HE maybe in his 20s, Ogenyi Onazi is yet regarded as one of the most eligible bachelors within the rank and file of the Super Eagles.
Urbane and full of life, the Lazio’s Nigerian midfielder said clearly that he has many years ahead of him and won’t be settling down just yet because there are many more rivers to cross. Onazi practically roared into a hearty laughter when told his adoring Nigerian fans are looking forward to his marriage.
“Hahhahhahahaha ahhhh; Nigerians (expecting my marriage?). They should come and contribute money for my wedding,” Onazi responded to an email questionnaire. “But my fiancée is just there, and they will know her when the time comes
“She is special because I met her five years ago when I started my journey and when I never knew who I was going to be, the rest of the story to be continued like Nigerian movie………. hahahahahh.”
Onazi said he remained grateful despite the fact that life has been ups and downs in recent times:
“Obviously it (Super Eagles’ non qualification for the 2015 African Cup of Nations) affected me so much because I already planned my season with a different approach because if we had gone for the African Cup of Nations, so many things would have changed but I still give thanks to the Almighty God.
“Yes, all thanks to God for his mercy and favour. Well, I have always had good moment this season because I have been playing and doing very well any time I get to play.
“Playing football is a big moment for me because the grace of God is always there for me. And the moment I don’t want to remember is anytime we lose a game; I’m also mad inside of me.”
They say you do as the Roman when you are in Rome and the 2013 AFCON winner with the Super Eagles reckons he is having a swell time at Lazio: “Our strength (as a team at Lazio) is so many that I don’t know where to start from.
“First, we are a team with tactical mentality and the coach has put in the team a winning mentality, also I will say one of the team’s strong points is all working together pressing, attacking together and defending together.
“Of course, playing in Rome is special to players because we have a very good and conducive weather condition and Rome is a very beautiful city; and the fans sometimes make it enjoyable but not when things are going bad,” he reasoned.
Onazi reportedly joined Lazio in 2011, alongside his teammate, Sani Emmanuel, after they both had trials in Italy following their impressive performances at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup where the Golden Eaglets were losing finalist to Switzerland.
He was first promoted to the Lazio first team during the 201112 season after impressing at youth level and made his Serie A debut as a substitute in the penultimate match of the season when Lazio recorded a 2-0 victory over Atalanta. He has not looked back ever since and has regularly featured for the Rome-based side in Italy and Europe. Onazi scored his first goal for Lazio on March 7, 2013 in a 2-0 win against Stuttgart in the last sixteen of the Europa League and on May 8, 2013 scored his first Serie A goal in a 31 win over Inter Milan. On September 22, 2014 he signed a two-year contract extension with the Serie A club until 2018.
“My success secret is simply the special grace of God with determination, hard work, constant practice, ready to learn from everybody and love for my profession,” hinted Onazi, adding that the famous Roma derby between AS Roma and Lazio is the pick of the crop in the Italian Serie A.“Well, the Roman derby is always a very important game for me as well as our fans.
“It was even special when we won the derby in the Coppa Italia, but my pre match preparation is always the same thing whether for a derby or any other match; I always do what I do before starting the game as usual. I don’t need to do anything different because it’s a derby. I take my iPad listen to my gospel music which will feed me spiritually before stepping out on the field.”
Indeed, Onazi and music seem inseparable, following his disclosure in an earlier interview with The Nation Sport & Style, that he was a choir boy in his younger years while growing up in Jos.
“Sure, I would choose a career in football time and above music but both give me much pleasure,” he noted. “Though they are two different things, football and music are things that make me happy.
“If I’m not playing football, music would have been an automatic choice. Being a professional footballer is like doing me a favour because this is something I enjoy doing naturally.
“I have the same feeling about music; it is something that I derive pleasure in. All my time in Jos, you either find me on the pitch playing football or I’m in the church playing music; so it was all part of my growing up.”
Onazi who helped the Super Eagles win the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa has come a long way. He began playing football on the streets of Jos at a tender age but came to prominence when he joined My People FC of Lagos – a team founded by Pastor T.B Joshua of the Synagogue of All Nations. It was at the instance of the pastor, according to Onazi, that his love for music as a choirboy in Jos was rekindled: “I was an instrumentalist in Jos long before I met Pastor T.B Joshua,” he emphasised. “Just like I play music, I can play football and I think those are two special talents God gave to me and I was really good at it.
“So when I met Pastor T.B Joshua, he encouraged me to be an instrumentalist in the church and I do play with the choir. Working in the church is a privilege for me to serve God.”
Growing up in the church equally helped Onazi to come to terms with the vagaries of life: “Of course, I was brought up by Pastor T.B Joshua and he taught me so many things, especially being less on ourselves and more on others; this is just my philosophy and principle of life,” he crooned.
It is this chastity and care for the less-privileged that has endeared Onazi, who described himself as ‘a gentleman without problem’, to many. Born on December 25 in 1992, he informed that every festive season at the end of the year is always an opportunity for him to touch base with the people.
“Well, every Christmas and new year are two special occasions for me because it’s a double celebration since the Christmas falls on my birthday too,” he said.“I’m going to buy lots of gifts for the less-privileged and those who are physically challenged, as well as the homeless; these are the people that I’m concerned about.”
FROM THE ARCHIEVES
Onazi as a fashionista: Everybody has his own style. For instance, when you see Cristiano Ronaldo, he has this nice hair cut and several other players have their own styles. I don’t box myself into a particular style because when you see me on the street, you might not really know I’m the person. Of course, I love to dress good and nice but that does not mean I would go to the extreme because I want to look good or nice. It doesn’t matter what I wear; I can wear Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci … I can wear Salvatore Ferragamo, but it is not compulsory I put on designers stuff. I just decide to wear anything I can lay my hands to wear. Life is not measured by the number of designer wears you have, rather by the number of lives you can touch.
PROFILE
Full name: Ogenyi Eddy Onazi
Date of birth: December 25, 1992
Place of birth: Jos, Nigeria
Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position: Central midfielder
Current club: Lazio
Number: 23
Previous Clubs: El Kanemi Warriors;
My People FC
Honours: 2013 Coppa Italia ;
2013 Africa Cup of Nations
