Exclusive: Onyemaechi praises Davies and Mendy, confesses Super Eagles pressure

• Super Eagles defender Bruno Onyemaechi has shared his admiration for Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Real Madrid's Ferland Mendy.

Davies is widely regarded as one of the top left-backs in Europe, known for his speed and occasionally playing as a left winger. He has earned spots in the FIFA FIFPro World11, UEFA Team of the Year, and Bundesliga Team of the Season multiple times.

Mendy, though less prominent than Davies, is a regular starter for Real Madrid and played a crucial role in their recent La Liga and UEFA Champions League victories.

In an interview with EaglesTracker, Onyemaechi reveals he draws inspiration from the two left-backs, saying: "Right now it is Alphonso Davies. I normally like to see his game whenever he is playing, whether it is Canada or Bayern Munich.

"I normally like to see his game and see how he moves with the ball and how he is fast too. I normally like these kinds of players. The second one is Mendy. The one from Real Madrid. I like this player, too. He is my favourite left back."

Onyemaechi also revealed the two clubs he supported as a youngster in Nigeria.

"Growing up, it was Heartland, and in Europe, it was Manchester United."

The 25-year-old plays regularly for Portuguese side Boavista but struggles to get regular playing time with the Super Eagles, as Porto's Zaidu Sanusi is the first-choice left-back.

Onyemaechi was called up to the national team for the first time in 2022 and made his debut in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against São Tomé and Príncipe.

Reflecting on his debut, Onyemaechi said, "When you put on the Nigeria shirt, the pressure is too much, you need to win. Even if you are playing in England, even if you are playing in the biggest team in the world, you need to win.

"My teammates in Portugal always tell me the same thing. Nigeria is bigger than Portugal, the pressure. The pressure got to me. When the game started, 15 or 20 minutes, I was a little bit shaky, and some of my teammates noticed, especially Ndidi. Ndidi noticed, called me, and said to me to be more relaxed and that it's normal."

Since his debut, Onyemaechi has earned six caps for Nigeria and was part of the squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.