“For Mikel, the game doesn’t start in the dressing room – it starts in the team meeting a few hours before. On that day, it was the most interesting meeting of my life. I have never seen
something like that before and I don’t think I’ll ever see it again,”
Zinchenko said in his book, “Believe”.
“We had lunch in the hotel where we stay before home games. It’s always
the same waiters, the same familiar faces of the staff, whom I guess are
chosen for being very discreet. There was one guy, though, I had never seen
before, a waiter serving hot drinks. I didn’t think much about it. He must have been a new guy.
“In the final match-day meetings, we rarely sit down to watch any clips or
look at a tactics board. Mikel is doing them very differently, in his own
way. He will have us playing cards or little ball games to get those competitive juices flowing. He wants to switch us on, activate our minds. In
the first part of that meeting, he laid out lots of cards on a big table. They
had football terms like ‘man on’, ‘set piece’, ‘win your duel’ and so on
written on them. He said, ‘Okay guys, we need to start the game with
winning your duel. Who’s going to take that first card?’ You had to pick it
out before the other team at the other end of the table got there. It doesn’t
sound like much, but footballers are such a competitive lot, even a simple
game like that becomes fiercely contested.”
This is where it gets interesting.
“Then, for the second part, Mikel announced it was going to be another
‘players vs staff freestyle battle’. The other day, it had been me against
Nicolas ‘Nico’ Jover, our set-piece specialist, and I had won. So the
manager says, ‘It’s rematch today. Alex, let’s see if you can do it again.’ So
I get up and do a few tricks and so on.
Then it’s Nico’s turn. But he’s
holding his hamstring, saying he’s injured and can’t play. Mikel looks
around the room and says, ‘We need a substitute. Anyone?’ At that moment,
that waiter raises his hand. Mikel says, ‘Okay. You can try.’ And guess
what? This guy is killing it. He’s basically destroying us. He even nutmegs Saka. Everyone’s is looking at each other like, ‘What the fuck is this?’
Everyone’s cheering him on and laughing.
“Turns out he’s a professional freestyler with millions of followers whom Mikel had planted at the hotel as a waiter. You realise how much work must have gone into that behind the scenes. That guy was there for at least three hours undercover, serving up coffee and cakes and waiting patiently for his big moment. The mood in the camp was incredible after that. People were buzzing on the way to the bus. That whole thing really pushed the right buttons. But it happens so often. Every one of Mikel’s meetings is special.”
You cannot stop finding a way to win.
“For many years, since the beginning of AY live, Wizkid, Davido, Burna boy, Tiwa Savage, Olamide have all performed at AY live. Those days many appearances were made possible through friendship. An artiste would accept any reasonable amount to cover their logistics, but today, the Nigerian musicians charge ₦200 million, ₦120 million, ₦80 million to appear on my show.”
— AY Comedian.
A reminder of why Julian Assange was persecuted and targeted by the US for over a decade:
Among the many Wikileaks revelations was the Collateral Murder footage from Iraq, in which a US Apache helicopter opens fire.
Reuters journalists Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen were gunned down, several others were killed while the US pilots laughed.
🇦🇺 If your goal is to move to AUSTRALIA PERMANENTLY, THESE ARE THE VISAS THAT LEAD TO PR
🇦🇺 Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent Visa
This is a permanent visa.
You don't need an employer, state, or family member to sponsor you.
But you need an eligible occupation, a suitable skills assessment, enough points, and an invitation to apply.
🇦🇺 Subclass 190 — Skilled Nominated Visa
Also a permanent visa.
But this time, you need nomination from an Australian state or territory.
Each state has its own priorities and nomination requirements.
🇦🇺 Subclass 491 — Skilled Work Regional Visa
This is a provisional visa for people willing to live and work in regional Australia.
You need state/territory nomination or sponsorship from an eligible relative.
It can provide a pathway towards permanent residence if you later satisfy the requirements.
🇦🇺 Subclass 482 — Skills in Demand Visa
This is employer-sponsored.
An Australian employer sponsors you to fill an eligible position.
Unlike the first three, this is a temporary visa.
But eligible workers may later transition towards permanent residence through employer-sponsored pathways such as the Subclass 186 visa.
🔖 Bookmark this so you don’t forget.
♻️ Repost for someone in your network.
Join my 📩 ➡️ https://t.co/s9HhBPL9Rc
It’s totally wrong to demarket your country just because of political sentiments. Politician will go, your country will forever remain your country.
May God bless Nigeria 🇳🇬 🫶🏽
For everyone asking how to move to New Zealand 🇳🇿, School isn’t the only route.
You can also move through work if you secure an eligible job with a New Zealand employer.
I put together a guide covering:
• Jobs you can target
• NZ employers hiring
• Direct career pages
• Work visa basics
• Green List occupations
• Roles that require professional registration
• How to apply from Nigeria
• Application checklist
• Scam warnings
https://t.co/8dXEezmbPJ
OMG 😳… Nigeria 🇳🇬 is really blessed! 🙏🏾
I came across this incredible waterfall in Cross River State, and honestly, it reminded me so much of Victoria Falls in Zambia 🇿🇲.
📍Abokim waterfalls
What surprised me most is how quietly this place sits in the middle of the forest. A natural wonder like this could be a huge attraction for West Africa, yet so many people may not even know it exists.
And getting there was an adventure of its own! 😂
4-hour road trip by public transport from Calabar to Ikom
50-minute motorcycle ride from Ikom to Abokim
And finally… Abokim Waterfalls!
After seeing this with my own eyes, I’ll keep saying it: Nigeria is blessed.
#waterfall #crossriver #nigeria #adventure #travel
A month ago, I shared my Gold swing entries publicly. Both played out and are still running in profit💰💅
So, what’s next for XAUUSD? Here’s my current swing outlook. 👇🏽
Watch in 1080p
Omo, this one is selling almost anything you can think of in this world, for as low as ₦1,000! 😱🙆♀️
📍 Dehadza Warehouse
52 Oyinbo Adjarho Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos 🇳🇬
One of Nigeria's true journalists.
Doing what is expected from the Media.
Nice one Kayode Okikiolu!
Change begins with you and I
Meanwhile this is also for those kicking against the Lagos-Calabar coastal road. When you lack vision you won't understand the importance of having an alternative major route out of Lagos.