“Two great champions” – Destiny Udogie reveals admiration for former Barcelona and Juventus stars after second Serie A goal

The Italian-Nigerian youngster has been left in awe of the talents of two of his Udinese teammates, including a former Barca academy product

Wing-back Destiny Udogie has hailed Udinese teammate Gerard Deulofeu for his natural ability on the ball after both of them combined to power the Little Zebras to a 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Saturday.

Udogie also reserved kind words for former Juventus ace Roberto Pereyra.

Ex-Barcelona forward Deulofeu showed his quality to give Udinese the lead within the opening four minutes inside the Dacia Arena – Stadio Friuli.

And the Spaniard then had a hand in Udogie’s goal – Udinese’s second of the afternoon – eight minutes later.

Francesco Caputo halved the visitors’ deficit shortly after, but Udinese held on to claim a fine home win.

At just 19, Udogie is integrating well into Udinese’s attacking setup, and the Nigeria-eligible youngster insists a lot of the credit goes to teammates Deulofeu and Argentine playmaker Pereyra.

“Pereyra and Deulofeu are two great champions,” Udogie told Udinese TV, as per Tutto Udinese, after the Sampdoria game.

“Playing with them is simple because they always give you the ball on your feet, they understand the game and then it all comes naturally.”

Udogie is proving to be the real deal after another goalscoring weekend for the Zebras. The Italian youth international scored his first Serie A goal at the San Siro last weekend to help his side claim a 1-1 draw against AC Milan.

He has now followed that goal up with the winner against Sampdoria and his first inside Udinese FC’s traditional home.

While pleased with his goal, Udogie insists he only plays to caretaker manager Gabriele Cioffi’s instructions.

“In training, I try to go inside the area, even the coach asks me, and therefore I often try to do it,” the youngster added.

“I am content for my second goal and above all for the first one scored in front of our audience. We knew that to win today, it was (important) and we are content and confident that we are on the right path.”

After playing 26 matches, Udinese now have 29 points, seven more than Venezia, which occupy the last relegation spot.