Without the benefits of watching a lot of CSKA Moscow games, it is difficult to see how Ejuke Chidera had performed when not scoring or assisting goals efforts.
But the stats are uninspiring: 2 goals and 1 assist in 14 league games scarcely jump at you from the pages of a blog. More so, Ejuke has not found the back of the net in his last 8 league games with his last goal coming against Dynamo Moscow on 18 October 2020.
So much fanfare accompanied his move to CSKA Moscow from Heerenveen. The Muscovites made no secret of the fact that they wanted Ejuke to follow in the footsteps of another Nigerian Ahmed Musa who was hugely popular with their fanbase and massively successful on the pitch.
In his CSKA Moscow Instagram unveiling, Musa (who had long left Russia) and Ejuke were featured in a Super Hero handover video. Ejuke was the new speed demon, the new Flash who raced with lightning speed to accept his inauguration from Musa who handed the club’s speed baton to Ejuke.
Ejuke has been running alright , but his goal scoring has not kept pace with that of his forerunner. In Ahmed Musa’s first 14 league games for CSKA Moscow between July and November 2012, he amassed 7 goals making him already a 1 goal per 2 games winger even at that early stage. In the same period, he had a cool 4 assists against his name to signal that he was in Russia to do the business.
And Musa did exactly that as he went on to be a CSKA Moscow legend with his goals, assists and all round brilliance which led to Ejuke himself saying: “It’s satisfying knowing that a big Nigerian player left a legacy at a club like this. I’m hoping by God’s grace that I can contribute to mine during my period with the club.”
It is still early days though and I have no doubt that Ejuke Chidera has all it takes to leave his own mark on Moscow.
However well a winger plays, the truth is that goals and assists are the currency of success in that role. That is one currency Ejuke does not have in sufficient amount in his bank at the moment.
Hopefully, they will start to build up slowly.
As for the Super Eagles, with the glut of options rumoured to become available to Gernot Rohr in the coming months, Ejuke might just slip off the national team radar if lack of club competitive goals drop him off the map.
The goal he scored against Spanish third division side Real Murcia this week is masterfully taken. He now needs to build on that when the league resumes so he can rightfully take his own place in the community of Super Heroes for club and country.
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