Like Brazil, football is like life for Nigeria— Calvin Bassey

Bassey spent his early years in England, but since he started playing for Nigeria, he has been a by the fans

Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has likened Nigeria to Brazil because of the fans’ love for football, Soccernet.ng reports.

Bassey started playing for  Nigeria in 2022, and since then, he has fought his way into the first team. The 23-year-old spent most of his life in England but decided to represent the Super Eagles.

Since he started playing for Nigeria, Bassey has blended well with the culture and is always one of the active players in camp.

The Fulham man has been taken aback by the attitude of Nigerian football. The Super Eagles have some of the loudest fans. When the team is winning, the fans stand by th team, but they g

“Every time I land in Nigeria, I realise that football is like life for them — like it is in Brazil. We are like superstars,” Bassey told The Athletic.

“It was crazy, I remember the final whistle going[in the second [against Ghana in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers]and then this noise. You could hear the anger, you could feel it. There were bottles being thrown onto the pitch, so we just ran down the tunnel into the dressing room. The police took us in and shut it off.

“It’s hard, as you want to ask if that reaction was necessary, but we were fuming, and they deserved to be angry.”

Bassey is one of the Nigerian players who is expected to light up the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2024. He would look to churn out brilliant displays to become a fan favorite and help the Super Eagles to glory.