Edwin Van Der Sar is my role mode – Vincent Enyeama

The Nigeria first choice goalkeeper, on the back of his exploits for club and country in the outgoing year, is in the running for the GLO-CAF African Footballer of the Year and the BBC African Footballer of the Year plaudits.

 Speaking on his nomination for the BBC African Footballer of the Year award, the Lille of France goalkeeper underlined some qualities in Schmeichel, former goalkeeper of Manchester United, which he said he admired.

“I got inspiration from Peter Schmeichel, the former Manchester United goalkeeper. He used almost everything to make a save,” BBC Sport quoted Enyeama as saying.

Enyeama could not close his eyes to the Schmeichel juggernaut, though he admitted that his role model was a different person entirely.

“Even though Edwin van der Sar was kind of my role model, Schmeichel brought in a different kind of goalkeeping. So I’ve been trying to do that, it’s very difficult because then you open yourself to risk of injury when you throw your legs around – but you don’t care because there’s no more power, you just throw every part of your body in the way. It’s what works.”

Though he is a goalkeeper today, Enyeama said that he was equally a good outfield player who always loved to score and return to the rear to defend his goal, in those days.

On his nomination for the BBC African Footballer of the Year Award, Enyeama said he deserved it, adding that if he wins it at the end of the day, “it would be big for me, for my family for Nigerians,” whom he said had been eager to see another Nigerian player win the award after Austin Okocha last won it in 2004.