By Daily Sports on February 2, 2017

For many football players around the world, their religious faith is a strong and a vital ingredient for success. The belief in a divine guidance serves as a source for psychological boost especially in rough moments.

For one young player based in Warri, Delta State, his Christian faith has helped in no small way in turning him into a much talked about star today.

Tubotu Layefa is an extremely intelligent box-to-box midfielder who is currently being highly spoken of by football scouts, agents and clubs who have seen him play.

He’s a formal Golden Eaglets invitee who now plays his football for Warri-based amateur side, Sunsel FC. He sat down with me recently in Benin where he came for a football engagement and we spoke about a lot of football issues, including the place of his Christian belief in his football life.

Tubotu gives credit to God for the success he's enjoying so far in the game and spoke of how maintaining strong spiritual values has helped him to become a better player and human being today.

“I believe in the values of giving and sharing. Many times, I have tried to offer some things to people in need, while giving thanks to God for enabling me to be in a position of help to those in need. I have also noticed that at such times when I have done some notable good (like giving a very expensive football boot sent to me from abroad to a team mate) that is when I experience some big positive miracles happening in my life,” Tubotu says.

The positive experience for 20 years old Tubotu includes getting an invitation in 2014 to the Emmanuel Amunike led Golden Eaglets. He was very impressive in the under 17 fold, pinging passes everywhere and dictating play with panache.

Unfortunately, an ankle injury cost him his chance of being a part of the Under-17 World Cup winning side in 2015.

That experience though didn’t shake Tubotu’s faith in God and he has since come back and wowing fans with his excellence in states and national football competitions. His admirable vision and eye for defence splitting passes was very much on display in an international football scouting exercise called Tiki Taka which was held late last year November 2016 in Cameroon. At the moment, Tubotu is talking with several local and international clubs as regards his future.

“I’m taking my time and hopefully I will find the right club with the right values where I can play professional football,” Tubotu informs.

The dark-skinned player who many liken to midfield legend Andrea Pirlo of Italy likes to spot jersey number 17. He tells me the decision to pick the number comes from the inspiration to come from scripture.

“We were reading the bible in Church one Sunday and it was psalm 118: 17. I was touched by verse 17 which says ‘I will not die, but live to declare the world of God’.  I have complete faith that with God on my side, I will reach greater heights in the game”.

Source Daily Sports

Posted February 2, 2017

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