Bournemouth teenage goalkeeper Joseph Oluwabusola seeks to use U17 World Cup to become Nigeria's number one

BOURNEMOUTH goalkeeper Joseph Oluwabusola has his eyes set on establishing himself as Nigeria's undisputed number one at the forthcoming U17 World Cup taking place in Brazil with a view to kick-starting his international career.

Oluwabusola, 16, is currently Bournemouth's youth goalkeeper and is in the Nigerian squad that will kick off its U17 World Cup campaign on Saturday against Hungary. Already, his scintillating has caught the eye of several other clubs in England, with Watford said to be interested in buying the youngster and promoting him to the senior squad.

Born in Essex, England to Nigerian parents, Oluwabusola first visited Nigeria in 2018, for an U17 training camp and has been a member of the Golden Eaglets since. He is now hoping that getting the nod to start against Hungary on Saturday will be the start of a promising international career.

Eligible to play for both Nigeria and England, Oluwabusola opted for the Golden Eaglets over England because he is keen to know his roots and add value to Nigerian football. Upon arriving in Nigeria, he has adjusted quickly after the initial culture shock and is now able to communicate with his team-mates in Pidgin English.

Nigeria has been drawn in Group B at the World Cup, alongside Hungary, Ecuador and Australia and the Golden Eaglets, the most successful side ever in U17 football, will be hoping to lift their fifth trophy in Brazil. Oluwabusola will also be looking to emulate the exploits of Super Eagles current number one Francis Uzoho, who started off his career with the Golden Eaglets 2013 winning squad.