Although Dele Aiyenugba is 39, the former Super Eagles goalkeeper is not ready to pull off his gloves just yet and retire from football. The double CAF Champions League winner with Enyimba believes he still has a lot to offer in the game by his return to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) after 13 seasons in Israel . Now attached with Kwara United, Aiyenugba reminisced on his experience playing abroad even as he relished the joy of still being active on the Nigerian domestic scene, OLALEKAN OKUSAN writes
His ambition in football was to be one of the greatest goal poachers the game had ever seen but providence made Dele Aiyenugba a goalkeeper.
Indeed destiny installed Aiyenugba between the sticks and today he is famed as one of Nigeria’s best goalies.
“I did not start with goalkeeping in the game; like many of my peers, I played street football as a teenager,” Aiyenugba recalled with boyish smiles. “In one of our matches against another street, our goalkeeper failed to show up and that was how I was called up to cover up for him.
“After the match, a lot of people hailed me for my performance; some even rewarded me with money for it and that experience made me realise how much I love to dive.
“In football, goalkeepers dive a lot to catch or parry shots. So, from there I decided to be a goalkeeper.”
If Aiyenugba had any doubt about the switch of position on the field of play, it was soon erased from his mind by the huge support he received from his football-loving father who kept the young lad on his toes and urged him to be the best shot stopper ever.
“When I decided to take to goalkeeping, my father really inspired me,” the former Nigeria International said.“ He really urged me on and told me to have fun playing football as a goalkeeper.
“This really motivated me a lot whenever I was in goal for my team in those days and helped me to keep a clean sheet in many matches.”
Before moving abroad, Aiyenugba started professional football with his boyhood club, Kwara United – then known as Kwara Stars – where he played between 1998 and 2000.
In 2021, Aiyenugba joined Enyimba International Football Club of Aba and played for the then league champion until 2007 before teaming up with Bnei Yehuda in Israel.
Aiyenugba spent over 10 years in the Israeli league where he recorded 294 appearances across four teams.
At Enyimba, Aiyenugba won several laurels including the prestigious CAF Champions League twice, which aided his invitation to the national team.
He recalled how his success with Enyimba lifted his career: “Winning the CAF Champions League really impacted positively on my career because it helped me to get a call-up to the national team where I featured for the Super Eagles.
“Enyimba put Nigeria on the continental and world football maps. I had several memorable moments playing for Enyimba. My most memorable moment was when I replaced Vincent Enyeama toward the end of the CAF Champions League semi-final and final matches, which went into penalty shootout.
“I really thank God for giving me the grace and the support of my teammates, most especially the legendary Vincent Enyeama, during my days in Enyimba,” Aiyenugba added.
After his long sojourn abroad, Aiyenugba decided to return to where it all started – the NPFL.
“I decided to return to the NPFL because of my family and most importantly my son, Daniel Aiyenugba, who is also a goalkeeper,” he explained.“ Also, I am back home to impart knowledge on younger goalkeepers.
“Our goalkeepers are improving. They can do more by believing in themselves and doing more personal training to keep improving.”
Yet Aiyenugba has lamented the low patronage of the league in recent times compared to the heady days when he was with Enyimba.
He said: “There is a big difference between now and when I was at Enyimba. In our days, fans used to besiege the Aba Stadium just to watch us train. On match day, by 2pm, the stadium was already filled, and players were ready to reward the fans’ support with good performance and victory.
“But nowadays, there are a lot of challenges, most especially on the part of the players. The players need to be paid very well to perform well. How do you expect a player that is not paid to play well on the field? So there is a need to improve the players’ welfare in the NPFL.
“Also, most teams are now turning their pitch to Astro turf which prevents free flowing football. We need good pitches, not Astro turf,” he said.
Aiyenugba attributed his longevity in the game to divine blessing: “My longevity is the grace of God. I take care of my body by sleeping well, by always thinking positively, by always willing to put a smile on the faces of people around me.”
Football has taught Aiyenugba a lot of life lessons which continue to help him: “I have gained a lot of lessons by playing football and by putting God first in whatever I do in life.
“Football has taught me humility, diligence and determination. I really thank God for the talent God gave me. Football has given me everything I desire in life and I want to really appreciate God for this.”
Retirement is far from Aiyenugba’s mind as he eyes the record of the longest playing goalkeeper in Nigeria and indeed at the global level.
“I don’t know when I will retire. I want to break the record for the longest playing goalkeeper as long as God still gives me the grace to continue playing,” he disclosed but ruled out a possible return to the national team, saying: “No I am not planning to return to the national team because we have a lot of young goalkeepers in local and foreign leagues, and they are all doing great.”
Nevertheless, Aiyenugba desired to see more local players called up to the Super Eagles and lamented their current shut-out from the national team.
“The decision by the national handlers not to consider the local players when selecting the team is not a good one. We have a lot of foreign-based players who started from the local league. We need to put our league on TV for these national team handlers to see the quality of the players in the domestic league,” he stressed.
