Chison Chikatara

In a revealing chat, Super Eagles rave of the moment, Chisom Chikatara who bagged the fastest hat-trick in the ongoing CHAN championship has disclosed his grass to grace story. Quite and interesting one.

Abia Warriors and Super Eagles striker, Chisom Elvis Chikatara became an instant hit at the 2016 African Nations Championship in Rwanda after bagging the fastest and stunning second-half hat-trick against Niger.

In this interview with Complete Sports Nigeria in Kigali, he reveals that he is now a household name in Rwanda. He also spoke lovingly about his late mother, who wanted him to take over her kolanut business.

Chikatara awarded man of the match

Below are excerpts from the chat;

Your team had a good start at the African Nations Championship with that impressive win against Niger, how delighted are you with the victory?

Yes, we were really delighted with the win. It was a very tough game, but we thank God we won at the end of the day. We knew it was going to be a tough game taking into cognisance the fact that the Nigeriens are a quality side and have an experienced coach in François Zahoui.

You came on and scored three goals in the game, what did coach Sunday Oliseh tell you before your introduction in place of Tunde Adeniji?

To be honest, he didn't tell me anything special. 'Coachie' is someone who believes so much in his players. He just told me "Kolanut Boy (long laughter), you are a quality striker and we know what you can do. Tunde has done his part, so it's time for you to go in there and do your bit." When a coach tells you that, you don't have a choice than to go in there and do your best.

Chikatara with his coaches, Shorunmu, Babangida, Oliseh

How has your performance in the game against Niger affected your status?

Ha, no be small thing o. I have been receiving a lot of calls from from my family members and friends back home in Nigeria congratulating me on my performance. Even here in Rwanda, most of the locals are always shouting my name each time they see me. I'm now more popular because of my performance in the game. I look forward to scoring more goals in the competition.

You were widely criticised for missing a couple of goal scoring chances in the qualifier against Burkina Faso, but you scored three goals as a substitute against Niger, what does that mean to you?

It's always great when you score important goals like I did against Niger. It's a moment I will cherish for the rest of my live. To get to this level was a bit difficult for me. My late mother who was a popular Kolanut seller in Umuahia during her life time wanted me to follow her line of business, but my dream was to become a successful footballer.

My only regret is that she is not alive to witness this great ocassion. I want to dedicate the three goals to her. I must also thank my team mates for their contributions. Like they say, a tree does not make a forest. We did everything together. They made it possible for me to score those goals against Niger.