Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu has given an update on the pursuit of Real Sociedad forward Edna Imade and also shared private details surrounding his historic Ballon d’Or nomination.
Imade, one of Nigeria’s most exciting attacking prospects, has been on the radar of the Falcons for more than a year. Yet she is still unavailable for selection, and Justine Madugu says the situation is far more complicated than fans realise.
“I’ve been following her progress, just like that of many of our players overseas. She had an excellent campaign with Granada last season and is already doing well at Real Sociedad. She knows that we are monitoring her performance,” Madugu told Punch.
According to him, the federation has written to her club, reached out through players in Spain, and made every effort to bring her into camp, but the forward has not fully committed.
“I was reliably informed that she was initially keen on playing for Nigeria. I don’t want to believe her representatives are making things difficult due to speculated interest from the Spanish national team, but we truly value her talent,” Madugu stated.
He added that the door remains open regardless of her final decision. “Whatever she decides, we respect her decision and wish her good luck,” the coach added.
Meanwhile, Madugu found himself thrust into the global spotlight this year when he made history as the first African coach nominated for the Ballon d’Or women’s coaching award. Though celebrated across the continent, he revealed that he already knew he wasn’t winning long before the ceremony began.
“The fact that I was not contacted up to that time, I knew it was going to be difficult to win. So, if I had won then, who would have received the award? If I had been contacted, that would have given me more hope,” he said.
The coach, who watched the ceremony with friends and family, said he enjoyed the moment regardless.
“Somehow, too, I had already prepared my mind because I knew I wasn’t going to win. Nevertheless, I watched every bit of the ceremony and enjoyed it. Globally, I was being mentioned, and being the first African to be nominated also means a lot,” he added.
Amid the attention, he remains focused on upcoming qualifiers and the battle for starting spots in the Falcons’ attack, where Esther Okoronkwo, Chiwendu Ihezuo, and Joy Omewa are currently in strong form.
“We must always select the best players available,” he said.
