By JOHN EGBOKHAN, Abuja
Joel Chukwuma Obi is the new kid on fast lane to success in the current crop of players being groomed by Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia.

Joel Obi

He played his first competitive match in the Eagles stripes during Sunday’s Nations Cup qualifier against Ethiopia in Abuja, which the Nigerians won 4-0.

The  contributions  of the  Inter Milan midfielder to the success of Nigeria was aptly captured by Ethiopia’s coach, Ify Onuora, who described Joel as an emerging star of the future.

And speaking moments after the game, Obi, who was born on may 22 1991 in Lagos, said he was merely contributing his quota to the national team, promising to give more in subsequent games when called to duty.

“I am here to give my best to the country and I promise to always be at the disposal of my country when I am called upon. This win thrills me because we scored four goals and did not concede any. We are growing and with time, we would get to where the coach wants us to reach”, said the youngster.

Obi made his debut for Inter on September 29, 2010 in a Champions League group game against Werder Bremen. He played the final 10 minutes of the match after coming on as a substitute in the 80th minute for fellow midfielder Dejan Stankovic. Inter went on to defeat Werder Bremen in a 4-0 shutout.

Obi made his Serie A debut on October 17, 2010 against Cagliari when he replaced Philippe Coutinho in the 66th minute. Inter won the match 1_0 thanks to a goal from Samuel Eto’s

Obi started the Milan Derby on the 14th November but had to be substituted after only 35 minutes because of injury, he was replaced by Coutinho.

Obi made his international debut for Nigeria on February 9, 2011 in a friendly game with Sierra Leone in Lagos. On Sunday, he added another cap to his international resume.