By Daily Sports Nigeria on May 2, 2024

After completing a four-year deal with Brentford with the option of an extra year, Benjamin Fredrick is already being tipped to be one of Nigeria’s brightest defenders in the coming years, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

It is a great move for the Nigerian teenager, which highlights his potential. Born in Ungwan Yelwa, Kaduna State, Fredrick grew up in a town called Television and was scouted at the age of 13 from his father’s team by Simoiben Football Academy, owned by Nigerian winger Moses Simon, five years ago.

After graduating into the senior ranks of Simoiben, Fredrick was loaned to Nigeria National League side ABS FC and Nigeria Premier League outfit Nasarawa United, where he made six appearances.

His outstanding performances saw him named in Nigeria’s squad to the U-20 World Cup last summer, where they reached the quarter-finals, before exiting the competition following a 1-0 defeat to South Korea.

At just 17, Frederick played four times at the U-20 World Cup and featured six times as Nigeria finished third in the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

His next adventure brought him to west London, signing with Brentford B on August 31, 2023, nine months after the 18-year-old quickly settled into the young Bees’ backline, which earned him a permanent move on Tuesday.

He first wore the Brentford jersey as a member of the U-18 side against Wingate & Finchley in a 2-0 loss in the London Senior Cup, playing a full 90 minutes.

Fredrick has since played full games in back-to-back Premier League Cup fixtures against Burnley and Leicester City and 83 minutes in a friendly against West Ham, highlighting his immediate impact and impressions on Neil MacFarlane and his coaching staff.

He has trained with the first team on a number of occasions and was also named as a substitute for Brentford’s Premier League games against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as both Emirates FA Cup third-round matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Reacting to his permanent move to the club, Fredrick said, “Signing permanently for Brentford is a great moment for me and my family, and I want to thank everyone who started this journey with me.

“Neil and the rest of the coaching team have been very patient and supportive throughout this season, and they have helped me become a stronger, more confident player in the process.

“I want to repay the club’s trust in me by continuing to do my best and pushing to even greater heights.”

But his rise to stardom wasn’t easy. As a budding footballer in Nigeria, Fredrick had to ‘hustle to buy boots for himself’, as he began his journey playing the game he loves.

“In Nigeria coming up, it’s not easy,” Fredrick said.

“No sponsor, no help; you just have to try to hustle to buy boots for yourself… Most times, my dad didn’t have money to afford boots for me, so I had to hustle to buy boots for myself.

“My hard work has brought me so far; it was not really easy, but my hard work and prayer have brought me so far, and I’m thankful for that.”

The rising star models his game after Sevilla star Sergio Ramos’, with his winning mentality, something Fredrick adopts in his own game.

“I look up to Sergio Ramos; he’s my role model. I love his mentality on and off the pitch,” Fredrick said.

“When I’m on the pitch, I always want to play like Ramos, because his mentality on the pitch is that he hates losing. I hate losing; I always want to win.”

While having made a seamless transition to life as a Brentford player, Fredrick concedes the move to London has been tough at times. However, his love for the game has helped him settle into his new home and go from strength-to-strength.

“Football has always been my life; I’ve loved football since I was small; it has always been part of me,” Fredrick said.

“It was not easy, but the love of the game and the passion brought me here, as did the hard work on and off the pitch.”

Source Punch Ng

Posted May 2, 2024

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