West Ham United youngster Rayan Oyebade marked his Greece Under-19 debut with an 8-0 thrashing of Liechtenstein as the teenager takes a major step towards qualifying for next year’s European Championships.
Big wins for young Hammers has been a theme of recent international breaks.
Mateus Fernandes’ Portugal Under-21 side beat Gibraltar 11-0 in October, with the West Ham United playmaker on the scoresheet. Youth team captain Airidas Golambeckis helped England obliterate Wales 7-0 in that very same week.
Now, it is the turn of Rayan Oyebade to reflect fondly on a thumping victory.
West Ham United starlet Rayan Oyebade delighted with his Greece beginning
On his first ever appearance for Greece at Under-19 level, Oyebade played the full 90 minutes at left-back as Liechtenstein were hit for eight.
“It’s always a pleasure to represent your country,” Oyebade, who qualifies for the Greek national team through his mother, tells the club’s official website. “Especially when it’s in a competition as big as U19 Euros qualifying.
“International football has a different feel to it but it’s all part of the experience. The camp has been great. Getting to meet so many new people and players has also been amazing!
“My mum is Greek, from a city called Kalamata. Before I signed for West Ham, my mum and I used to go to Greece every summer. She would try to take me to different places to see the culture and how beautiful the country is.
“I also went to Greek school for a very long time from the age of five to 14, which is where I’ve learnt all my Greek. I actually have qualifications in Greek!”
Oyebade, who skippered West Ham in last season’s Under-18 Premier League Cup final victory over Reading, now has a final qualifier in the spring to look forward.
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