The Nation Newspaper

Category: SOS

  • ODION IGHALO: I WON’T STOP PLAYING UNTIL …

    After swapping the red colours of Changchun Yatai FC for the blue colours of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC, Nigeria international striker Odion Ighalo still reiterates his commitment to earn another successful session as the 2019 Chinese Super League season gets underway, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    NIGERIA international Odion Ighalo, the burly striker, has yet again opened up on the secrets of his long successful career, even as he set his sight on yet another goal scoring season with his new Chinese Super League (CSL) side, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua Football Club, otherwise known as SH Shenhua.

    Inclusive of his academy years at Prime FC in Lagos, Ighalo is almost clocking two decades on the playing turf in a career that has seen him play for seven other clubs including defunct Julius Berger of Lagos on his way to a professional career in Europe.

    After just a season with Lyn Oslo in the Norwegian Tippeligaen, Ighalo was recruited by Italian side Udinese from where he was farmed out on loan to several clubs that included Granada (Spain), Cesena (Italy) and Watford where he impressed so well to be prised away on full contract.

    It was at Watford that Ighalo showed his unbridled goal scoring ability where he recorded 39 goals in about 100 appearances including an impressive 25 goals in 35 matches in the 2014/2015 that in no small way catapulted the club from the English Championship to the klieg-light of the English Premier League (EPL).

    But just after two seasons in the top flight with the Hornets, Ighalo was involved in a shock transfer to the CSL on a five-year deal with Changchun Yatai FC for a reported £27 million transfer fee.

    Ighalo, who will mark his 30th anniversary in June, has netted an impressive 36 goals in a cumulative 55 matches in the CSL; but his lion-hearted performance last season when he scored 21 goals in 28 league matches could still not rescue Changchun Yatai from relegation much to the displeasure of the ever-smiling Number 9 shirt-wearing striker.

    “Yes, I had good time with Changchun Yatai, but it was very sad to go on relegation after all the fight and goals but that’s football for you,” Ighalo who randomly captained Changchun Yatai told The Nation in a lively conversation days before his winning debut with SH Shenhua in the club’s 3-0 thrashing of Dalian Yifang in their last pre-season friendly match. “My best memories with Changchun Yatai were the goals and the worst memory was the relegation.”

    It is as though Ighalo, who broke through humbling circumstance, has mastered the secrets of success so much so he routinely put this as status on his social media account: ‘Do you know why I would always win? I wish you what I wish myself.”

    In all ramifications, Ighalo can be described as an authentic Nigerian success story and just last December, he was ‘Loud in Lagos’ after opening his eye-popping architectural masterpiece in the nouveau riche Lekki suburb.

    Yet for all his fortune and fame, he’s still rooted to his humble ideals even as he offered recipes for success that can be followed by aspiring young footballers: “My motto is work hard and pray; be humble and always ready to learn. And no matter what you have achieved, don’t get carried away and still believe you are still learning.”

    Incidentally, the inspiring  lines  of ‘even when I lose, I’m winning’  that characterised John Legend’s  All Of Me hit-track re-echoed so well in Ighalo’s trajectory  from the streets of  Lagos to  Europe en route to the far East of Asia .

    On the last count, Ighalo is reportedly worth about 40 million Euros on the transfer market, based on the basic amount of money accumulated from his inter-club transfers over the years; and the calculation is outside weekly wages and other personal emoluments including allowances and endorsements with Nike and several other blue-chip companies in the period under review between 2007 and 2019.

    In the annual salary review of African top earners, Ighalo, who reportedly was on  £190,000 weekly wages during his  two-season spell at Changchun Yatai, was slightly placed in third position  behind Ghana’ s Asamoah Gyan and African Footballer of the Year Mohammed Salah with a respective weekly wages of £300,000 and £250,000.

    But his response was instructive when pressed about what extra motivation he harbours despite his new found reputation: “Because I still believe there’s more out there to achieve and I won’t stop (playing) until I’m satisfied.”

    But for a fact, there is still much ground for Ighalo to cover in his career both at club and international levels for obvious reasons.

    Despite his impressive personal goal-scoring credentials which was totalled at 121 goals in 303 appearances between his days at Lyn Oslo and Changchun Yatai; as well as individual awards including being named as the Premier League Player of the month in December 2015 at Watford, Ighalo is yet to win a major club prize – besides helping Watford to gain promotion to the EPL in the 214/2015 season.

    Though the 2015 season also coincided with his international debut for the Super Eagles in the 1-0 home loss to Uganda in an international friendly under the then interim coach Daniel Amokachi, he has yet to grab a diadem with the national team.

    Already, he has won a total of 23 caps and scored 10 goals including a remarkable five goals in the back-to-back 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Libya (in Uyo and Sfax) last October.

    So what would be a most successful 2019 for Odion Ighalo?

    “Winning the Africa Cup of Nations and doing well with my new team here in China,” noted Ighalo.

    Following his movement to SH Shenhua, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, who has described Ighalo as one of ‘my most important strikers for the AFCON’, told our correspondent that the striker has the ability to excel  with his new club.

    “When Odion announced to me his transfer, I was very happy,” Rohr told our correspondent in a separate interview. “He (Ighalo) will find there (at Shanghai Grenland Shenhua) his former coach from Watford (Quique Sánchez Flores) in a big club.”

    Last season, Ighalo finished as the CSL second top scorer with 21 goals and overlooked interests from few EPL sides and FC Barcelona to pledge his immediate future with SH Shenhua.

    His addition is regarded to the squad is seen as a major boost to the club after the departure of Demba Ba and his Nigerian compatriot, striker Obafemi Martins, who he reckoned facilitated his transfer to SH Shenhua.

    “Swapping the red colours of CC Yatai for the blue colours of SH Shenhua means another challenge and new chapter in my career,” Ighalo further explained.  “It’s (SH Shenhua) a big club with history and my former coach at Watford (Flores) shows that he really wants me.

    “Yes, I had lots of interest in Europe but it was difficult because of my buyout clause but hopefully before the end of my career it (playing in Europe) might happen.”

    Incidentally, SH, according to Forbes, are the 6th most valuable football team in China with a team value of about $106 million and estimated revenue of about $29 million in 2015.

    The CSL side has a rich pedigree having featured great names like former African Footballer of the Year, Didier Drogba, and French journeyman Nicholas Anelka and it only came under the Greenland Holding Group in 2014.

    SH Shenhua are yet to win any major prize since their success in Chinese FA Cup in 2017 while they came seventh in the CSL last year; but Ighalo is earnestly looking at the prospect of a great flourish at ‘the Flower of Shanghai’ (as SH Shenhua is also known), adding that the club would help recharge his energy for the challenges ahead of him in the Super Eagles.

    “It’s (being a key to Super Eagles success in the upcoming AFCON in Egypt) no pressure because it’s a football tournament not a war zone; when we get to that bridge we will cross it,” Ighalo offered with his imitable frankness.

     

     

    ODION IGHALO:11 KEY CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

    Born in Lagos, Ighalo who played for local side, The Olodi Warriors, started his career with Prime F.C. and later moved to defunct Julius Berger where he was reportedly discovered by FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman and Atta Aneke who facilitated his trials with Lyn Oslo.

     

    He made his Tippeligaen debut on 16th 2007 at the age of 18, scoring in a 2–0 home win against Viking FK. He netted six goals in 13 games in his second year to help his team to the seventh position, and subsequently attracted interest from other clubs in the country.

     

    But on 30th July 2008, Ighalo signed for Udinese Calcio in Italy, moving alongside teammate Jo Inge Berget and agreeing to a five-year contract.

     

    Ighalo was loaned to Granada CF in the summer of 2009 as part of the partnership agreement between Udinese and the Spaniards. He scored 17 times in his first year (including seven play-offs matches) and five goals in the second year; this was interspersed with a brief loan stint back in Italy with A.C. Cesena.

     

    Though still owned by the Udine side, Ighalo continued playing with Granada in the following years. He played his first La Liga match on 27th August 2011, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 home loss to Real Betis.

     

    He joined Watford on a season-long loan deal from Udinese on 29th July 2014, making his debut for the English in the first round of the Football League Cup at Stevenage on 12th August and scored his first goal against Brentford on 30th September by tucking the ball home after his initial penalty was saved by David Button.

     

    Watford terminated Ighalo’s loan deal on 24th October 2014 but re-signed him on a permanent deal the same day after Udinese released him from his contract.

     

     

    Exactly three months later, he scored four second half goals and was voted Man of the Match in a 7–2 home routing of Blackpool, who lead 0–2 at half time and took his league tally to 14 on 10th February 2015, after netting a brace to help his team come from behind at Brentford to win 2–1.

     

    On 20th December 2015, Ighalo scored in a Watford victory for the fourth consecutive time, netting a brace in a 3–0 win over Liverpool. His five-goal haul earned him the Premier League Player of the Month of December 2015 while his manager Quique Sánchez Flores won the equivalent award.

     

    On 12th August 2016, he signed a new five-year contract with Watford but five months after, Ighalo joined Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai F.C. on 31st January 2017 for a reported £20 million transfer fee.

     

    On 14th February 2019, Ighalo transferred to fellow CSL side, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua Football Club after Changchun Yatai were relegated to the second tier.

  • AKINJIDE IDOWU: MY CAREER REVIVAL WITH FK PALANGA

    Former Nigeria youth international and a FIFA U-17 World Cup winner with the Golden Eaglets, Akinjide Idowu speaks candidly about his career revival at FK Palanga in the Lithuanian A Lyga as well as his mum’s role in the choice of his fiancée in this lively conversation with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    Some of his 2013 Golden Eaglets’ teammates have already settled down with the women of their dreams but hard-tackling midfielder Akinjide Idowu is not yet in a hurry, disclosing his mum has searched for and is now grooming his fiancée.

    Clearly, this is a classic example of what was obtainable in those good old days when parents often headhunted mates for their children and Idowu is obviously on cloud over his mother’s choice.

    “Actually, I’m not yet ready for marriage now because there are still things for me to put in place,” Idowu, a star member of the Golden Eaglets that wrought Nigeria’s fourth  FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE and now currently attached to FK Palanga in the Lithuanian A Lyga,  begins in an interview with The Nation.

    “Of course, I already have someone special and she has just graduated from the Bayero University in Kano (BUK) and Mariam, whom I call Morenikeji, is the special one after my heart.”

    Providence must have brought Idowu and Mariam together because they both grew up in the same compound in Kano and it was at the promptings of the former’s mother that the seed of love was planted between the sweethearts.

    “Sincerely, Mariam grew up right in front of me and her mum and mine are even best of friends,” Idowu further disclosed. “But there was nothing serious between us  because  she was like a kid sister to me but my mum kept telling me, ‘Jide, Mariam is your wife’ and it took me some time before I discovered some of those qualities my mum saw in her.

    “She’s respectful, calm, beautiful and very decent. Her love for me has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a footballer or because of fame; she has been so supportive of my career.

    “She’ the only one after my heart and when the time comes, we will seal our love with marriage and I think that will be after her NYSC.”

    Incidentally, Idowu’s career too is looking up again following some period of interregnum soon after he shone like the proverbial northern star in the national youth teams set up with both the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles.

    It is the measure of his toughness and strong mentality that has stood him in good stead; and he reckoned his career which hitherto had been on the wane is on a full revival at FC Palanga.

    “I joined FC Palanga late last year, actually on 9th September,” explained Idowu who polished his talents at Calabar Soccer Academy en route to the national U-17 team. “One of the reasons I joined them was to relaunch my career after the unfortunate predicament I had in Moldova with CSF Speranta Nisporeni.

    “There was nothing much to talk about my short stay with Speranta; I only got about nine games; won four,  lost three and drew two.

    “Anyone conversant with countries not so far away from Russia knows how cold the weather can be and I didn’t get to see other stuffs in the country since I’m one of those indoor type of persons.

    “Most of the clubs my agent spoke to didn’t want to get involved, but Palanga did and gave me another opportunity to relaunch my career.

    “It has been a nice experience for me with FC Palanga. We ended the season in 7th position and had to battle DFK Dainava that came second in the second division in a play-off which we won 3-0 away and 2-0 at home to keep our place in the A Lyga.”

    Of course, Idowu would be the first to admit that life is not a bird of roses since he is yet to take his game to the major leagues of Europe as envisaged by many who saw his great potentialities at the national team youth level.

    “Apart from winning the U-17 World Cup in 2013, I think 2015 was equally a great one for me with the Flying Eagles when we won the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal, and I, along with Taiwo Awoniyi and Musa Muhammed, was picked in the Best XI Team of the tournament,” he said with a tinge of emotions.

    “In fact, I had some good offers with some good clubs but, unfortunately, I was working with the wrong set of people who for whatever reasons best known to them never allowed me sign because they kept demanding more money and most of the good clubs got impatient and left.

    “My plan was to sign right away for any good club after we won the U-20 tournament in Senegal so that I can get on with my career, but the guys working with me then said we should wait till after the World Cup in New Zealand.

    “Unfortunately, we didn’t do so well in New Zealand and I never wanted to work with anybody again because they really set me back owning to their own selfishness. This affected me psychologically because I knew I got opportunities which were messed up with the kind of people I was working with.

    “I may have gone through some rough paths but I’m working so hard and praying that things would turn around for me. I know I would eventually get to the top and that is what I’m working on.”

    Idowu, who was christened ‘Pastor Jide’ in his Golden Eaglets days because of his evangelical disposition, has not lost any inch of his belief that a brighter future awaits him.

    “My Bible tells me that the gift of a man maketh way for him before kings and not laymen,” Idowu, a member of the Strong Tower Evangelical Assembly for over a decade, who sometimes switches to worship with his fiancée at the Living Faith, further explained.

    “That means the talents God has deposited in me shall take me to stand before great men and take me to places beyond my imaginations.

    “I have great belief that God is taking me to a higher ground and there is this thing in me that gives me great hope that there is going to be a big turnaround in my career. And people will marvel at what God is going to do for me.

    “Things may have gone sore in the last few years but somehow God is going to make a way for me and lead me to greatness and it’s not going to be too far away; that is my belief and prayers.”

    Given his pedigree as a hard worker, it can be presumed that this is not an empty boast, even as Idowu spoke with the benefit of hindsight. “I’m working round the clock; and you know me from my days in the national U-17 team that I’m not a lazy player. I’m trying as much as I can; I’m praying and I’m believing God since I’ve run away from anything that be against His covenant and promises for me.”

    Known for his Yeoman job as a hard tackler during his days with the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles, Idowu said he would be eternally grateful to former Nigerian international and the first Nigerian and indeed African to raise a FIFA World Cup trophy, coach Nduka Ugbade, who put his raw talent through a crucible of fire to become a diamond as it were.

    “It’s kind of funny when I remember the surprise on the faces of my teammates because of the kind of energy I usually display at training,” recollected Idowu.

    “Some even thought I was probably on drugs not knowing that the only drug any footballer needs to excel is fitness and I must thank Sir Paulo (Coach Nduka Ugbade) for all his good efforts on me.

    “Coach Ugbade made me believe that there is no limit except the one I place on myself. Right from when he picked me up in Lagos, he told me that I have marking ability and he took his time to brush me up even before I got to the national U-17 camp.

    “The good thing about the Golden Eaglets of 2013 was that we have players with different special qualities. We had players like Ifeanyi Matthew and Alfa Abdullahi who can distribute the balls with their eyes closed. I was tempted to copy them but the coaches, especially Coach Ugbade, made me realise I could be a great player with my outstanding marking ability.

    “He really worked on me physically, psychologically and in every other way to prepare me for such difficult marking assignments. It wasn’t an easy thing because I sometimes got sick while training under him but he kept pushing me until my body got to the point that I could play and play forever!

    “It’s usually a funny scenario because while my teammates want to hold the ball, I usually expect them to lose it so that I can have the opportunity to retrieve the ball from the opponent. It was not about anything but training and the psychology that Coach Ugbade imparted to me,” noted Idowu, as he speaks on sundry issues. Excerpts.

    Winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup

    That was a memorable time that no one can forget and when I look back I just smile and reflect about the love we had in the team; amongst the players and all the officials. It was such a memorable time for us. For all of us, the memorable time would surely be after the final whistle against Mexico and we lifted the U-17 World Cup. Honestly, that was something none of us can forget, and now you just took me back to that memorable period. It’s something no one can forget and it gives me a great feeling to have been part of that team.

    Growing up

    Honestly, it wasn’t easy at the beginning because I grew up in a broken home; and I spent greater part of my childhood with my grandparents until they decided to move to Lagos from Suleja (Niger State). It was very difficult and I remember my granddad and uncle used to beat me because I used to skip church to go for training and sometimes I skipped school to go watch some of the professionals on the local scene. I would say I had passion for football right from my mother’s womb and my brother and I later moved to Kano to be with my mum.  But they were extremely loving and they took good care of me and my brother; my grandma is dead now and she actually died while we were in camp for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE.

    When we relocated to Kano,  I started playing street football until one Coach Taye came and convinced my mum that I have the talent to make it in football if I’m given enough time to practice. That was the turning point for me as I was picked to play in the YSFON competitions, as well as in the Chief of Naval Staff Football Tournament in Enugu; it was at this tournament that I got the scholarship to their Calabar Soccer Academy and that was where I left for the Copa Coca Cola Tournament where Coach Ugbade first saw me. But two players that actually fuelled my love was Ronaldinho of Brazil when he was at Barcelona and Claude Makelele because I love the crazy way he does his stuff on the field. Of course, my mum and my older brother (Samson Idowu) have also been very supportive even when things were rough for me. They are my prayer warriors and I can’t quantify their support and love for me.

    Between Copa Cola Cup and Shell Cup

    From the first day, my spirit connected with Coach Ugbade and ever since it has been like magic. I made the Copa Coca Cola team to London along with Taiwo Awoniyi and Alfa Abdullahi. I later played in the Shell Cup from where I was picked for the national U-17 screening in Abuja. And how can I forget that you (The Nation man) were actually the person that God somehow used for me to be given the opportunity because I had already been screened out and from nowhere you came and told Coach Manu that ‘some of these boys are good, especially this boy’, and that was how I was given the second chance with some of the selected players. That was it, and I was running all over the place that my tackling ability became so obvious; that was how my emergence truly began.

    But growing up wasn’t easy and I learned most things on my own. I used most of my time while at the academy in Calabar to talk to God and I had this deep passion for God. Of course, I can do some crazy things sometimes but you can’t take away my love for God and that is why His grace is available to us as humans.

    Between Garba and Ugbade

    Our generation was lucky to have passed through the hands of Coaches Manu Garba, Ugbade, Amuneke and Emeka Amadi. By the way, Coach Ugbade is not just a coach; he’s an instructor, because he studied the methodology, physiology and psychology of football. Coach Manu believes in the Tiki-Taka philosophy of football and I see him more as a man manager and psychologist because he doesn’t do much of the coaching but he has the ability to pick the right team, after all said and done.  He’s a very good coach who knows how to lift the spirit of the players. Coach Manu Garba is like a father to me and I can’t forget the opportunity they gave to us because what would we have been if not the opportunity that they gave to all of us? I pray one day, we will be able to repay them for all what they did for us.  We saw these coaches and other back room staff like fathers because what would I or Kelechi Iheanacho, Isaac Success, Taiwo Awoniyi and others be without the support and opportunities they gave to us?

    My future target

    By the grace of God, I have already set a target for myself and by year 2020, I should be playing for a team in the UEFA Champions League or a team in the Europa League. This is my immediate target.

    I’m not worried that some of my colleagues from our Golden Eaglets days have started playing for the Super Eagles. I’m really happy that people like Iheanacho, Success, Uzoho have already played for the Super Eagles. The Super Eagles, to me, is like the popular saying that soldiers go and come but the barrack remains. So far as I’m still active, I know the opportunity to play for the Super Eagles will arise and when the time comes, I’ll play my role in the Super Eagles.

    Right now, I’m focussed on getting my feet  very strong at the club level and playing for the   Super Eagles is not something that can be forced. When the time is right, the opportunity to play for Super Eagles will come.

  • DELE ALAMPASU: My prayers and focus for 2019

    After missing out of the Super Eagles’ squad to the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, goalkeeper Dele Alampasu is charting a new course for himself and a departure away from Cesarense in the Campeonato de Portugal is certainly on the offing, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    He sorely missed out of the Super Eagles’ squad to the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 but former junior international goalkeeper Dele Alampasu is looking forward to 2019 with renewed optimism.

    Regarded as one for the future after he guided the goalposts for the victorious Golden Eaglets at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE, the 21-year-old Alampasu has since struggled with his fledging career at Portuguese Primeira Liga side, Clube Desportivo Feirense, before he was farmed out on loan to Cesarense in the Campeonato de Portugal- the third tier of Portuguese football.

    “This is my last season here (at Cesarense) and my prayer for next year (2019) is for God to help me move forward in my career,” the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup’s golden glove award winner offers in an interview with The Nation on the eve of his birthday on 24th December 2018. “By the grace of God, this will be my last season here and I keep praying to God for big breakthrough in my career.

    “ I’ll keep working and hoping for God to give me a good place to go so that I can continue with my career from there.

    “Having challenges is part of life and the good thing is that I’m coping well with what I’m facing here. After all, driving on a smooth road only doesn’t make anybody a good driver; sometimes you have to ride through the bumps too.

    “This is not the time to give up; I’m ready to fight and succeed in my chosen career as a professional footballer.”

    After his heroics with the Golden Eaglets in 2013, Alampasu has also featured for the national Under-20 side (Flying Eagles) and was part of the squad that reached the second round at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He has earned only one  international cap with the Super Eagles but surmised it wasn’t for lack of efforts but that he had been stalled since coming on as a second half substitute for Ikechukwu Ezenwa in the 3-0 thrashing of Togo in 2017.

    “I still feel good about what I achieved at youth level especially when I remember how I was named the best goalkeeper at the U-17 World Cup and it is an added motivation for me to do better,” says Alampasu who featured for Abuja College of Football before travelling abroad. “That things are not going the way I planned doesn’t mean I should give up; that I’m not going somewhere.

    “I’m in constant touch with Coach Gernot Rohr and he wants me to be playing regularly for my club. Unfortunately, I still have other senior goalkeepers ahead of me in the club and it’s therefore as easy as that. I’m still learning and waiting for my time.

    “Maybe If I go on loan to another club, I would be able to play regularly. The coach (Rohr) wants me to be playing and I hope everything will be better very soon.”

    Surely, Alampasu is not the one to brood over setbacks; rather, he said he was pulling his socks in order to fulfil his huge potentialities.

    Hear him: “It was my dream to be at the Russia 2018 World Cup after being part of the qualification process but I believe there are still many World Cup for me to look up to. I don’t have what the coach wants at the moment; I’ll keep working to ensure things get better for me.

    “I’ve learnt a lot since I came to Portugal; this is my fourth year since I moved over to Europe. It would be bad if I’d not learnt anything and it would mean I’m not enjoying what I’m doing. I enjoy what I’m doing and I’m really grateful for what I have been able to do so far. I just have to remain focussed and with the experience I have gathered here, I can get better and move forward in my career.”

    Alampasu’s present situation notwithstanding, experienced goalkeepers’ trainer Emeka Amadi believes he can overcome his present challenges by taking the bull by the horns, adding that his experience in Europe would on the long run bolster his confidence to feature for the Super Eagles.

    “I have no doubt in my mind that Alampasu is a very good goalkeeper, after all I picked and trained him in the national Under-17 team and it’s always a thing of pride that he was adjudged the best goalkeeper when we won the World Cup in 2013,” says Germany-trained Amadi who is currently working with Emmanuel Amuneke in Tanzania. “But it’s about time he set new objectives for himself especially if he’s not been playing regularly at his present club.

    “Football is a practical thing and the more he has the opportunity of keeping the better he can be and he should be looking for a club that he would be much needed than going on loan to another club.

    “He is still young and all these experiences would help him. He has a bright future ahead of him but he has to set bigger objectives for himself and I believe he will get his break with the Super Eagles if he gets good playing time at club level.”

    But Alampasu holds no fear about his future except injuries which is the bane of any athlete. “The major fear for any footballer is getting a serious injury that could stop one’s career and I have such fear too. While we think about all the good and positives side of the game, we must also think about the bad times too.

    “But I leave that to God to take care of my career. It’s my prayers to be going one step after another and not to have any major injury that can take me off the game.

    “You can’t rule out knocks here and there but it’s my daily prayers to God to keep me away from injury that could end my career.”

    Meanwhile, Alampasu has spoken further about his life even beyond the goalposts in this interesting conversation. Excerpts.

    On qualities of a good goalkeeper

    It’s simple and I think one of the things that make a good goalkeeper is for you to be reliable and you must have confidence in order to assist your teammates.  It’s not about creating an impression. Being the best goalkeeper at the FIFA U-17 World Cup is quite different from what I have to face here in Europe. Some people in Nigeria think it’s easy but the truth is that most clubs already have goalkeepers who have grown through their youth levels. Some of these goalkeepers have gathered so much experience unlike what we have in Nigeria or Africa whereby you see a lot of young goalkeepers in the league. Here you have to still learn and wait for your opportunity. I have been given opportunities which I think I’ve used well. But they still tell me I have to learn more. It’s a long process to get to the top and that is why you don’t get to see many African goalkeepers in Europe.  They usually turn them back once they see that they lack the basics. So, I’m biding my time and learning as much as I can and I know there would be no looking back if I get the chance.

    On his choice of automobiles

    Jesus Christ! I don’t have money for big cars. I drive only Peugeot. I’m not here to do any competition with anybody. I’m fine once I see anything (car) that can take me to and back from training. Everything has its time and now is the time for me to wisely invest in my future so that I can have something to fall back on when my career is over. Of course I can afford to buy a car of five million naira but what value would that add to my career now? It would be a big shame if one becomes a beggar at the end of one’s career. Having a big car is not an investment to me because its value would depreciate with time. Unlike car, I would rather invest in landed properties because I know it would appreciate in later years.  I have projects I’m working on and once I’m done, I can think of buying something bigger to drive but I’m not ready. Everything in life is about time. Once I’m done with what I’m doing, I would like to have a Mercedes Benz

    On his progress since arrival in  Portugal

    I’ve learnt a lot since I came to Portugal; this is my fourth year since I moved over to Europe. It would be bad if I’d not learnt anything and it would mean I’m not enjoying what I’m doing. I enjoy what I’m doing and I’m really grateful for what I have been able to do so far. I just have to remain focussed and with what I have gathered here, I can get better and move forward in my career.

    I have no idea about what can really make me sad and, secondly, I have no reason to make myself sad. I’m a happy child and I don’t think too much about the negative aspect of life. I have to be positive and know that everything will be okay and fine with me. Thinking and worrying will only bring me down; I only have to think about moving things forward. Of course, there would also be difficult moments in life that can make someone sad but I try as much as possible to overcome such things.

    On goals and aspirations

    I have goals but I think its process by process and I believe God will help me to become what I want to become in the future. Although it is not easy, as a professional I just have to face the challenges and cope with the difficulty, which is part of life.

    On fashion

    Of course, you know me too well that I’m not the kind of person that is crazy about fashion. I don’t worry myself about what to wear or what type of shoes to put on. I have more interesting things to do and work on than being crazy about fashion. I’m working on my own house and other stuffs; and I’m also thinking about taking care of my family too.  I just wear anything that makes me look good, but there’s no point doing big boy around based on what you wear. I don’t waste money on clothes.

    On marriage

    Everybody has their own plans and when the time comes, I’m going to do my marriage. I already have someone I’m dating; we’ve been together for about four years now. Everything is cool between us and we already have a daughter. By the grace of God, we are going to be together for life and when we are ready, we are going to do the marriage.

  • EZEKIEL BALA: Captaining Nigeria remains my best football moment

    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.

  • MUSA MUHAMMED : I smile when things don’t even make sense to me

    Attitude makes a difference in life and erstwhile Golden Eaglets’ captain, Musa Muhammed, reckons smiling is restorative to withstand the vagaries of life, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    He wears his smiles like a tooth paste and even when under backbreaking pains, rest assured that erstwhile captain of national U-17 team, Musa Muhammed, would still offer his trademark golden smile.

    Laughter, noted Mohammed, is a good medicine; no wonder a Bible proverb states: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit saps one’s strength.”

    “Everywhere people ask ‘why are you so soft?’  They say I smile too much but I’m just a happy person,” the inspirational 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning captain told The Nation.  “I smile even when things don’t make sense to me.

    “This is my life; I don’t know what can make me angry that I won’t be able to smile.  I’m always happy even when bad things happen.”

    You don’t have to look further for a youngster adroit with challenges of life than Muhammed who has earned the respect of everyone with his puritanical devotion to his chosen career.

    Foremost youth coach, Manu Garba (OON), who initially picked Muhammed as captain of the Golden Eaglets and later retained him in similar position for the Flying Eagles, waxed candidly about the lad.

    “I picked Musa as captain for the Under-17 team based on a personal conviction that he has the quality to lead the team and also because he combines names of two inspired prophets – Musa (Moses in Christian) and Muhammed,” Garba said in his typical philosophical hue.

    Musa would turn out to be a leader in the true sense of the word by leading Nigeria to glories in 2013 and 2015.

    A dead ball specialist, Muhammed tellingly showed how good he can be by curling a sublime free-kick into the top corner for Nigeria’s third and last goal of the tournament in the 3-0 thrashing of Mexico in the final match of 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

    He was the top scorer with four goals at the U-20 African Cup of nations held in Senegal in 2015 where he led the Flying Eagles to conquer the continent in a blistering fashion in March.

    “It’s my belief that whatever happens to me is the wish of Almighty Allah (God). Nothing can happen to me without the knowledge of God. God knows the best for all of us. Seriously, I don’t get too worried; this is all about my character.”

    The defender who is currently with Croatian side, HNK Gorica, is not distracted that coach Gernot Rohr is yet to give him the carte blanche to play for the Super Eagles, and was only listed on the supplementary list during the last double header against Seychelles in October.

    “I’m just happy to be here now with HNK Gorica and this transfer is good for my career,” Muhammed said about his move from Bulgarian side, Lokomotiv Plovdiv, where he was a loanee the last term.  “People here really like me and I love to work with this kind of people.

    “I can only do well if I’m happy on the field and outside the field. I’m thanking God for this new opportunity. Everybody at the club is serious and ambitious and I hope we can achieve something great together. Honestly, I’m just happy to be here.”

    Significantly, there are other reasons for Muhammed to be happy as he savours the joy of marriage with his beloved wife. “My wife is a wonderful person. She has almost the same qualities like my mom. She has all the qualities I was looking for and the good thing about her is that she always wants to learn new things.

    “She’s beautiful and I’m so proud to have her as my wife; and I also think she’s proud of me too. Our relationship is getting better and better since we met and here we are today as married partners.  “She’s a very calm and kind person; and I just love her.  Of course, she smiles but not as much as I do. She respects people even when she doesn’t know you.”

    Known for his burst-of-energy and defensive qualities, Muhammed made his international debut for Nigeria under Rohr against Mali in an international friendly in 2016 and was a sight to behold in that thrilling exhibition match between selected Super Eagles and Atletico Madrid last June at the Uyo International Stadium.

    “I know how it feels to play for Nigeria,” noted the 22-yer-old Mohammed who is the second born of his parents along with four other brothers. “I was privileged to captain the national U-17 and U-20 before and it’s always my joy to be called up to play for Nigeria. It something I’m looking forward to.”

  • EVELYN AKHATOR, D’TIGRESS FORWARD: How we conquered Argentina in Spain

    That D’Tigress forward Evelyn Akhator played a key role in Nigeria’s giant leap at the 2018FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain would be putting it mildly.

    On court, the 23-year-old became the greatest influence in D’Tigress rise to eighth position in the world, winning three games along the way. The former WNBA player featured in the D’Tigress’ four games, totalling 58 points with an average of 14.5 points per game, 10.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists to help Nigeria defeat Turkey, arch rivals Argentina and Greece. She is also the only African to make the MVP shortlist at the World Cup.

    For a team not given an iota of a chance to win a game, winning three matches, according to the basketball queen, is like quenching a long thirst for winning. “When you are thirsty and you have not tried a particular juice for a long time and you finally get to drink it, it is like you can’t have enough of it and you want to try it again and again. That is how it is for us. When we won the game against Turkey, we wanted to win more games. We were hungry and we wanted more of winning. It makes us feel thirstier for victory,” said Akhator.

    The beautiful 6.3 footer is, however, not all basketball. She is into real estate, buying and selling, loves to cook and listens to good music. In-fact, she has a crush on Nigeria music star, Kiss Daniel, who she would love to meet.  “….my crush in the entertainment world? It is Kiss Daniel. That is my crush…and I would love to link up with him,” added Akhator.

    She speaks extensively on the World Cup victories and losses and what made the team tick, backroom secrets, their weakest point and other intimate issues about himself in the full interview below.

    After the game against Australia, a lot of people said they knew we were just coming to Spain as mere participants. So what happened behind the scene that changed everything?

    I will go right from the Australia game and I think we made a statement even in that game. Ok, it was true that nobody gave us a chance of even winning a single game in that tournament. Even bookmakers did not give us any chance. They didn’t think we were going to win any game. Even the commentators said something like that, even though they did not disrespect us.

    As I was saying, we made a statement in the Australia game and we told them we were not in Spain to joke but for serious business. And it shows, even though many did not see that. That game actually motivated us to go the extra mile.

    And before the Turkey game, the coach actually had a one-on-one with some of us and the GM also spoke with us. In-fact, we knew we were going to beat Turkey because we were ready to fight to redeem ourselves. We had the belief mentality that we could do it.

    The game against Argentina, when it comes to rivalry in football and then in basketball, it’s like something is growing there too, what was the feeling like before and after that game?

    In football during the World Cup in Russia, the Super Eagles lost to Argentina and this is like telling them that we’ve got their back. And it shows on the court with the way the referee was blowing against us. It shows they wanted Argentina to win and Argentina played a fast, quick game but we played together, we did not lose our head. We had good chemistry as a team and that showed on the long run. It was a great feeling and based on the fact that we are a family and when one member of the family is down, the other is there to get his back. That was the feeling after we won. That we have avenged the defeat over Super Eagles and that we got their back.

    Would you say that was the game that changed it all for you or is it the game against Turkey?

    I would put it this way. When you are thirsty and you have not tried a particular juice for a long time and you finally got to drink it, it is like you can’t have enough of it and you want to try it again and again. That is how it is for us. When we won the game against Turkey, we wanted to win more games. We were hungry and we wanted more of winning. It makes us feel thirstier for victory.

    The loss against United States, was it disappointing for the team or a testament to the point that you guys have had enough of the taste for victory?

    No, I think we were not disappointed and we held our heads high. We were the only team that actually played USA. I mean really played USA. We fought hard and they can testify to that. It was not an easy win for them. They had to go re-strategise for what they call ‘little Nigeria.’ We showed that we don’t care and we are ready to play them to the last. It was in the second half of the game that we just lost it. It was a good game and we went down fighting. We got their respect thereafter and whenever we have to play them again, they would know better not to mess with us. They would take us serious.

    What is the strongest point of this team?

    I would say our strongest point is that we are pretty fast. We are quick and relentless. We are resilient and no matter what we try to bounce back immediately. What we don’t do well is shooting and that is one thing we need to work on. We have to shoot more, every one of us. It is not about making shots, we are pro-ballers; we need to take shots anywhere on court. That is our weakest point.

    We are, however, strong, athletic, and quick and that accounted for most of our victories.

    The final moment of the World Cup for you, how did it feel? Astonishing! Epic centre! You know what I mean. Peak of the moment. This is my first World Cup. I don’t know about 2022, but this is my moment and the environment gets to you in a special way. The way the people welcome you and the atmosphere in the court was awesome. And we had our own fans too. It is a moment I won’t forget in a hurry.

    Outside basketball, do you have any other passion?

    Yeah! I have always played basketball all my life and if I wasn’t playing basketball I don’t know what I would be doing. I have not really given that a long thought. If I am not playing basketball, I will be working out and that being so consistent.

    However, right now I am thinking in the area of business. So if I am not playing basketball, I will be doing something that would bring money.

    And if I am not doing those, I’m cooking or sleeping.

    What business are you into right now?

    I just started last year. I am into real estate. I have experienced people around me and would like to go real deep into it. I also buy and sell.

    What’s your beauty regimen like?

    I don’t know. I’m all natural. When I play basketball, you don’t see make up on my face. I don’t know how to do it. If you see make up on me someone else has done it for me. I am not a makeup person.

    Who is the most fashionable person on this team?

    That would be Aisha. She always makes up when she plays. Off the court, you can also think of Tonye, Promise, Ezinne, Sarah and others. They all like to dress up and look special. But Aisha always stood out on and off the court. That is her thing; make up.

    Worse kept secret

    I don’t have any. I don’t keep secret. I am honest. I tell people what I’m doing and what happens to me. I don’t keep them bottled up.

    Do you have a crush on any sports star?

    Oh! I have a crush on Kevin Dunn. I am just hoping to see him. That is on the sport side. I really don’t want to tell you who I crush on in the movie and entertainment industry. You really don’t want to know. My boyfriend would kill me if he finds out.

    But, you are going to do one thing for me and that would be promise that you will link me up with him…my crush in the entertainment world. It is Kiss Daniel. That is my crush.

    So you have a boyfriend?

    Of course, I do have a boyfriend.

    Tell me your ideal type of man

    I don’t have this idea of a perfect man. As long as you are God-fearing, understanding, and attention-giver. Main thing is God-fearing and understanding and every other thing will fall into place. When you have the two, you tend to be loving, caring, and every other thing.

  • FEYISEITAN ASAGIDIGBI: ‘Why I’m called African Neymar in Argentina’

    His trickery with the ball is said to be reminiscence of his father’s and Oluwafeyiseitan (shortened to Feyi) Asagidigbi is already making his own name with Argentine Primeria Division side, Club Atletico Banfield, where he has already being nicknamed ‘African Neymar’ by the club faithful, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN AND CHIZOBA NWACHUKWU.

    Born 28th January 1999 to a footballing family, Feyiseitan Asagidigbi, the teenager already dubbed the African Neymar by the faithful of Club Atletico Banfield in Argentina, reflects on how his family influenced his love for the beautiful game of soccer.

    “I developed interest in football because football is a way of life in my family and we are passionate about football like religion,” began Asagidigbi in a lively conversation with The Nation.

    “My dad played football for some of the best teams in Nigeria during his playing days. My brother and my uncle also played and loved football, so football has been part of me from my childhood.

    “My dad’s name is Seun Asagidigbi, a native of Ilesha, Osun State. He played for top professional clubs like Shooting Stars of Ibadan, Stationery Stores of Lagos and some other clubs.

    “He played with great players like Segun Odegbami during his time and I’m happy to have gone through his hands.”

    In a separate interview, Asagidigbi senior, who tormented defenders in his heyday, described his son as outrageously talented, adding that he has more great years ahead of him.

    “The name Feyiseitan in Yoruba language has a very deep meaning and it’s our prayers that he will fulfil his destiny because he has shown his love for the game right from his childhood,” he explained.“He was born as a footballer and with all modesty, I can say he learnt so much from me because I actually trained him along with his brother.”

    Indeed, the teenaged Asagidigbi admitted playing along with his brother under the guidance of their doting father really boosted his fledging career: “Though I was a lot younger, I played along with my senior brother Madewa in the same local clubs and we had a lot in common on and off the pitch. We were both trained by our dad right from the beginning.”

    Years after, Madewa jettisoned his desire for a professional football career and he’s currently working in the bank while Feyiseitan continues to carry on the family’s name in the world of football.

    “I started playing in competition right from my primary school and through to the secondary school,” the slinky striker stated. “I attended Total Child Nursery & Primary School and The Salvation Army Secondary School. Then I started training with an amateur team in Ilesha named Ilesha west FC where my dad was then the coach of the team.”

    His talent was soon noticed at the national level and was surprisingly dropped from the U-13 team that shone at a tournament in London in 2010. “I actually went to the national U13 but I couldn’t travel with them for a tournament in London, but the coach liked the way I played during my time with them so he invited me for the U-15 team in 2014.

    “I made the grade and travelled with the team to Botswana for the 2nd African Youth Olympics where we won gold medal in Botswana and it was a great experience. We won five of the six games we played, and drew one game.

    “It was a very good group of talented footballers that included Toyeeb Gidado, Ahmed Gero, Musa Mohammed, Elvis Onyeka, Miracle Okocha and they were all brilliant guys.”

    Long suffering national youth coach, Haruna Ilerika, confirmed the brilliance of Asagidigbi, adding that the new national U-20 invitee has a great future ahead of him.

    “Feyi is an exceptionally gifted player and his thinking faculty is very, very high,” stated  Haruna Ilerika who has been with the national youth set up since 2008 where he blooded the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho, Chidera Eze  and Taiwo Awoniyi in the national team youth set up told The Nation.“He’s a kind of player who wants to enjoy himself and this you can see when he handles the ball and the way he switches offensively but then he doesn’t like to mark.

    “I think he’s working assiduously to become a great player from what I have seen lately from some of his clips with Banfield in Argentina.”

    Meanwhile, the African Neymar is quick to tell about his own repertoire. “Of course, I’m an attacking player with a very good vision for final passes and I am a very good dribbler, whether on the run or in a stagnant position; that is how I think of myself as a player and I’m okay as an attacking midfielder or as a winger.”

    In an age where youths are teeming for white collar jobs by attaining university degrees, the youngster said he dreamt nothing than professional football. “Football gives me immense joy and it is what I have always dreamed of doing.

    “It’s something that gives me joy even when there is nothing to be happy about; football is the only thing that brings everybody together and I want to use my talent to make people happy wherever I am.”

    Already, Asagidigbi has been described as one of the players for the future by no less a person than legendary former Green Eagles captain, Segun Odegbami, who incidentally discovered his father.

    “The second player in my radar is also 19,” the Mathematical 7 wrote in his weekly column. “He has also just signed and plays for the time being, in the reserves of Club Atletico Banfield, Buenos Aires, in the Primero national league, in Argentina.

    “I know of only two Nigerians that have ever played in the Brazilian Premier league – Benjamin Ezeakor and Richard Owuobokiri.

    “So, when I learnt that a Nigerian youngster had just signed for a premiership Club in Argentina, and is already playing in the reserves at age 19, all my sensors went into alert. That’s how Feyiseitan Asagidigbi came into my radar.

    “I learnt Feyi actually played for Nigeria at Under-15 in 2014. He may probably be the first professional player from Nigeria to play in Argentina. Anyone that can achieve such a feat deserves some attention.”

    Asagidigbi may have enjoyed some attention far from Buenos Aires but he admitted his most memorable moment yet was being part of the youth Olympic team even as he eyes further challenges. “Winning the youth Olympic gold medal is definitely the best moment of my career so far because it’s a medal I won for my fatherland.

    “I hope someday I’ll be able to make the people of Nigeria happy and make changes through my footballing talent.”

    He identifies two Nigerian greats as his national footballing hero and he said his choice of Austin Jay Jay Okocha and Kanu is not far-fetched.

    For instance, Jay Jay was named among the top 100 best players ever to grace the English Premier League and was regarded by former Bolton Wanderers’  manager, Sam Allardyce, ‘as the best captain  I ever  had’  after he virtually won the hearts of the fans for his skilful footwork.

    “Jay Jay Okocha represents what a real attacking midfielder should be like and he enjoys his football.

    “He is the one of very best players to come out of Africa.”

    “And Nwankwo Kanu, the Arsenal legend among ‘The Invincible” and voted 13th in the Gunners’ greatest 50 players poll, is someone with exceptional technical ability and that made me loved him more as a player. “I began to watch Arsenal because my dad and brother supported Arsenal and mainly because Thierry Henry and Kanu were there and I loved the way they played football.”

    Another person the starlet looked up to was his father. “Anytime we played together, I can see glimpses of what he was and as I said earlier, he taught me almost everything I know about football; controls and tricks, he taught me everything at an early stage

    “When people talked about my father, Seun Asagidigbi, they called him all sort of names and some even said he was better than Jay Jay  Okocha and I don’t have any reason to doubt them.”

    Yet failure to make the final cut with the Golden Eaglets class of 2015 that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile has not cast a shadow of doubt on Asagidigbi’s resolve to be the best. “I wasn’t too disappointed not being part of the team to Chile 2015 because I loved the experience, and I got to learn a lot from the coaches.

    “I think coach Emmanuel Amuneke is a very disciplined and hard-working coach, he knows what he wants and how to get it out of his players, and it showed in the performance of the team at the World Cup in Chile.

    “That I had the opportunity to share the same camp and training sessions with Kelechi Nwakali and Victor Osimhen who I think are very dedicated and hard-working players was a huge experience for me and it helped me to finally get the opportunity to play abroad.”

    Every young player has the dream of playing in Europe, but the teenager chose to go to the South America, a place where Segun Odegbami describes as a place filled with exceptionally talented players. Feyi explains his reason for moving: “As a young player trying to get out of Nigeria to play football, it was the only option I had then.”

    A year has passed now since Asagidigbi moved over to South America to Atletico Banfield-A, the club that play in the Argentine Primero National League and have produced players like the renowned Argentine defender, Javier Zanetti, and Colombian James Rodríguez who won the Golden Boot award at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

    Asagidigbi further speaks about his progress: “I came here in 2017 and I was at the academy and now I have made my way to the reserve team on the brinks of getting into the first team.

    “I signed my pro contract with them for three years June this year and this is very rare because I am not yet in the first team; I think that indicates that they have good plans for me.

    “The league is different from that of Europe or what we Nigerians or African players are used to but I am adjusting and working hard every day to adapt fully.

    “I play in the reserve team and it’s a combination of the best players in each category and they give young players here at Banfield the chance to prove themselves because they don’t bring in a lot of new signings during transfer window, they promote their youth players.

    “It gives me confidence that I’ll get my chance.  I love the fans how they get behind the team and whenever I go to the stadium to watch games, they love me also, always looking up for me; the club is like one big family.”

    A son to a large family, fans have nicknamed him after the Brazilian Neymar Jnr. “The fans here call me ‘African Neymar’ because of my style of play and my haircut like that of the Brazilian PSG star.

    “Of course, I like Neymar, his playing tricks, pace, dribbling and goal scoring prowess and most importantly self-confidence and belief.

    “My dreams?” He asked again. “Making my senior team debut here at Banfield, opportunity to feature in the South American champions league, winning trophies and individual awards; play for the national team of Nigeria and to be one of Africa’s best.”

  • ALIYU ABUBAKAR: Things I learnt from Ronaldo

    Burly defender and former youth international, Aliyu Abubakar, talks about fashion, fast cars and football in a rare interview with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN. Enjoy…

    With the manner he pays attention to his physique and related finesses, Nigerian youngster Aliyu Abubakar is seemingly  taking after his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese forward who currently plies his trade with the Italian club, Juventus Football Club.

    Upon his signing for The Old Lady in the summer, the 33-year-old former Real Madrid striker reportedly has the physical capacity of a 20-year-old as doctors at the Turin-based club stated, among other things that Ronaldo has just seven per cent body fat – which is around three per cent less than the average professional. His muscle mass which stands  at 50 per cent was higher by around four per cent than the average professional player and the top sprint speed he recorded at the World Cup – 21.1 mph, a result he replicated during his medical – was quicker than any other player at the tournament.

    So, in a layman’s language, Ronaldo was in pretty good shape and he seems not to have aged in the past decade much to the delight of his growing army of fans.

    “From the start, I like everything about Cristiano Ronaldo, especially the way he looks after his body,” Abubakar, the 22-year-old former junior international who was in the Golden Eaglet class of 2013 that won FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE, told The Nation at the break of dawn in late September. “I’m simply in love with Ronaldo; and there was a time I was wearing his hair style until I saw my friend, Isaac Success, with dreadlocks after he joined Watford from Grenada.

    “The dreadlocks look cool on me but I have tried to keep mine in different styles. Success’ own is like Mohawk but I’ve kept mine on the punk side yeah.

    But Abubakar is not just a jolly copycat of some sort, with the rigorous manner he fine-tunes his own body which makes him look like a hulk amongst his contemporaries.

    “As far as my physique is concerned, I inherited it from my dad but I still have to work a lot in the gym to maintain a muscular look. I work hard on my own even after the training with the team and I do extra push-ups and gym workout before and after the training in order to keep my body in good shape.

    “On Ronaldo, I like his fighting spirit and he is a hardworking player on and off the pitch.

    “I love his passion and I have watched many of his interviews and documentaries; so I like everything about him. He is a kind of person that doesn’t care about what people say once he believes in his capabilities on what he wants to do and I can say I emulate that from him.”

    According to him, his fitness regimen is as simple as A-B-C:  “Everybody keep asking how I have managed to look young and fit but it’s a simple secret; every day, I tried as much as possible to sleep at least seven to eight hours.

    “Even I sleep during the day time and as often as I can. I do take naps of almost fifty-one hours.  The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to play worship gospel songs and thank God for another beautiful day. I follow up with some stretching and some push-ups in order to set my day rolling.

    “I smile a lot. I love music and dancing, which is good for my system too. I play a lot but at the same time I try to stay focussed on my dreams.

    “I grew up in Kaduna in the midst of older people who taught me a lot. This really helped me to stay focussed and I remember those days that I had to go out and do some electrical work in order to get money for football shoes. That’s why I call myself a son of grace,” Abubakar, a Christian stated.

    Of course, Abubakar has an impressive wardrobe and the Kaduna-raised dude can be likened to a dream guy that has taste for good things of life.

    “Oh! I love to look smart, very smart always, but my greatest weakness is shoes; I’m a shoe freak,” stated Abubakar who wears size 44. “In fact, I cannot count the pairs of shoes that I have presently because they are just too many and I still have many still stored away in my home in Finland.

    “My style of dressing is unique because I dress according to the occasion; where I’m going to and the kind of people I’m going to meet naturally determines the kind of attire I’ll put on.

    “I don’t just put on any cloth; I’ll first imagine how the dress would fit me before putting them on me.

    I do my shopping every month and if possible after every two weeks but I don’t do yearly.

    “Of course, my favourite colours are red and black. I choose red and black because it usually looks cool on me. Red and black are unique colours; red makes you to look different and black can go with anything.

    “These are things that have been part of me; I love shoes, fashion, nice house and good cars.

    I have one car in Nigeria but I have Mazda CX7 2010 model. The kinds of cars I want to drive in the future are Bugatti, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini and Escalade.

    “As far as music is concerned, I have liked Davido right from day one and he’s one of my favourite artists. I also love Kranium, 2Pac and lots of gospel artists. I’m a lover of good music and what I listen to depends on my mood. I love dancing and most often I dance before going for matches since I get my motivation from that.”

    Of course, Abubakar is quite aware that good life is not only about material possession and he explained he derives maximum joy by touching lives especially that of the less-privileged class.

    He offered: “One of the things that give me joy is helping people if I have the opportunity. I try my best possible to visit widows and orphanages anytime I’m on vacation in Nigeria.

    “My mother is also the joy of my life; my dad is late and may his soul rest in peace. We lost him in 2011 and my mom has been a great support to me. She lives in Kaduna and I really want to do everything to make her happy. In fact, I have a surprise for her and this will be done when I’m in Nigeria.” Currently attached to Slutsk in the Belarussian First League, the burly defender has improved greatly since he arrived in Europe in 2014, few months after his qualities came to the fore in the heart of the Nigerian defence during the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

    “Well, by the grace of God, I was able to take my career to the next level and since after the U-17 championship in the UAE, I have only played once for a youth team and that was in Israel with Ashdod, which was just for three months,” he revealed.

    “Thereafter, I was promoted to the first team where I played a couple of games before leaving Israel for Finland where I had wonderful moment with KuPS.

    “It was not as if it was rosy from the start and I remember when I had issues with an agent which eventually cost me the opportunity of playing for the flying Eagles at the African U-20 Championship in Senegal.

    “But I think it was also part of things that helped me to grow and become what I’m today because I learned to fight and believe in myself.

    “I’m enjoying myself here in Belarus and the reason I joined Slutsk is because it’s at different level compared to Finland.

    “It is an opportunity to develop my career better because the bigger the league, the bigger the challenge.

    “I played for two years in Finland and had my best moment during the first season in 2016.

    “Altogether, I have played in Israel with Ashdod; in Finland with KuPS, from where I later moved to Georgia with Dila Gori and back to Finland with PS Kemi before finally getting to Belarus with Slutsk.”

    With two recent Man-of-the-Match awards with Slutsk, Abubakar admitted the Belarussian First League club has given him a veritable platform to perform at his optimum best, adding that everything is looking up for him.

    “I want to continue to improve myself and coming down here to Belarus has really helped shape up my game,” he volunteered.

    “I want to do my best here and who knows who is watching.

    “ Of course, I would love to move to a bigger league in Europe one day but my attention now is with Slutsk and if I can be consistent, I guess the opportunity of playing for our national team will come very soon.”

    ABUBAKAR ACCURATELY

    On dream destination

    I will love to go to the Caribbean and just chill out during the off season. I have heard a lot about the Caribbean and it would be great to visit there; to explore the beaches and see how what it is like living in that region. I wouldn’t say that is where I would love to have my honeymoon when I get married. I will let who ever I marry to decide that. When the time comes, I will let the woman decide where she wants her dream honeymoon to take place.

     

    On dream cars

    The kinds of cars I want to drive in the future are Bugatti, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini and Escalade.  I have one car in Nigeria but I have Mazda CX7 2010 model. I love the Mazda because it’s a fast car turbo 2.3 and it’s a high car as well, that’s why I like it very strong.

     

    On his humble beginning

    The person who bought my first football shoes was Mr. Friday Yusuf Bashayi.This is one person who never gave up on me. Though he’s a bouncer, he follows me to almost anywhere I want to go and play football. My parents too supported me, especially my mom who regularly bought soccer shoes for me. It’s  just  amazing to have these  two people at the early stage of my life and not also forgetting my sister; Miriam Abubakar.

  • TARILA OKOROWANTA: My unforgettable memories with Stationery Stores

    Dubbed the enfant terrible in his heyday, Tarila Okorowanta, one of the best of his generation, relives his career in an exciting conversation with TAIWO ALIMI.

    Ex-international Tarila Okorowanta’s fondest memories are with Stationery Stores of Lagos. ‘Super five years with Super Flaming’ is the way he described his playing career with Stores way back 1979-1984.

    In case you have forgotten Okorowanta, he is Nigeria’s first bundle of talent to be crowned ‘enfant terrible’ by the local and foreign media. Etim Esin antics looked like a child’s play in comparison with Okorowanta’s, and now resides in Bayelsa State and attached with Bayelsa Queens as coach.

    He has not changed much. Dynamite, they say, comes in small packages. Though smallish, you cannot miss him in a crowd, given his ebullient nature. His voice and mannerism are as sharp as his youthful days when the name evoked admiration and fear in his fans and opponents respectively.

    Though he played for bigger clubs – Leventis United, IICC Shooting Stars, and clubs in Gabon and Cote d’Ivoire, he is filled with great thoughts of the time he shared with ‘Flaming.’

    Okorowanta said of his formative years in Ajegunle-Lagos (AJ city) and first contact with soccer – as he loves to call the game of football.

    He began: “I was born in Lagos-at Ajegunle Navy Barrack. There was a huge football pitch in the barrack and that is where you would find me as soon as I learnt how to run and jump.

    “My parents were against this but that did not stop me. Whenever they were out, I would head off to the pitch and as soon I noticed my father coming back, I would smuggle my way back into the house.”

    Tried as his father did, Okorowanta had his way.

    “Since it was school they wanted me to go, I told them I would do whatever they wanted but I should be allowed to play soccer too. I would go to school and still play football.

    “At a point, they would lock me up but I would sneak out from a window, climb down from our room upstairs to play. After a while, my parents got the idea and left me alone.”

    From St Gregory to Maryland Comprehensive School, the young Okorowanta said he kept pushing his game until scouts from the Lagos darling club, Stationery Stores, spotted him and signed him up.

    “I was barely a teen when Stores took me in. They would come to my school early in the morning to pick me for training at Onikan waterfront. And by 8 am, they would bring me back to school to attend to my studies.”

    Though he picked up his skills from the streets of AJ City, it was at Stores that they were polished.

    “Up Flaming gave me a chance to dream and be a great footballer. I was like 15 or 16 when I started playing for Stores. It was there that I learnt all I needed to know about soccer.

    “I fell in love with the attraction that we got from the club and fans and the overall ambience of the soccer pitch. The supporters are awesome and they loved the game and the players. The friends I made in Stores are the friends I still have now. I spent five years there and they were super five years.”

    Staring alongside Nigeria soccer greats like Peter Rufai, Haruna Ilerika, Isa Alabi, and Austin Fregene, Collins Ebitimi, Ike Shorunmu and Sam Opone, Okorowanta said he played hundreds of games and scored many goals. “Unfortunately, I can’t say the number of games I played or goals because accurate records were not kept that time.

    “It was the glorious years of Nigerian football when the stadia were filled to capacity and fans came from all over the country to cheer us up.”

    Though, he moved on to play for other teams and the national teams, he said Stores would remain his favourite.

    “I was really hot in Stores and so my call to the junior national team, Flying Eagles, did not come as a surprise. I was part of the first FIFA Junior World cup in 1983 and I would have travelled out to play for Cosmos in the United States, but it did not work out.

    “At this time, Pele (Brazilian legendary soccer star) was playing for New York Cosmos and I would have played alongside him but the trial did not happen. I was young then and did not know the implication of it until years later.”

    His talent was undeniable. A master dribbler with Stores, New Nigeria Bank of Benin, Bendel Insurance, Leventis United and Shooting Stars Club of Ibadan, he played mostly from wide on the right but used as a support striker for Green Eagles.

    Big clubs courted him with car gifts and one of such time was in the ’85 season when he got a Volkswagen Beetle when Insurance signed him up. He was the first Nigerian to score in a FIFA tournament when he scored the late goal against USSR in Mexico ’83. He scored another brilliant goal in the U20 Tessema Cup final between Nigeria and Ivory Coast same year. While playing for the Green Eagles he netted a beautiful thunderbolt goal against Togo in 1987.

    Okorowanta has laurels to show for his talents. In 1981 and 82, he was in the Stores squad that made it to the final of African Cup Winners Cup and won the FA Cup respectively. He got a silver medal at 1984 AFCON, and the 1984 WAFU and 1987 National league titles.

    Well known for his truancy and stubbornness, Okorowanta did not even try to deny.

    “Yes! I was stubborn and I am not proud of some of my actions. But that was youthful exuberance. I was young and that in a way made me very good at what I did. I put all I have into every game and that helped me to score many goals. Maybe I was overconfident at times and that made me take some bad decisions.”

    He gave an instance: “Like when I defected to Italy after Shooting Stars played an African Champions Cup match in Tunisia. It was a bad decision but when others went back I could not because of my stubbornness.

    “I was confident that I could get a club but because I did not have a manager it was difficult and that was how I spent five years not playing for any team. It was devastating for me but I did not want to do menial jobs that others were doing.

    “I went to many clubs but you needed to have your manager who would negotiate with the club and take you there. You don’t just walk into a club there. I spent five years in Italy trying to get a club to play, but to my surprise it didn’t work out. So I started doing some other things to earn a living.”

    Not happy with his situation, he moved on to Germany, Belgium and finally United States, where he got back to football line.

    “When I got to the U.S, I got an opportunity to get back into football when I was offered a job as a coach. I was to train a grade 7 girl’s team for two days in a week. Though I was not a qualified coach, I showed them my pictures in the colours of Nigeria and I was given the job. “After a while, I became bored with the job and life in the U.S and decided to come back home. It was when I got back that I enrolled at the National Institute for Sport (NIS) and got a coaching certificate and since 2012 I have been coaching in Bayelsa. Right now, I am coaching Bayelsa Queens,” Okorowanta said.

    “Coaching is a good thing but in Nigeria it is difficult. Coaching in Nigeria is not easy. It is not like when you are abroad and everything is structured. Here, there is a lot of problem around salary of players and coaches. In fact, I am tired. This coaching thing is not lucrative in Nigeria. I am thinking of going into administration so that I can help make some changes instead of complaining.”

    He said the league needs to be cleaned up inside out to return to its glorious days. “The present league managers are trying but there is still a lot to be done. If you go to stadium and you don’t see people there it is discouraging. Now we have beautiful stadiums everywhere unlike in our time, but people don’t come. The referees do not fare better. It’s all about money here and there and in somebody’s account for matches to be won. It was not like that in our time. Now it is win at home at all cost. Even those in charge of the league are not helping. They have the rules. Players are not paid their sign-on fees and winning bonuses. European football has taken over our football. It is Premiership that our kids know. They know Ronaldo and Hazard, what about our own players? They don’t know even one.”

  • MOSES SIMON: I’m at home with African food

    New Levante forward Moses Simon tells TAIWO ALIMI that living and working in Europe has not robbed him of his taste for African delicacies, such as pounded yam and egusi soup.

    One hundred and eight appearances for Belgium elite division club AAA Gent in three years are enough for Nigeria winger Moses Simon to worm his way into the hearts of fans.

    Along the way, Simon, aka ‘daddy’, notched 21 goals with multiple assists.

    The Super Eagles’ striker , who missed the Russia World Cup following  an eleventh hour injury , said he would miss fans, managers, coaches and colleagues of ‘Buffalo’ as he moved on to greater things in the Spanish La liga with Levante.

    “When I came to Gent I was a teenager and they took care of me,” recalled Simon with a sense of nostalgia. “I was taught the ropes in Belgium. They have great managers and coaches. We are a big family and I will miss Belgium. It is a great city.”

    However, three seasons in Belgium could not erase some things that he had picked up from home.

    “The food in Belgium is great but I never get around to it. I don’t eat it much. I go for the African food. It is not difficult to find African food because there is a lot of African kitchen and restaurants in Belgium. “Then, my wife cooks excellent African dishes so that eliminates eating out a lot of times. I love pounded yam and egusi soup. It is healthy and I can eat it many times.”

    It is the same for Simon in the area of entertainment and fashion. “I love the African agbada (traditional Yoruba garb). Though I don’t wear much of it in Belgium because of the weather, whenever I come home I can’t have enough of it, especially during special occasions. If you don’t see me in agbada, then I would be wearing the simple ‘buba and sokoto.’

    “I listen to African music. I love Nigerian artist. I have loads of their stuff and we listen to them in my home. Before the World Cup, some of us in the Super Eagles were practicing ‘shaku shaku’ dance (a dance hall step made popular by Nigerian rapper Olamide) to show off whenever we score any goal in Russia (Simon missed Russia World Cup by injury). I love to show off my steps whenever I want to dance,” Simon said.

    Home, Jos-Nigeria also brings fond memories for Simon, who started kicking football on the streets as a boy. “Growing up in Jos was a privilege because many talented footballers came out from there. I grew up on the street kicking football wherever we found space. Becoming a footballer has always been my dream. I followed all the big players on TV. I later played for my school. I was snapped up by Golden Boot Soccer Academy from one of my school matches. I was in the academy for seven years and learnt the rudiments of the game there. We had good coaches who looked out for us and helped me move abroad. I picked up my tricks from the street.”

    Unlike many of his peers whose parents don’t take kindly to career in football, his parents supported and prayed for him.

    “My mother did not fret when I told her I wanted to be a footballer. Rather, she prayed for me and used to supply me with my needs. She was my pillar of support, always praying for my success.”

    While crediting his religious inclination to his late mom, Simon acknowledged his father for his love for tradition, culture and family.

    “I am deeply religious and I can say I inculcate that from my mother. She is always praying for me and at a tender age she made me understand that one with God is majority. She taught us to be close to God wherever we find ourselves and that we would enjoy His favour when we do so.

    “Moving abroad was not easy because I was close to my family and did not want to leave them. But I had to continue my future. My family understood my choice and my father told me I would succeed. We are quite close. He likes to call me ‘daddy.’”

    Simon was recently recalled to the Nigeria national team. He spoke more about his return, transfer to Levante and on other issues.

    BEGINNING

    I have a humble background. My family live in Jos and I have fond memories growing up in Jos. In fact, it was a privilege because many talented footballers come out from there. We used to look up to these great players and that fuelled my dream. I grew up on the street kicking football wherever we found space. Becoming a footballer has always been my dream. I followed all the big players on TV. I later played for my school where I was snapped up by Golden Boot Soccer Academy from one of my school matches. I was in the academy for seven years and learnt the rudiments of the game there. We had good coaches who looked out for us and helped me move abroad. I picked up my tricks from the street. I watched Celestine Babayaro play for Chelsea on TV and we wanted to be like him one day playing in Europe.

    MISSING THE WORLD CUP

    That episode is behind me now. But I must thank those who identified with me during that trying moment. My colleagues in Gent were wonderful. They stood by me during my injury and got me back to fitness. I will like to thank all my fans for the love, support and prayers during this trying time, you all are amazing people. It’s just a pity that I couldn’t make it to Russia but man proposes, God disposes.

    The Nigerian team to the World Cup was a very united and that is largely due to the effort of the coach, Gernot Rohr, and the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation. A healthy spirit in camp is really important going into a major tournament like the World Cup and that we did not make it beyond the first round does not mean nothing was achieved. Nigeria played well and we need to build on that success.”

    LIVERPOOL MISS

    Before Gent accepted Levante bid for me, I was linked to Liverpool and other teams in Europe. I wanted to play in England. That is my dream since I was a kid watching the EPL on TV. My wish is to play in England, but that has to wait.  Liverpool is a very big team with a large squad, the type of team where you have to work extra hard to get games. Most players like such challenges and I am not different. But Levante met all the conditions for my transfer and here I am. I am young and looking forward to playing in England. Right now I am committed to Levante and I intend to honour that contract to the letter.

    LEVANTE

    Levante is a great place to be. I have settled in nicely and soon I know I will have my time and will be all over the place. We have a compact team. We have been winning important matches and I’m happy that I am listed. I have played some minutes and bidding my time. We started badly but we are picking up the pieces. The team is evolving and once the belief mentality sets in fully, we will be unstoppable.