Future Chelsea striker Emmanuel Emegha has explained the confusion over the spelling of his first name, as the striker made his senior debut for the Netherlands.
Chelsea announced the agreement to sign the 22-year-old from sister club RC Strasbourg in September.
The deal would allow Emegha to remain at the Ligue 1 club for the remainder of the season before joining Chelsea next summer.
Anyone who has looked up Emegha on the internet would certainly find something interesting about him; his first name is spelled both Emmanuel and Emanuel on different websites.
According to the Strasbourg captain, it all began with his own carelessness.
IMAGO / DeFodi Images
“I used to be too lazy to write two ‘m’s, and that’s how the whole world picked it up,” the striker told Dutch outlet Sportnieuws, laughing.
“My passport has two ‘m’s. But I, my teachers, and also at Sparta, just started writing it as Emanuel.”
To be fair, he does not really care about how people write his first name.
“As long as they know my last name. That’s much more important,” the striker added.
Emegha made his first senior appearance for the Netherlands in the 1-1 draw with Poland on Friday.
It was a very brief cameo towards the end of the match, but it was still a special moment for his career.
IMAGO / Goal Sports Images
Before making his debut for the Netherlands, Emegha could have had other choices, with connections to Togo, through his father, and Nigeria, through his mother, but for him, there was never an option.
“The Netherlands is just my country,” he explained.
“I am a proud Dutchman and always will be. Even though I wouldn’t be selected, I would still be Dutch.
“I’m going to work towards the World Cup all season. I do everything for that. Scoring more goals, providing more assists, being very fit.
“I’ve had a lot of injuries this season, I want to get top fit.”
As Emegha himself pointed out, he has struggled with injury problems, having missed 14 games for Strasbourg this term due to hamstring issues.
Impressively, he has still racked up four goals and two assists from just five appearances in Ligue 1 this season, including his brace against Lille in his last match.
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