The 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup may have come and gone, but its budding stars will carry the legacy into the next decades.
Stars like the tournament’s MVP, Cesare Casedei of Italy, and Daniel Daga of Nigeria emerged from the World Cup.
16-year-old Daga was described as a player who is better than his peers, and it felt like heaven rejoiced each time he played.
His presence on the field radiated energy that flowed to his teammates and the spectators as well.
The young maestro spoke to Nigeria Info on the Flying Eagles' quarterfinal exit from the U-20 World Cup.
"I was excited to play at the World Cup. I had so much experience of playing alongside top players who had played in the World Cup, I got many experiences there," he said.
He rues missing out on a second duel with Italy's Casedei in the semifinals as the young Azzurri's finished runner-up in the competition losing the final to Uruguay.
"I felt bad. I felt bad. It could have been Nigeria. Because we beat Italy in the group stage. We know the pattern we used to beat them.
“If we had beaten Korea in the quarterfinals and met Italy in the semifinals, I have full confidence that we should win Italy in the semis to play in the final. So I really feel bad about that."
He revealed what he would do differently if given a chance to replay the quarterfinal match.
"I'll do my possible best to not allow them to play on setpieces. You know they are good at setpieces. The goal they scored against us was from a corner kick.
“So, they are good on the head. So I would foul them, just foul them anyhow because we had a 100 percent chance to win the match."
Daga was arguably Nigeria's most outstanding player at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He won the MVP award at the regional qualifiers WAFU B in Niger Republic in 2022.
