Q: There are fears that Stephen Keshi might not have a strong side to prosecute the 2014 CHAN due to the fact that most of your colleagues are moving abroad for greener pastures...

A: I believe we have a lot of good players in the local league to prosecute any tournament we are to take part in. The new players will adapt and so there should be no fears.

Q: Do you think putting a law in place that stipulates players should play in the domestic league for a certain period of time before leaving the shores of the country will ensure we have a strong league here?

A: I don’t think that will work. How much do players earn here that they should be stopped from going abroad to better their careers? It’s just not possible.

Q: Following the recent row on match bonus between the Super Eagles players and the NFF, how do you think such issues should be handled in future?

A: Well, we want to play for our countries irrespective of what people are saying but the administrators must also endeavour to do the right thing for the players so as to motivate them to do their best for the country and there should be no discrepancy or discrimination.

Q: You were part of the Africa Cup of Nations triumph and Confederations Cup, what lesson did you learn from being part of the Super Eagles to those tournaments?

A: I met different people, players and that added new thing to my game. I’m grateful to coach Stephen Keshi for giving me the chance to be part of his project and I know that I shall still improve as a player. I spoke with Iker Casillas after the game and he asked me to work hard and impress the coach whenever I get the chance. I walked up to him so that we can exchange jerseys and we had a brief chat.

Q: In the Confederations Cup, you guys played against Tahiti and defeated them 6-1 before losing to Uruguay and Spain. What was the toughest game for the team in Brazil and do you think it could have been better if the team had gone with more experienced players?

A: The Spain game was the toughest as far as I am concerned. Tahiti was somehow easy because they are not a big football nation but make no mistakes; they showed that with time, they can be a good team. We were desperate to beat Uruguay and prove that we did not take the Tahiti side for granted as some may think; unfortunately we conceded the second goal against the run of play. Against Spain, we missed some chances. Yes... we missed some big players but we can cope with or without any player now.

Q: Was there any fear on your mind when you saw the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Torres and co in the Spanish squad?

A: There was no fear of any player from Spain. We only respected them being world and European champions but we went into the game with the intention to do our best. No doubt, they have some of the best players in the world but we were not afraid, no.

Q: How are you looking forward to the game against Malawi in September?

A: We want to win that game and make our chances of qualifying for the World Cup easier. We know that there is the next round which is the last hurdle but we are focused on the Malawi game first.

Q: And what was your reaction to the ban handed to Rangers of Enugu, your club by CAF in the CAF Confederations Cup?

A: I was devastated when I heard of the ban but hopefully, the appeal which the management lodged will come out well in our favour.

Q: Thanks for your time...

A: You’re welcome!

Source: http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/news/2013/07/agbim-how-iker-casillas-encouraged-me