My mental strength keeps me above every criticisms - Super Eagles goalie Akpeyi

Nigeria goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has revealed how he deals with fans criticisms.

The shot stopper has been seriously criticised for his goalkeeping errors.

Recall during the friendly against Argentina in a 2018 pre-world Cup friendly, he stepped out from his box to pick the ball up and that resulted in a free-kick and goal.


"What helps me is my mental strength. I really don't follow the news about what is going on, especially when it comes to soccer from Africa and this part of the world,” Akpeyi told ESPN.

"Thank God I grew up with a mentor who taught me how to be mentally strong. With all I have learnt from my mentor, I can't give up on myself. I am not going to prove a point to anybody, I only have to prove a point to myself that whatever I have been trained with actually works.

"When we got to the hotel [after the Argentina friendly], I overheard one of my teammates in the other room telling somebody on the phone 'I don't think he should be invited to the national team again; how can he concede that kind of goal’.

"My own teammate! He was just outside the room next to mine and talking. This is a professional footballer who plays in Europe. But I thank God because it is by His grace that I am here."

Rohr replaced Akpeyi at half-time in the Argentina friendly by Francis Uzoho, who went on to become the Super Eagles first-choice goalkeeper at the World Cup in Russia.

The 33-year-old, says that the substitution was not as a result of his error but as part of Gernot Rohr’s tactics.

"He had already told me that he invited this new boy, Francis Uzoho, and I will play the first half and then he will bring him in for the second half. So he did not sub me in the first half because of the goal,” he added.
"At the Nations Cup, the same thing happened. He had already told us that he would want all the players to play."

Akpeyi was also blamed for not being able to keep Riyad Mahrez’s match-winning stoppage-time free-kick from goal when Nigeria faced Algeria in the semi-final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.