Nigeria and Hapoel Be’er Sheva playmaker, John Ogu, made the biggest media headline not playing football for club or country. He got the attention of reknown cable networks, among them CNN, when he popped the ‘Will You Marry Me?’ question to his fiancée two years ago.
Joined by his teammates after a memorable 5-2 league win, on the pitch, Ogu said he popped the question to a stunned Ada (now Ada Ogu) who covered her face while trying to fight back happy tears before thousands of Hapoel Be’er Sheva fans.
Hear him: “The credit really should go to my brother and friend, Anthony Nwakeame. We were in the dressing room and I asked him how best to propose to my wife. My idea was to pop the question at a restaurant during lunch or dinner.
“But he told me that since we were playing the next day, I should speak to management and pop the question after the game in full glare of the fans. Right there, I spoke with the director and he said I could do it after the game. I was scared because I thought we might lose and we won’t be in a happy mood. But I accepted.
“We won the game 5-2 and to my biggest surprise, the fans did not leave the stadium and my fiancée came forward and I went on my knees and popped the question. It was the finest moment of my life and my teammates and fans celebrated with us for hours.
“My wife was pleasantly surprised too. Later, I received calls from my friends all over the world who saw it on television and even on CNN,” Ogu stated as he speaks more about is wife whom he calls his ‘best coach’ as well as his loving daughter in this interview with TAIWO ALIMI. Excerpts…
Family life
My wife is the greatest thing to happen to me. I remember how I proposed to her vividly because it was after a match. Her name is Ada Ogu and we have a daughter that I love very much. My wife is today my best coach. She watches all my matches and criticises me afterwards for what I did not do well. She is also passionate about the sport.
As for my daughter, I don’t think I would like her to play football. Personally, I think football is too physical for women. My apology to all female footballers because I feel it’s meant for men. This is not to disparage ladies playing football. Her mum would like her to play tennis while I would like it if she plays basketball. But if she chooses football, I won’t stop her. I will not if it is her choice.
Sunny side of Ogu
I watch football and highlight of games whenever I want to relax. Football is my life and even when I’m relaxing I’m watching football. I watch football a lot. I watch past games and the best way for me to relax is to watch football. When I am tired I slot in a football tape and I feel energised. Football is it for me. I also like basketball.
I used to see myself as a banker. But football just killed everything. If I wasn’t playing football I probably would see myself as a manager of a big bank in Nigeria.
Pressure from family and friends
I feel that very much. I understand that the country is hard and things are really tough. Even the young and coming players are too desperate and they often come at you begging for money. They can really be on your face and it is scary at times. When I was on the street playing football, it was tight too and sometimes it was so bad that I would steal my mum’s money to go to match venues. Sometimes I got transport fare from my coach, but the dimension that people go to now is even scary. I feel the pressure and I always do my best to help out.
Formative years
Like every other footballer, especially in this part of the world, I started from the street. I imbibed football passion from the street. We would move from our street to the next and to far ones while playing football and from there the passion just grew. God blessed me with a talent that could not be hidden and I have to show it to the whole world.
Youth career
It was at Starlet FC that I learnt all I needed to know about football as a teenager. It was here that I learnt the basis of football, how to kick the ball and a lot of other things that I needed to know as a kid. There are two coaches that I would never forget; Coach Atta, who hails from Calabar, the South South of the country, taught me the rudiment of the game while Coach Baresi (not real name) taught me that how to be disciplined and respect other players.
We used to go to competitions where we played other teams and that helped me a lot. It was there that I met an ex-international who offered to help me go abroad. I spent some months in his camp and from there they arranged for me to travel to Europe and that is how I started my professional career. From there I moved to Portugal and was in Portugal for three seasons before I moved to Israel where I am today.
Parental support
To be honest, it wasn’t difficult to convince my parents to allow me go out play football. My dad and mom supported me fully and not once did they stop me from exhibiting this God given gift. But, again I knew this is what I wanted to do in my life right from my young age and all I needed to do was to know how badly I needed to do it. I’m lucky to have parents that gave me free hand and supported me. It is not all parents that do that but mine gave me more than 100 per cent support and thanks to them for it.
Portugal experience
The experience in Portugal was not devoid of bitter taste because it was my first real professional experience. There were tough moments and I remember that at a point my team played a match with eight players because we had to go without salary for four, five months.
At that time, some players could not even sign their contract. But my agent had told me that I should be patient and that I would move out soon. It was a tough time but I learnt a lesson that defined me and would help me to face the future like a true winner. For me, I had a contract with them and my agent said I should play and whenever I chose to move they would allow me leave as free agent.
I decided to stay and play and in a particular match we played eight players against 10. It was a tough match for us but the experience toughened me. I know it happened for a reason and it is in my past now.
Nigerian league
I did not play in the Nigerian league before going abroad. But I would like to experience it before I end my career. I will come back home to play for a team in Nigeria. I think it is high time that we promoted our league. If you watch Brazilian players, they go back to their home country at a point in their career and play there.
It is a way to give back and grow the league. I would rather come back to Nigeria to play than to play abroad without getting paid. This is the time to appeal to our ex-players to give back and help grow the league in Nigeria. That would help bring back the sponsor and the fans into our stadium. I’m 100 per cent sure that I will come back to play in Nigeria.
Toughest team and player ever played
I’ve played a lot of players. When I am on the field I see every opponent as good and so I don’t underrate them. I’ve played against brilliant players such as Xavi and Pirlo and I respect them. But football is a team play and therefore I play for my team members and they play for me too.
Most Cherished career moments
It must be winning my first professional title in Israel and wining it the following year again. The back to back thing simply freaks me out. I do no imagine that that I would achieve this so soon in my career. I am really happy to play in Israel. Winning the league shield back to back is a special one for me.
Most disappointed moment
So far, it is missing the World Cup. I was part of the team that qualified Nigeria for the last World Cup but I had issues with my club and that affected me badly. I did not make the final list to the World Cup for that reason. I can still remember how it feels to date.
Racial abuse
I’ve not experienced racial abuse in my career. I don’t really pay attention to that kind of things. I am more focused on trying to prove myself and helping my team win games. I have not come across it in my career and s I don’t know how it feels. It is really a bad though.
I can’t imagine being called a monkey because I have dark skin. The closest that I have experienced in Israel is for fans to chant when they feel you have dived in the box to gain a penalty for your team.
Retirement plans
I would love to coach one day but it is still a long time to come. It is something for the future. In five, six years, maybe I would begin to look into that. But what I would really like to do is football management.
That is what I have passion for. I see myself like a director of a club.
