THE startling news that Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho has the best goal record in Premier League history has not come as a surprise to one of his most trusted friends, Chidera Ezeh, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN
Ezeh and Iheanacho have long struck friendship and could be regarded as a Siamese Twins long before they met at the national Under-15 team and through their days with the Golden Eaglets’ class of 2013.
On Boxing Day, Iheanacho continued his outstanding goals-per-minute ratio with his strike for Manchester City in the 3-0 win at Hull and thus emerged as the best goals-to-minutes ratio of any player in Premier League history.
This means Iheanacho has now scored a goal every 96 minutes, an impressive achievement given this is only his second season in the English top-flight having made his debut under Manuel Pellegrini last term. The 20-year-old has also remarkably netted 12 Premier League goals from just 19 shots on target in over 38 games.
But Ezeh, now on loan to Second Division side Portimonense SC from FC Porto, has yet opened up on Iheanacho’s rich vein of form, saying his buddy is the ‘Chosen One’ from above.
“I’m in touch always with my good friend (Kelechi Iheanacho). He has always been nice to me,” began Ezeh who just returned to match fitness recently after he was operated upon last March due to a shoulder injury. “As you know, we struck friendship long ago even before we met in the national team; he has always been a good person.
“Personally, to me, he is real and always shows elderly love. He is real and understands life generally.”
Just last week, Iheanacho revealed he has been advised by his Manchester City’s boss, Pep Guardiola, to start watching loads and loads of video tapes of mercurial Barca’s striker, Lionel Messi, and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski so as to improve his goal scoring tactics.
Iheanacho reportedly said: “Of course he tells me about them (Messi and Lewandowski,), that I should really watch them and see what they are doing and make sure I am improving on what I am doing.
“I watch all of their games. They are great players and I need to watch them to improve; they have great qualities and you need to see what they are doing.
“Everyone’s quality is different but you have to take some things they are doing and put it in your game and work on it.”
“When you have the opportunity at an important time, you have to take it. As a striker, you need to score goals,” reasoned the 20-year-old Super Eagles new found striker.
But Ezeh was quick to add that his pal is a fast learner and would carry on scoring for both club and country, adding that Iheanacho likes to mingle with guys who can make him better.
“I think he (Iheanacho) will keep on scoring goals for Manchester City and the Super Eagles because he can adapt well to every situation,” Ezeh explained. “He likes being with cool people and of course, he doesn’t like those who brag and people that talk too much.
“He has a simple life style; he’s a very good Christian for that matter
“Of course, from day one he has been a very good player and I’m really happy about his rising profile with Manchester City,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ezeh has been raking up his career after he was side-lined with injuries for months and he opined that he was enjoying a new lease of life in the Portuguese second division with Portimonense SC along with another Nigerian and former U-20 fringe player, Fidelis Irhene.
Ezeh said: “Yea, I thank God that I’m back after my arm surgery because It had not been easy. Because I actually missed preseason but I’m back on my feet again due to prayers and hard work.
“I missed a lot due to the injury that kept me out of the game for over seven months; missing a day of training when season is on was just too much. I started feeling the pains in my right leg but I managed it till the end of the last season before I underwent a successful operation.
“So, after the operation, it took me some time to bounce back but I’m focussed on what I’m doing.
“My goal has always been to be at the top since I came to Europe and as you know, Rome was not built in a day, and I’m taking my time too.
“No matter where I am, I always like winning. Winning (the league) with the junior team of FC Porto when I was there was very sweet. I’m on loan to a second division side Portimonense SC here in Portugal and I’m feeling at home here,” noted the ever-smiling youngster that cut his teeth at Riverlane Football Academy in Enugu.
EZEH ON HIS HUMBLE BEGINNING
I’m from a family with four children and we are three boys and a girl. I’m the second born. I would have loved to become a priest. I mean I would have gone to seminary school to become a priest because I really wanted to serve God as a priest. But during that time, I think that was when I was in primary six, I was not able to sit for the examinations to go to the seminary and that was how and why I turned my attention to football.
EZEH THOUGHTS ON PRIESTHOD
I had passion to be a priest in the church but since I could not achieve it, I’d planned to study Business Admin in university as a course. I could not get the form to write the exam (for priesthood) in my primary six and then my football started coming out to reality. Later, I decided to understudy one of the powerful priests known as Reverend Father Mbaka because he serves as an inspiration then because of the miracles he performs but I was denied the opportunity of becoming his
servant since I lived far from the church and I said I will never join another parish except his own. So, I decided to focus on my career.
EZEH THOUGHTS ON SLEEP & FOOD
If you keep food and sleep, I will take sleep because I love it. I also like swimming, reading and playing music. I dislike lies and liars. I don’t like to be with someone who is not straight forward. Oh! Sleeping makes me stronger by the day and also helps me to grow; it also improves my momentum (sharp thinking).
EZEH ON INSPIRATION
I admire Ronaldo de Lima, Ibrahimovic and Thomas Muller. They play the kind of game that I like and I really appreciate their style of playing. In Nigeria, I admire players like Obafemi Martins and Ike Uche because they are good strikers and they have really shown their qualities in every club they have been.
EZEH ON BEING PART OF 2013 FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP WINNING TEAM
I actually started playing from midfield but I switched upfront because I was too small when I joined the Under-17 and there were more powerful guys in the midfield than me and was pushed to play as a second striker-which is my favourite position. My thanks go to coach Manu Garba, Nduka Ugbade and Emmanuel Amuneke who made me to be versatile in the frontline. I can play anywhere in the front line now. I will never forget them. Even now it is still a dream that I played in that squad that lifted the trophy. As small as I was then, I started in three of the matches. I think it’s an encouragement to me and my career and I can say that it was the three games I started that landed me in Europe. It is always a great feeling to be part of that team and I’m so happy to make a name in that squad.
EZEH ON FOND FRIENDSHIP WITH IHEANACHO
I was very happy when I was informed that both of us, I mean Kelechi and I, were going to join FC Porto because he was like a blood brother since our days in the national Under-13 team. We were like inseparable because anywhere you saw him, I was always there to the extent that some called us twins. As such, I felt very sad when he told me about his change of mind because of other family issues and I almost cried because I felt both of us were always destined to be together
We had the dream of playing in the same club together but now we are far from each other. I really miss him but I think in life, we have to face what it brings. So, here I’m in Portugal and Kelechi is with Manchester City, but all the same, I’m thanking God for his grace in my life. God will see us through in our respective careers; he is doing great at Manchester City and I’m praying for him always since we are just starting the race in our careers.
