Nigeria's Teenage Sensation Jesse Sekidika Signs For Benfica

Young Nigerian Jesse Sekidika has a lot going for him after he signed a contract with the Benfica U19 side before the transfer window closed on Monday. The 18-year-old winger is expected to prove himself with the youth side and then take a step up to the senior team all things being equal.

Monday saw the Port Harcourt-born player take a big step forward in a promising career that has seen him in England, where he played at Leicestershire-based private boarding school Brooke House College.

After impressing there, he trialed at Stoke City where he awed at the 2013 Keele Cup and caught the attention of Manchester United scouts who invited him to train at their Carrington training ground.

However, due to the stringent requirement of a British work permit and not having a European Passport, Jesse could not be offered a contract at Stoke City or Manchester United.

After joining a Portuguese feeder club in August 2014, he caught the eyes of Benfica and a host of others like Vitoria Guimaraes.

His agent Liberty Sifuya said they decided to go with Benfica because their offer looked more promising.

“From the onset, Benfica SL were always our preferred option since they were more motivated in having Jesse. We thank God for the fantastic opportunity that Jesse has been given to play for Portugal’s biggest club and one of Europe’s major football giants. This is a tremendous phase in Jesse’s football career,” Sifuya said.

With his move to Benfica, much is expected from the lad who has previously been invited to the Flying Eagles, Nigeria’s U20 side.

“As his father, I have loads of confidence that Jesse is the next star in the likes of Ronaldo/Ronaldinho in the making as he fashions his style of play after his two football heroes,” said his father Sampson Sekidika.

It seems that the world is at young Jesse’s feet.