SC Paderborn's Nigeria international Jamilu Collins has cited two Chelsea legends in the shape of Celestine Babayaro and Ashley Cole as his footballing role models when he was growing up.

Collins comes from a footballing family, with his father representing Nigerian clubs Niger Tornadoes and BCC Lions Gboko before hanging up his boots.

The 25-year-old claims he started his career as a winger with an eye for goal before establishing himself as a left-back.

"I was always a winger, an attacking winger, I played from the left side, right side and I played central, I was really dangerous back then attacking," said Collins in an Instagram conversation with the Super Eagles Media Team.

Collins explained how he was motivated to shift to the left-back position due to the exploits of Babayaro, who grew up in Kaduna just like him.

"I never met Celestine Babayaro in person, I watched him a lot, loved the way he was playing, he's the number one player in Kaduna. Everybody talked about him a lot, the way he plays, he attacks a lot, he has good moves.

"Growing up I was enjoying playing in attack but at the same time I was admiring him, so I got to a club and they decided to play me as a left-back, some people started calling me Babayaro.

"At that point I started to like the name a little bit but at the same time I was wondering why they were calling me Babayaro as I always wanted to play in attack.

"Gradually I continued playing left-back. Every club I go to I tell them I play attack but they put me in the left defence, sometimes I get angry.

"At the end of the day I stuck to the position and started watching a lot of Babayaro more, I started to fall in love with him because he became my role model and I was watching a lot of Ashley Cole also, they were the favorites for me back then."

Collins has made the Super Eagles left-back position his own since forcing his way into manager Gernot Rohr's plans, starting six of the last seven games played by the national team.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel