“He’s very important to us” – Turkey international Abdülkadir Ömür raves about excellent Super Eagles forward

The young midfielder will likely be a Super Lig champion at the end of this season, and he has noted the impact made by his teammate in achieving that unique feat

Trabzonspor midfield ace Abdülkadir Ömür has hailed forward Anthony Nwakaeme after the Nigerian delivered another man-of-the-match performance in the Black Sea Storm’s 4-2 triumph over Goztepe on Saturday.

Nwakaeme underlined his importance to the Abdullah Avci-led side by scoring and assisting another as Trabzonspor came from a goal down to dispatch Goztepe.

The one-cap Super Eagles star has now made 21 goal contributions (11 goals, 10 assists) in only 23 league appearances for the league leaders.

Ömür, 22, netted a brace in that encounter for his sixth goal of the season as Trabzonspor went 15 points clear of second-place Konyaspor with only eight matches left.

But the Turkish midfielder is not unaware of the part Nwakaeme has played in a historic campaign for the Black Sea Storm.

“Nwakaeme is very important to us, a name we cannot describe,” Ömür told Sporx, as per 365spor.

“He makes me laugh so much. He calls me Messi; I call him big brother. I hope we can lift this trophy together. We have a dream. We want to win all of our remaining matches. We want to be the earliest champion in history.”

Nwakaeme won six honours in Israel, including three league titles, before leaving in 2018. And the 32-year-old playmaker is using his experience to guide Trabzonspor to a first league triumph in nearly four decades.

Ömür appreciates this unquantifiable input from his teammate.

“There were some events at the beginning of the season, but Nwakaeme did not spare me his support,” he said.

“We’ve been together for about four years. He is one of the oldest on the team. A very different character for us. He never ceases to support young players.

“He also takes responsibility in our difficult moments on the field. I am sure we will lift this trophy together and become the earliest champions in history.”

Four more wins in their remaining nine games will see Nwakaeme and Trabzonspor crown the Super Lig champions, irrespective of the results of their closest challenger.

Despite Nwakaeme’s brilliance, though, he continues to be ‘criminally‘ shunned by handlers of the Super Eagles.