Respite has finally come the way of the injured former youth international who made an urgent plea for help last week has a former teammate has footed his surgery bills.
Nigeria international and Trabzonspor midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has paid a sum of N1.4m for the surgical operations required by ex-Nigeria wonderkid, Sani Emmanuel.
Emmanuel, who scored five goals and won the 2009 U17 World Cup Golden Ball, had been forced to retire from football at the tender age of 22 after battling with injury for years.
Now 26 and with no hope of ever playing football again, the former Lazio player took to social media to reveal his daily travails and how former bosses and friends had abandoned him to his troubles.
However, in a sudden twist, a new ray of hope has shined through as Nigeria international and a fellow member of that silver-winning Golden Eaglets squad, Ogenyi Onazi has stepped forward to cover the cost of Sani Emmanuel’s treatment.
“I got a call from the doctor that [Ogenyi] Onazi has paid 1.4m for my surgery and also transferred 50k for my ticket to Lagos,” a delighted Emmanuel shared on Instagram.
“Thank you very much, brother. May God continue to bless you. The surgery is scheduled for 2nd of December 2019.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5PUovJgSl6/
It would be recalled that Onazi, who was a key member of the Super Eagles team that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, only recently returned to football after a six-month injury lay off due to an achilles injury.