The 31-year-old has been in great form this season with Lille OSC where he has conceded in just three of the club’s 17 league games this season.
Enyeama reckons his French will improve remarkably in the coming days but admitted that he still struggles to communicate in the language.
“I am not yet fluent in the (French) language. I am still learning the language and by the help of God, I should be fluent by the end of the season,” he exclusively told supersport.com.
Enyeama will return to Ligue 1 action on Sunday when Lille welcomes Bastia to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on match day 18.
It would have turned out to be a historic day for the Nigerian as he was expected to break Gaeten Huard’s long standing record by keeping a clean sheet against Bastia for 52 minutes.
He lost the chance to break that record last Sunday when Lille lost 0-1 to Girondins Bordeaux at the Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas on match day 17.
The former Enyimba goalkeeper did not however let his head drop and stated at the post-game press conference that failure to break the record did not represent the end of the world to him.
"Honestly, I was never even thinking about the record,” he said.
He also maintained that enjoying life on the pitch during matches is most important to him.
“When I'm on the pitch I just enjoy myself. If I concede a goal, it's ok.
"I knew everyone had been waiting (for me to concede), so it made me smile.
“I think my teammates wanted to see me beat the record, but I will go into the game against Bastia only thinking about winning. This defeat is just what happens in football, life goes on," he said.
Enyeama is fast carving a niche for himself as one of Africa's best goalkeepers ever.
He won back-to-back Caf Champions League titles with Enyimba and then spent six years in Israel with Bnei Yehuda and Hapoel Tel Aviv before joining Lille.
At the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals in South Africa, he was one of Nigeria’s finest performers.
In the Super Eagles’ opening game which the team lost 0-1 to Argentina, the official match report on the Fifa website said, the South Americans "might have won by more but for Enyeama."
Argentina’s talisman, Lionel Messi who was denied time and again by Enyeama’s cat-like reflexes described him as "phenomenal" in that match.
He added to his growing collection of accolades by helping the Super Eagles win the African Cup of Nations trophy in South Africa.
Previously, Wolfsburg sporting director Dieter Hoeness turned down the chance to sign him because, at 5ft 11in, he was too small.
His frame again counted against him earlier in his career as Sam Allardyce also opted against signing him for Bolton in 2004.
Enyeama is now living the dream with Lille OSC in France and has ensured that the Mastiffs have the meanest defence in the division after letting in a paltry five goals in 17 league games this season
No comments:
Post a Comment