“My understanding of football changed,” Tella details in praise of his former coach. “I thought it was quite a defensive role, but the way he had me playing, it was like I was playing as a winger. I don’t want to say I enjoyed it because it’s not my position, but it brought a lot out of me, and I feel like it helped me for the future.
“As a person, he’s down to earth. You’d never think that he’s had the career he’s had by the way he speaks to us as players. He never let it get to his head. Even when we were doing the unbeaten run, the invincible season, he kept focusing on just one game at a time, one game a time and see what happens – and it worked out well.”
Nigeria’s Nathan Tella, fulfilling his Super Eagles dream
Tella was brought up with a strong sense of Nigerian identity, off the pitch by his parents and on it through the national team, nicknamed the Super Eagles.
He fondly remembers watching them at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, planting the seed for his aspiration to pull on the iconic green shirt. Fast forward to 2023, the winger made his international debut in a 1-1 World Cup qualifier draw with Zimbabwe.
The Nigerian had to wait almost two years for his second cap, though he could not have asked for a better scenario: the Unity Cup in London, an invitational tournament revived after 21 years and organised between four nations with the largest diasporas.
“When I officially saw it, that’s what I was focusing on. I wanted to be called up for this,” says Tella, “this is an opportunity to play in front of my family representing my country, and I really don’t think I’ve had a bigger honour in my life up to date. It’s not just good for football, but it’s also good for the community, Africans and Caribbeans all around England.”