Some football enthusiasts, Watford and Super Eagles fans inclusive have questioned Samuel Kanu’s reported age
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigerian striker Samuel Kanu seems not to be getting the desired welcome to his new club, as fans all over the world have questioned the reported age of the former Bordeaux player.
The 24-year-old was signed by Premier League strugglers, Watford in a deal expected to expire in June 2025 from the French club on Wednesday night.
Kalu is the London club’s fifth signing of the January window, following the arrival of full-back Hassane Kamara, central defender Samir, midfielder Edo Kayembe and fellow Nigerian Maduka Okoye who was signed in 2021.
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He is also the fifth Nigerian to be signed by the Premier League club, others being William Troost-Ekong, Oghenekaro Etebo, Emmanuel Denis, and Maduka Okoye.
But arguably 48 hours after joining the London club, Samuel Kalu has been heavily criticized on social media for lying about his age.
A lot of football fans including the Hornets and Nigeria fans have insisted he is older than the age reported.
The display of his picture and that of his new manager Roy Hodgson, on The Hornets’ Twitter handle, after his unveiling, sent tongues wagging on social media.
A social media user identified as Abdul Shakur suggested that his age was mistakenly reversed.
He said, “42 or 24 years? There might be a mistake somewhere.”
Abdul Shakur wasn’t alone in this inquest; other selected social media users and football fans including Nigeria and Watford fans did not spare the Super Eagles forward and their opinions are below.
A Twitter user identified as Jordan Lee wrote, “More Kanu than Kalu. He is definitely not 24.”
A Watford fan identified as Jason Genova added, “You’ve been duped by a fake birth certificate.”
Blaine Murphy tweeted, “There’s no way he’s 24! The next one to find out he’s got 4 different birth certificates.”
MD was even more sarcastic as he
wrote, “Is 24 the length of time he’s been at Bordeaux? Because he is NOT 24 years old.”
While Gavin Smith said he would love to see Kalu’s birth certificate.
The inquest continued as very few fans and social media users appealed to those strolling him to give him the benefit of a doubt.
