Exclusive: Nigerian U17 World Cup-Winning Defender Joins Latvian Club On Three-Year Deal

Published: October 10, 2018

Allnigeriasoccer.com can exclusively report that Nigerian U17 World Cup-winning defender Lukman Halilu Zakari has ended speculation about his future after penning a contract with FK Metta, who play in the Virsliga.

Zakari, who won the FIFA U17 World Cup with the Golden Eaglets in 2015, has penned a three-year contract with FK Metta, which will keep him in the Latvian capital until June 2021.

The deal was concluded before the Latvian transfer window closed for business in July but the player arrived in Latvia on Tuesday evening and had his first training session with his new teammates today.

Zakari's former club in Nigeria, United Academy, Kaduna, have not been paid a transfer fee but have inserted a 25 percent sell-on clause into their agreement with FK Metta.

Portuguese club Sporting Braga had explored the possibility of signing the defender but later pulled the plug on the deal because he was inactive for about two years.

John Chibuzo Nwankpa of JCN-Johnson Sports Management & Marketing, Poland brokered the deal that took Zakari to FK Metta.

The 19-year-old was in the Flying Eagles squad that failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa U20 Cup of Nations.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel