The ease and unconscious of Chukwueze

There are occurrences that are raised to a team depressed. It is the case of Samu Chukwueze (Ikwuano, Nigeria; 1999), the diamond african that comes up in the Villarreal with a blend of power, speed and hunger to score. The far left-hander made his debut three days in the First at home against Levante. The technician, Javier Calleja, said after the 1-1 draw: “I Want the whole team to play as Samu, without fear or pressure, that my players try to have fun as he does.” Chukwueze had continuity in the following two matches, against Rayo and Betis. In Vallecas, Samu got his first goal in the elite and repeated the last Sunday before the betis. Previously had already marked in the Cup against Almeria, has made his debut in the Europa League and this Sunday (18.30, beIN) is put in the spotlight of the Camp Nou.

Chukwueze, 19 years old, arrived at Villarreal going to do a course and a half from the Diamond Football Academy in Nigeria. “We were offered the possibility of signing the player and not what we doubt, we knew of him since he was world champion sub-17 in 2015, with Nigeria claiming silver ball and third-highest scorer of the tournament. We already had reports of Samu”, analyzes José Manuel Llaneza, vice president of Villarreal. The entity castellón was ahead of other european clubs who pretended to the nigerian, as the Arsenal, which was the point of signing, and Benfica. The club castellón paid € 500,000 for his pass.

Chukwueze spent four months training up to the age of 18 and entering the first youth team. The category remained small. Each party wrote down three or four goals, and soon climbed to the second branch, in Third. Again another stage burned quickly. At the end of last season rose at Villarreal B, in the Second B. “I Remember the first game we played, in the field of Sabadell. It was the turning point which revolutionized the shock. In the playoff was enough for a match in San Mames to show what a great player he is,” recalls Manu Morlanes, partner in the subsidiary, and now in the first team, and with Betonbet which it shares room in the concentrations. That match against Athletic B placed him under the spotlight after a game in which dribbled six rivals. In the summer, Villarreal will put a clause of 30 million.

The technical highlights of Chukwueze the freshness and brazenness with which it plays, without any complexes. “It comes a lot of self-confidence. Comes without pressure and is giving us that point of inexperience that we did lack, just think about to overflow, dribble and make a goal. Is being one of the keys to the resurgence of the team”, says Paul Fornals. “I don't think you understand the magnitude of what is playing, I think that it is not aware of what that implies. We have been time in the club know the responsibility. I think that he takes everything as a game either. Coming to a new country and does not spread, does not read newspapers and doesn't get in a bubble when things go wrong. And that makes him go out into the field and do what he does”, it is Morlanes. In the same way understands Jaume Costa, one of the veterans of the dugout: “When you upload the subsidiary what to do with all the illusion of the world, you are not aware of the situation. It happened to me when I walked up to the first team in the year of the decline. Samu plays with a lot of joy, speed and chutzpah, the same thing I was doing in the branch, something very good for us.”

Villarreal have found a halo of light in Chukwueze. “It has adapted very well to the First, that's always hard. It's a young guy with a projection very large, and we are delighted with its performance,” says Gerard Moreno, who told us about the characteristics of the extreme african. “He has great speed and skill, faces always to the opponents with the ball glued to left foot, great qualities that will be exploding. Its speed and overflow makes you play your hand have a little more freedom”. “It's a different player, very good in the one against one, very fast,” emphasizes Morlanes.

Jaume Costa, however, argues that “to have the feet on the ground”. “You're giving up a lot of hype and not lose your head,” he says. In the locker room, Samu speaking in English and just begins to release in Spanish. In the field, you do not have any shame.