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Nigerian Youngster Eyes Tennis Stardom At WTA, US Open

An under-16 tennis player, basking in the euphoria of her victory at the just concluded Adewale Isa Foundation (AIF) 4th National Junior Tennis Championships, is aiming high already, saying that she is looking forward to making it big in the sport someday.

Khadijat Mohammed was outstanding in her match against her opponent Bright Emmanuel whom she defeated in a straight set of 6-4, 6-3 in the U-16 girl’s final in the game played at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.

Speaking on her victory, an elated Khadijat, who is looking forward to playing in the WTA, US Open and other Grand Slams in the next three to four years, admitted that it was not an easy final for her, as Bright gave her a run for her money.

She also commended the family of the late Alhaji Adewale Isa for making the championship possible.

“I feel really happy and grateful. I want to say a big thank you to the sponsors (Alhaja Olayinka Adigun and Nurudeen Isa), and a big thank you to my coaches and everybody who supported me.

“It was not an easy final for me because Bright actually gave problems in the early part of the first set and towards the end of the second set. Honestly, she is a really good player and made me work hard for my victory.

“Hopefully, in the next three to four years, I see myself playing in the WTAs, US Open and other Grand Slams,” she said.

Meanwhile, Aina Henry emerged champion in the U-16 boy’s final as he outplayed Awe Damilare in another straight-set 6-2, 6-2.

And for Aina, his victory was made possible by hard work and the hunger to achieve success against the best.

“For sure I’m really excited to have emerged champions in the tournament due to hard work. I was focused and trained regularly for it,” he said.

Speaking at the end of the championship, the daughter of the late Alhaji Isa, Alhaja Olayinka Adigun nee Isa admitted she was overwhelmed with the turnout of participants in this year’s edition and looks forward to a more significant championship next year.

She urged corporate Nigeria to partner with the Adewale Isa Foundation in taking Nigeria’s tennis to the next level.

In the U-14 events, Holzendorff Lerelay beat Benjamin Ndifreke 5-4, 2-4, 10-8 to win the girls title, while Amasiani Chukwudubem lost the boys final to Shamsideen Bello, who won the game by 4-1, 4-2.

For the girls U-12, Nana Roseline outplayed Kwange Emmanuel 5-3,2-4, 10-4, while Michael Joel saw off Ubiebi Peter 4-2, 5-3 to win the boy’s title.

All the finalists were rewarded with different prizes ranging from bags, rackets and other tennis equipment with the champions receiving trophies in addition.

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King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”