Nigeria is blessed with exceptional players and many of them have had opportunities of representing the country at certain levels of national teams.

For a national team coach, who also coach at club levels and has come across so many players from screening stages to proper training of the selected ones, it may be difficult to pick the best you’ve ever coached.

But Coach Abubakar Bala who is the Technical Adviser of Niger Tornadoes and Assistant Coach of Nigeria’s U20 national team called Flying Eagles was able to pick one out of many.

Coach Bala who has managed Kwara United, Zabgai FC, FC Lokoja in the past with exceptional players said Gabriel Wassa of Plateau United is the best player he’s ever nurtured.

Bala disclosed this in an interview with conducted on Lets Gist Nigerian Football WhatsApp platform on Sunday.

The the former FC Abuja tactician explained that the left back has all the attributes to excel as a player at any level and hope to see him playing for one of the best teams in Europe and for national teams.

“I’ve nurtured a lot of talented players in my coaching career, some of them have played for national teams, some are still there while some have moved to Europe and I have some still playing in Nigerian leagues.

“If I’m to choose the best I’ve nurtured in my coaching career, it has to be Gabriel Wassa (Wassa played under Coach Bala at Tornadoes for four seasons). He’s now playing for Plateau United.

“Though he may not have made it big in football, they only international exposure he had was making the NPFL All Stars trip to Spain for LaLiga tour.

‘I so much believe in his talents and what he does with football, I’m still confident he will soon play in Europe and for national team,” Coach Bala said.

The Silver winning coach from 2019 All African Games in Morocco added that he rejected coaching offers from NPFL clubs to stay with Tornadoes who are campaigning in the lower division, due to personal reasons.