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Eletu joins the long list of Nigerian players to have signed for the Italian giants and could feature for them in Coppa Italia games this season.
While England boasts about Jude Bellingham and Spain, Gavi, Nigeria can begin to put forward Victor Eletu in the conversation for the world's most brilliant teenage midfielder.
The AC Milan midfielder - while everyone focused on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, - became a hero for the Italian giants, scoring a winner in their first friendly ahead of the restart of the Serie A season.
Here is all you need to know about this 17-year-old.
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Player profile
Full name: Victor Ehuwa Eletu
Age: 17 (born April 1, 2005)
Club: AC Milan
Position: Midfielder
Preferred foot: Right
Country: Nigeria
Starting out from Prince Kazeem Eletu Academy in Lagos Nigeria, Eletu is currently rated among the best teenage midfielders not just in Italy, but in Europe.
The 17-year-old, in 2018, received a scholarship to pursue his dream of playing professional football at AC Milan soccer school and has since grown through the ranks, rising to the point of featuring for the senior team under Stefano Pioli.
In July, the midfielder after having taken part in the first team's preseason sessions was named the captain of AC Milan's U-19 team ahead of the 2022/23 season.
He had prior, played for Milan's age-grade sides in the UEFA Youth League, Italian Primavera, Coppa Italia Primavera, Campionato Nazionale and the Viareggio Cup.
This week, Eletu signed his first-ever professional contract with Serie A giants with the help of Ted Dimvula – the lawyer in talks with Milan over Rafael Leao's renewal - and Allele Celestine, his agent.
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He went on to celebrate it by scoring the winner in the first team's midseason 3-2 friendly victory over Serie D side Lumazzane.
Eletu who will play for the 19-time Scudetto winners until 2025, is expected to be drafted in by Pioli for Coppa Italia games while continuing his development with the youth team.
What is his style?
The 17-year-old is a defensive midfielder/deep-lying playmaker and other times plays as a box-to-box midfielder.
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His strengths include long balls, dribbling in tight spaces, vision, pace, stamina, and physicality in 1v1 duels. Eletu also possesses a strong left foot which he many a time, uses to make deep passes.
With a bright future well ahead of him, Eletu's trajectory could see him match the achievements of the likes of John Mikel Obi, Sunday Oliseh and, Mutiu Adepoju, or better still, surpass them.
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