They say every dog has its day and reasonably so for a footballer like former junior international, Ezekiel Bala, as he chats through his historical measure of influence for the country in this lively conversation with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.
It may be over a decade ago that he defended the green and white colours of Nigeria but former youth international, Ezekiel Bala, is full of nostalgic feeling as he recounted his stirring role with the national U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.
The striker indeed wore the armband with élan and scored the brace in the 2-0 defeat of Scotland in the team’s second match of the competition at the Royal Athletic Park in the Canadian city of Victoria often referred to as ‘The Garden City ‘due to its pictographic environment.
“One of my best football memories was representing my country at that FIFA U-20 World Cup at Canada in 2007,” the former striker of JC Raiders of Jos explained in an interview with The Nation from his base in Norway. “It was like a dream come true to captain my country at that level and it was also important that I was able to score a couple of goals during the tournament.”
Yet, Bala will be the first to admit that the Flying Eagles’ quarter-final contest against Chile in Canada was a misadventure following the dramatic manner they conceded four goals in a nerve-wracking extra time blitz.
“I have a lot of good memories playing at the 2007 World Cup in Canada and being the captain of the team really made me to feel special,” recalled the 31-year-old now in his halcyon days in the Norwegian lower league. “It was really a great moment for us until that quarter final game against Chile where we lost in a funny manner.
“I felt really bad about that match because it was glaring the referee (English Howard Webb) didn’t handle the match well.
“We had a team that could have gone ahead well in the tournament but the referee messed it up for us; and the kind of goals we conceded in extra time really demoralised us.
“That quarter-final defeat to Chile was a very huge disappointment for me and I can’t forget that episode.”
It all looks like yesterday when Bala along with the like of Super Eagles captain to the Russia 2018 World Cup, John Mikel Obi, left the shores of the country in 2005 to join Lyn Oslo.
Today, Bala is undoubtedly one of the longest-playing Africans in Norway after spending some 13 years playing for Lyn; Bryne; Randaberg; Nybergsund; Funnefoss-Vormsund and Algard FK.
“It was great starting my career here in Norway and at some point we were four players along with John Mikel Obi, Chinedu Obasi and Emmanuel Sarki,” offered Bala now with Rosseland BK.
“Playing with Mikel at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Finland was also great. We all grew up playing football together and we were also together at the Jos centre of the Pepsi Football Academy.”
While others went for new pasture elsewhere, Bala immersed himself in the Norwegian ways of life. “I’m still playing football here in Norway though not in the higher division. I’m growing old but I’m happy. I’m a family man now and keeping things very simple.”
According to him, the Scandinavian country noted for its simple, uncomplicated ambiance (bar the punishing winter season) was just perfect as his adopted home where he found love and is raising his young family.
“First and foremost, Norway is a very good country,” he noted with fixity of purpose. “Football here and the culture is good as well. I have acquired a lot here and learned a lot too. I have my family here too. I have no regret being here.
“Life is good for me and my family too. My wife (Ann-Kristin Svalestad Bala) is a Norwegian, she’s a great football fan and we met during a Norwegian Cup match.
“Of course, I was attracted because of her warmth and the way she spoke to me showed she’s a very kind person and honestly, that was what attracted me to her.
“We have two children; my son is going to be three years and my daughter is just a little over three months. Of course, I would be ready to support them in anything they want to do, be it football or any other thing.”
Bala has absolutely taken after his father on this score about giving the necessary fillip to one’s children even as he quaked with emotion about the passage of his hero over a decade ago.
He explained: “Yes! I agree with you that it’s difficult to decide on what to do as a youngster but I think it was very easy for me to choose football because I grew up in a family that loved football and with brothers who played football.
“I learned so much from them and my father was also a good football fan. He greatly encouraged me so well by enrolling me in an academy and buying lots of football equipment like jerseys and football shoes for me; all these kind of pushed me to take football as a career.
“But I’ve had moments when I cried too as a footballer and I remember I cried during the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Finland.
“It was that period that I lost my dad to death. I cried immediately I scored my first goal of the tournament in the 1-1 draw against Costa Rica because I would have loved my dad to see me play for my country because he encouraged me to play football.
“I don’t know what else I could have done. Honestly, I don’t think I would have done anything than playing football. Football was everything for me since my growing up years but table tennis and snookers are the other sports that I love.”
Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Bala would be a notable addition to the list of Nigerian youngsters that failed to turn up for the Super Eagles on the big stage as the debate on this misnomer rages.
I don’t think it was for lack of talents that many good players that featured at the youth levels did not eventually make it to the Super Eagles,” thundered Bala, pulling no punches. “Nigerian football is full of intrigues and politics.
“For instance, the U-17 level should have been the ideal to recruit players into other categories of the national teams but it’s usually not the case because we don’t have good structure on ground.
“It would have been nice to see players grow from U-17 to U-20 to U-23 and then the Super Eagles but politics usually messes things up in Nigeria. That is one of the problems with Nigerian football and again with a new coach, there are new set of players.
“As result, there is no progression from one stage to the other because there is no consistency with the players.”
But Bala is consistent with his ideals about life, adding that nothing can rob him of his innate traits. “Yes it’s true I love to smile. I don’t like to be worried especially about things I have no control over. I just want to be relaxed all the time and no matter what goes around me, I just want to smile.
“Of course, I do get angry especially when I think I’m right about something and you are making it look as if I’m wrong. I can also be angry when I don’t get what I think I deserve.
“But I won’t like it to get to a point that anger would be written all over my face. I love to smile all the time irrespective of the situation I find myself.”
They say music is an elixir of life and Bala is a connoisseur of good music. “I love music and good music makes me happy. I love rhythm and blues and I also have lots of Nigerian music, especially music by Tekno and Tu Face.
“Both artists (Tekno and Tu Face) are from my home state in Jos, but that’s not the reason I love their music; I can’t explain why I just love their music and it’s like an endless love for me.”
But when is Bala calling it a day with his soccer career he has so much enjoyed all these years in his adopted country?
“It was good and a dream come true for me to have come to Europe to play football, and it’s also a good thing for my family,” he stated. “I don’t know how long I can keep playing football though I agree with you I’m not getting younger.
“As far as I can train and be fit, I will continue playing football because it gives me joy.
“I would still probably be involved with football even when I stop playing. I can’t say whether I’ll be a manager or coach. What I’m sure of is being able to actively involve myself with the game but we have to wait till that time,” he noted.
BALA’S CAREER BADGES
1987: Ezekiel Bala was born in Jos city, the capital of Plateau State on April 8, 1987.
2003: The striker represented Nigeria at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Finland where he scored twice against Costa Rica and Australia and was in good company with the likes of Isaac Promise; John Obi Mikel; Chinedu Obasi, Emmanuel Sarki amongst others.
2005: He was snapped up Norwegian side Tippeligaen (now known as Elite Serien) side, Lyn Oslo from JC Raiders of Jos and he made his debut in a cup against Klemetsrud IL on 11th May, 2005.
2007: He captained the Flying Eagles at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, where he scored both goals in the win over Scotland.
2008: He moved from Lyn Oslo to Bryne in the Norwegian Adeccoligaen (First Division) wherehe featured in almost 50 games for the club.
2012: Hejoined 2. Divisjon side Randaberg from Bryne on a free transfer en route to Nybergsund also in the Norwegian 2. Divisjon.
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