Taiwo Alimi
Prior to the UEFA Champions league Matchday 2 at the Bernabeu in Spain, Nigeria international Emmanuel Dennis was leading a quiet life in the ancient city of Bruges, Belgium. Though he had become a regular with Club Brugge having played over 60 matches since moving there in 2017, the away duel against serial European champions Real Madrid transformed his life and career.
The 22-year-old former U-15 was the toast of all on October 1, 2019 as he stole the show outpacing Madrid defence line led by Sergio Ramos to score twice before the shell-shocked Real rallied back to equalise in the second half.
Recalling the greatest moment yet in his youthful career, Dennis said the match made him hug the limelight.
“I was joking before that match that I would do a tattoo for a goal scored at The Bernabeu. I really wanted to do well in that match because I am great fan of Christiano Ronaldo. I wasn’t happy that they allowed him to go too.
“Bagging the three points would have been an even better feeling. Everyone expected Real to brush us off easily, but we came well prepared, with full belief in our own qualities. We believed something was in it for us here. When we took an 0-2 lead, it felt great; but it’s in the back of your mind that a top team like that can still set things straight. I’m a tad disappointed about that one point. But it’s a good thing that we managed to get a point away at Bernabéu. It’s still a massive team, a big name.”
Dennis looked back on his two goals: “I wanted to control the ball to have the keeper lie down with that first goal, but I missed my control and got out of balance and managed to get it in with my other foot. With that second goal, I controlled the ball and wanted to fire straight away, but when I saw Courtois come out at large, I decided to chip it.”
In-fact, Dennis got a chance to score the third goal that would have buried Real at home, but Courtois saved the day.
He said of the miss: “It’s a pity about that third opportunity, the keeper saved it well. I didn’t want to go for that corner, but he really forced me to.”
At the end of the match, he was the focus of the cameras and by next day his face was splattered all over the newspapers.
“I was asked all kinds of questions from how I scored the two goals and missed a hat-trick, a kind of history for me and the club and why I celebrated like Ronaldo. They even remembered my tattoo plan. It was an overwhelming time but I tried to answer all questions with a smile.”
The brace was in itself historic as Dennis became the third Nigerian to have scored against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. The other two players to have achieved this feat are James Obiorah for Locomotiv Moscow in the 2002/2003 season and Ayila Yussuf for Shaktar Donetsk in the 2003/2004 season.
“It was later that I learnt that my Ronaldo celebration did not go down well with the local fans. I wanted to remind them that letting him (Ronaldo) go was a bad idea. He is my idol and the best striker that I know. I like Christiano and for me he is the best player in the world,” the Brugge striker said.
“I was sad when he left Madrid and I celebrated my goals like that to show them that they lost something.”
Coming to Belgium and Bruges, Dennis said is one of the best decisions he has taken. “I am happy to have scored two goals, we really wanted to win the game and we were not far away, so we had to settle for a point, which is already a good result. But I think it was down to the effort of the whole team; it would not be fair to say that it is due to my two goals.
“The confidence that I have is down to the team handlers. They have been very supportive since I got here and I have learnt new tricks overall.”
Suffice to add, Dennis left Spain a different person now sought by some of the biggest teams around the world.
“I am here (Club Brugge) now but I’ve been told that some clubs are interested in having my signature. It is down to my club and let’s see how it goes.”
Dennis is highly favoured to make a giant move to England in January.
Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Leicester City, Lyon, Fenerbahce, and Monaco are all believed to have monitored Dennis in the past few seasons.
Dennis dug into memory lane to share experiences about growing up, childhood career crush, life in Ukraine and now Belgium.
Growing up
I was born in Yola in northern Nigeria and I grew up in the Army barracks where I played a lot of street soccer. I was poached on the street by a football academy in Abuja before featuring for the Nigeria’s U-15 side. Growing up, I played football for leisure but my childhood crush was to become a priest or a medical doctor. I am very spiritual, even from when I was a kid and whenever we were playing I was always called upon to pray. I did not give football much thought until I was asked to join the national U-15 team. The mentorship I got there changed my focus and form there I began to see myself building a career in football.
Ukraine
The first opportunity to play in Europe was with Zorya Luhansk in 2016. By that time, I’ve been told my many coaches that I have what it takes to do well, even in Europe; so the move came at the right time. I played for the team about three months after joining them and I scored in that particular match.
The fans there really loved what I was doing and they likened me to the Brazilian player Neymar. This is because I love to run the ball to the opponent and dribble them to create chances. I do a lot of running and because of that my teammates like to get the ball to me because they know I would take any defence head on. That kind of worked for me and made me popular among the fans who always crave for exciting football.
From here, I played other games and scored some more goals. I even played in the Europa League. I was ready to learn new things and that helped me to mature quickly. In all, I played 22 games and scored six times excluding many assists.
Club Brugge
Club Brugge came for me in 2017 and they put me on quite early. But I reciprocated the confidence reposed in me by scoring five goals in six matches. A memorable match was against Gent. I was doing my usual thing, running at the defence line and that helped us to beat them 3-0. I’m happy with how we played as a team. We played, brimming with confidence, and with fine football. Every game is important and you have to try and win them all. We brought some quality football to the table, applying fine pressure which helped us to achieve great performances. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Unwinding
I like to play PlayStation a lot but I indulge in other games too like table tennis and basketball when I’m not playing football. I listen to different kinds of music and this I do to keep me focused before a match. I love to dance too.
Tattoo lover?
I don’t like tattoo that much. I don’t think I have done any either. I said I would be doing tattoo if I scored in the game against Real Madrid but that was nothing but a joke. I did not do any. It was just a bluff and that is all it is. I don’t like tattoo that much.
Religion
I am highly spiritual. Where I come from we are highly religions and it starts for me from the home. My mum is always praying for us and we go to church a lot. From my teenage days, I’ve cultivated the belief in the ultimate one called God; I’ve learnt to depend on him at all times. I see this world as a journey and heaven as home and I wish I make heaven at the end of my journey here.
Role model
My father is my role model. He motivates me. I love Ronaldo too because he plays good football and he works hard too. I want to emulate him in every game I play.
Favourite food
My favourite food is pounded yam and okro soup. It is a Nigerian delicacy.
EMMANUEL DENNIS BIODATA
Full name: Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis
Born: November 15, 1997, in Yola, Nigeria
International: Nigeria U-15,U-23, Super Eagles
Professional clubs:
Zorya Luhansk-Ukraine: Scored six goals in 22 league games
Club Brugge-Belgium: Scored 16 goals in combine 62 games
Player’s qualities: Talented forward, pacey, mainly operates on the right-wing, very direct, likes to run at his marker
Teams interested in the player: Arsenal, Lyon, Fenerbahce, Monaco, Leicester.
Price tag: £12million
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