Sometimes, it’s better to look at complicated things
in black and white; I mean why many Nigerian footballers fail to reach the
height of their potential.
Take Wowo for example, that guy was a very talented
player… I knew him right when he was about 13years old, he was already attracting
crowd, and people came from afar off to watch him play at Maracana field, Tolu
schools complex in Ajegunle.
Ndubusi Chukwunyere was so skillful and had a lot of
potentials. In the right situation, he could have gone on to become a world
class star. And may have played for some of the big teams such as Real Madrid, Manchester United or Bayern
Munchen… But perhaps, out of desperation he had to travel abroad to continue
his career in Malta – that was a wrong move!
At the very end, several years after, when Ndubusi
was invited to the national team of Nigeria, he was no longer the same Wowo we
used to know. His case was a complicated turn around, a good talent turned bad.
I can mention many more Nigerian players that showed
so much promise, but ended up just like Wowo. We used to think that once you
find your way abroad, you automatically become a superstar and quickly called
up to the national team. But things are changing fast and today, it matters
which country you go to and which team you play with abroad.
There are still hundreds of players traveling to
China, Qatar, Bangladesh, Vietnam… to ply their football trade, that’s the
easiest way to kill your football career! Except off course, you are an older
player, in the decline stage of your career, and then you can quickly get to
China or the Middle East to earn some retirement money.
Like every product, every footballer has a career
life cycle. It is called Product Life Cycle (PLC). It’s very complicated; it
doesn’t always come with age. It takes a very experienced player’s manager to
identify the stage of his player’s career life cycle. Of course, young players
between 16 – 23years old are likely to be in their growth stage and it’s better
to find a way to transfer them into Youth teams or academies in Europe, where
they can mature in techniques and improve their skills for the future.
Now, let us explore the road map of some of the most
successful footballers from Nigeria: how they started and ended their career.
1. Nwankwo
Kanu, perhaps the most successful player that came out of Nigeria, started from
Iwuanyawu Nationale – Ajax (Youth team) – Inter Milan – Arsenal and Portsmouth.
2. Obafemi
Martins, is another successful player that came out from Nigeria. He started
from Abiede FC – Inter Milan (Youth team) – Newcastle – Seattle Sounders
3. John
Mikel Obi is yet another successful player from Nigeria: started with Pepsi
Academy – Manchester United (Youth team) – Lyn Oslo – Chelsea.
4. Ahmed
Musa is also glearing example of a successful player. He first moved from Kano
Pillars – VVV.Venlo (Youth team) – CSKA Moscow.
One common factor about all these successful players
mentioned here is they where all transferred into the youth teams of clubs in
Europe. I can well tell you that players like Kelechi Iheanacho, Isaac Success,
Alex Iwobi, Taiwo Awoniyi are likely to turn out very successful players in the
near future.
GreenHunters Sports International doesn’t just
provide you opportunities to go for trials abroad, we manage your career and make
sure you follow the right path that will eventually lead you to success. If
you are interested letting us manage your football career, contact us: +234 809 877 2556
or email: gh.sports1@gmail.com or better still use the contact form below.
