42 games for the Yellow Black Army.
Musa’s outstanding performance in the Eredivisie helped him secure a big-money move to Russia giants CSKA Moscow where he won three league titles, the Russian Cup and two Super Cups.
The 27-year-old has, however, confessed that his spell in Holland might have ended well, but it began so terribly that he cried on the pitch on his Venlo debut.
“They (Venlo) saw me when I was playing in the WAFU home-based tournament in Abeokuta when Nigeria hosted, and we won,” Musa said in an Instagram Live chat.
“I signed my professional contract here in Abuja, but I couldn’t travel because I was 17, then I had to wait until I was 18.
“When I was 18, I flew to Holland, only had two training sessions before I played my first game, it was not that easy, and the weather was crazy.
“I was crying when I was playing because of the cold. One day I said to myself I can’t make it and need to go back to Nigeria, but we Africans have one mentality that whatever you want to do, you can achieve it.
“I was saying I’m going to get deal with it, and my agent told me with time I’ll get used to the weather.”
