Merging blogs that I authored

I intend to merge the following blogs together to enable me monitor and updates them from time to time. The blogs are - Winners and losers, Hazardous and of course Nigeria Nollywood photoblog. Henceforth, Hazardous and winners and losers blog will featured in Pause to ponder.

I hope this clarifications is very clear.

Governorship Election Winners

Abia - Theodore Orji (PPA)
Adamawa - Murtala Nyako (PDP)

Akwa Ibom - Godswill Akpabio (PDP)

Anambra - Andy Uba (PDP)

Bauchi - Isa Yuguda (ANPP)

Bayelsa -Timipre Sylva (PDP)

Benue - Gabriel Suswam (PDP)

Borno - Ali Modu Sheriff (ANPP)

Cross River - Liyel Imoke (PDP)

Delta - Emmanuel Uduaghan (PDP)

Ebonyi - Martin Elechi (PDP)
Edo - Oserheimen Osumbor (PDP)

Ekiti - Olusegun Oni (PDP)

Enugu - Inconclusive; to be re-run
Gombe - Mohammed Goje (PDP)

Imo - Result voided; fresh vote April 28

Jigawa - Sule Lamido (PDP)

Kaduna - Mohammed Namadi Sambo (PDP)

Katsina - Ibrahim Shema (PDP

Kebbi - Usman Saidu Nasamu (PDP)

Kogi - Ibrahim Idris (PDP)

Kwara - Bukola Saraki (PDP)

Lagos - Babatunde Fashola (AC)

Nassarawa - Aliyu Doma (PDP)

Niger - Muazu Aliyu (PDP)

Ogun - Gbenga Daniel (PDP)

Ondo - Olusegun Agagu (PDP)

Osun - Olagunsoye Oyinlola (PDP)

Oyo - Christopher Alao-Akala (PDP)

Rivers - Celestine Omehia (PDP)

Sokoto - Aliyu Wamakko (PDP)

Yobe - Mamman Ali (ANPP)

Zamfara - Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi (ANPP)

Highest Earning Soccer Players and Clubs

Barcelona star Ronaldinho has overtaken David Beckham as the best paid footballer in the world, according to annual listings published in Forbes magazine Friday.
Brazilian Ronaldinho earned 23.5 million euros (31.3m dollars) for 2006 with former England captain Beckham earning 23.2 million euros (30.9m dollars).
But Real Madrid player Beckham should recapture the top spot next year after his move
to Los Angles Galaxy this summer in a five-year deal worth 250 million dollars.
Manchester United remain the richest club in the world ahead of Real Madrid with Arsenal moving up to third at the expense of AC Milan who drop to fifth.
Of the 25 biggest earning clubs in the world, 10 are English.

Highest paid footballers

1. Ronaldinho (BRA)        23.5 million euros (31.3m dollars)
2. David Beckham (ENG)     23.2
3. Ronaldo (BRA)           18.6
4. Wayne Rooney (ENG)      13.7
5. Michael Ballack (GER)   13.4
6. Thierry Henry (FRA)     12.6
7. Zinedine Zidane (FRA)   12.4
8. Fabio Cannavaro (ITA)   11.6
9. John Terry (ENG)        11.4
10. Steven Gerrard (ENG)   11.3

Richest clubs 1. Manchester United (ENG)      1,137 billion euro (-)
2. Real Madrid (ESP)              811 million euro (-)
3. Arsenal (ENG)                716 million euro  (+1)
4. Bayern Munich (GER)                       655  (+1)
5. AC Milan (ITA)                            644  (-2)
6. Juventus Turin (ITA)                       443  (-)
7. Inter Milan (ITA)                         434  (+1)
8. Chelsea (ENG)                             420  (-1)
9. Barcelona (ESP)                            418  (-)
10. Schalke 04 (GER)                         369  (+1)
11. Liverpool (ENG)                          355  (-1)
12. Lyon (FRA)                               268  (+4)
13. Newcastle (ENG)                          203  (-1)
14. Tottenham (ENG)                          190  (+1)
15. AS Roma (ITA)                            175  (-2)
16. SV Hamburg (GER)                        173  (New)
17. Manchester City (ENG)                    163  (-3)
18. Borussia Dortmund (GER)                  155  (+4)
19. Ajax (NED)                               153  (+2)
20. Celtic (SCO)                             145  (-3)
21. Everton (ENG)                           129  (New)
22. Marseille (FRA)                         123  (New)
23. West Ham (ENG)                          122  (New)

The Worst Loser

The last Under 17 championship held in Togo is a clear case of a bad loser. The final match between Nigeria and Togo was drag to extra time when the full 90 minutes ended in a goalless draw.
Two minutes into the second half of the extra time, Nigeria score through a superb long range short from Kabiru, eith minutes later, there was a total blackout in the stadium. A quick guess will let you know it was sabotage. It took 10 minutes to restore the power supply. This is despite the fact that their President Faure Gnasingbe was in the Stadium together with CAF President Issa Hayatou.
If you think the black out was not intentional, immediately after the referee sounded the final whistle, there was another blackout. By the time the light was restored, some players of the Togolese team were seen leaving the field of play.
Now that is the worst unsportsman behaviour I had ever seen. Was it because they are the host? Togo has come to show that they are certainly a worst loser.
All hail Nigeria Under 17 Team for winning the African Under 17 trophy for the second time at the home soil of Togolese Team.

Didier Yves Drogba Téébily

Born in Abidjan on 11 March 1978, Didier Drogba spent his childhood in his hometown Côôte d’Ivoire and his adopted France. ‘‘Tito’’, as he was known to friends and family, first left the country of his birth at the age of five. He headed for Brest in Brittany, where his uncle, Michel Goba, was a professional footballer. Drogba spent three years there with his uncle, living in Brest, Angoulêême and Dunkerque, before returning home.
Following a downturn in economic conditions, he returned to live with his uncle in Dunkerque, though he continued to move around France as a youngster. It was at this time that he began to play football. In 1991 his parents also travelled to France, moving to Vannes and at the age of fifteen Drogba signed for Levallois F.C.
At the time he was living with his cousin, Olivier Téébily, who now plays for Birmingham City. Drogba rose through the ranks at Levallois, playing for them in Ligue 2 aged 18.Career Le Mans and Guingamp Drogba signed for Le Mans in 1998 (aged 19), who at the time were also in Ligue 2. After achieving a professional contract, he had a respectable first season, scoring seven goals. His next two seasons were dogged by injury, though his potential was clearly noted by En Avant Guingamp, who signed him in 2002, taking him up to Ligue 1 (aged 24). Drogba spent one and a half seasons at Guingamp, scoring in his first game and repaying the manager’s (Guy Lacombe) faith in him. In his only full season with the club, Drogba scored seventeen goals and helped Guingamp finish seventh, a record high for them.
This led to him signing for Olympique de Marseille, one of France’s biggest clubs. Olympique de Marseille initially struggled, with Alain Perrin, who signed Drogba from Guingamp, being soon replaced by Joséé Anigo. However, Drogba was a consistent performer, scoring 19 goals and winning the award for French player of the year. He also collected a UEFA Cup runner’s up medal, Marseille losing to Valencia in the final. Again he attracted attention from bigger clubs with a string of good performances (most notably in the UEFA cup against Newcastle where he scored two goals including a cleverly orchestrated corner). At the end of the season he moved to Chelsea as the club’s then record signing for £24 million, before the arrival of Andriy Shevchenko for around £30 million in the summer of 2006.
Signing for Chelsea in July 2004, Drogba adapted well to the FA Premier League, scoring in his third game for the club with a thunderous header against Crystal Palace. His season was interrupted when he pulled a stomach muscle against Liverpool, which kept him out of action for over two months. Despite this he enjoyed the second best goals-to-minutes ratio in the Premier League, Thierry Henry being the only player to better him in this respect. He scored 16 goals in 40 games for Chelsea in his first season, but was criticized for being inconsistent.
The season proved very successful for Chelsea as they won the Premiership, only their second English top-flight championship and their first in 50 years, and the Carling Cup, with Drogba scoring in extra time in a 3-2 final win against Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium. He played an important part in his team’s run to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where he scored a brace against ex-club Marseille’s arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain and another two goals in both legs of the quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
Drogba made an impressive start to the 2005-06 season, scoring two goals in a Community Shield win over Arsenal. In both goals, Drogba mercilessly exploited the mistakes of young Swiss defender Philippe Senderos.
He also put in man-of-the-match performances in two 4-1 wins, one against Liverpool at Anfield, where he had a part in creating every goal, and another against West Ham United, where he scored the first, provided the second for Hernáán Crespo, and played excellently throughout.
Drogba was accused of cheating during Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Manchester City, during the 2005-06 season. He appeared to control the ball with his hand, before scoring the second of his two goals. In a post match interview with the BBC, he acknowledged that he had handled the ball and seemingly admitted to cheating, saying, “Sometimes I dive, sometimes I stand,” before immediately retracting his comment: “I don’t dive, I play my game.”
Chelsea went on to retain the league title with two games to play, becoming only the second team to win back-to-back English Premier League championship titles. Ultimately, Drogba finished the 2005-06 season as the top assist provider in the Premier League, with 11 assists according to Actim Stats.
On June 11, 2006, Drogba, who had previously disclosed that he wanted to return to Marseille because he had been demonised by the English media, said that he was ready to extend his contract at Chelsea and looked forward to playing with new team-mates Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevchenko, Salomon Kalou and Mikel John Obi.
Furthermore, after the departure of fellow striker Hernáán Crespo and winger Damien Duff, and manager Mourinho’s decision to switch to a 4-4-2 formation after fielding a 4-3-3 featuring only one out-and-out forward over the past two seasons, Drogba’s position in the coming season looked more stable as the first choice striker alongside Andriy Shevchenko.
After the departure of Damien Duff to Newcastle United, Drogba switched from the number 15 shirt he had worn for Chelsea since 2004 to the number 11 shirt vacated by Duff, which he also wears for his national team. As of February 2007, Drogba is currently having a successful season, having scored 28 goals in all competitions for Chelsea and is also top in the Premier League goal-scoring charts with 17 goals as of February 25, 2007, helping to keep Chelsea in touch with Manchester United.
A diving header on the end of a cross from Wayne Bridge against Manchester City opened the floodgates, and was followed by a solo goal against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, an instinctive effort against Charlton Athletic, a twenty yard volley in a 1-0 victory over Liverpool, and a crucial goal poked in against Aston Villa. Drogba also earned a second-half penalty in Chelsea’s first Champions League game of the season, a 2-0 home victory over Werder Bremen.
His rich vein of form continued in the Champions League, against Bulgarian side Levski Sofia when he gave Chelsea their first 2006 away win in Europe by scoring his first Chelsea hat-trick, Chelsea’s first UEFA Champions League hat-trick, and the first European hat-trick by a Chelsea player since Gianluca Vialli’s in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup 1997. On October 18 in the 46 minute Drogba received a pass from Ashley Cole and scored the winning goal against FC Barcelona in their group match at Stamford Bridge. In the reverse fixture on 31 October 2006, Drogba scored a 93rd minute equaliser which started from a Michael Essien cross directed to Chelsea FC skipper John Terry who in turn headed it back to Drogba at the Nou Camp to earn Chelsea a 2-2 draw against Barcelona.
On November 3, 2006 he committed his future to the club by signing a new four year deal. His first goal since signing his new contract was the fourth goal in Chelsea’s 4-0 romp over Aston Villa in the 4th round of the 2006/2007 Carling Cup.
On December 17, 2006 he extended his goal tally to 16 goals, 10 of which came in the Premier League, by stabbing home Chelsea’s winner against Newcastle United and scoring with a spectacular dipping volley from 35 yards out against Everton F.C. He also scored another crucial goal to ensure Chelsea’s progression to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, again coming on as a match-winning sub against Newcastle United to “blast home a superb 78th-minute winner”. After a brace against Reading F.C. on Boxing Day, Drogba reached the 20-goal milestone on December 30, 2006, when he scored in Chelsea’s 2-2 home draw with Fulham.
In January 2007 Drogba was crowned the Ivorian Player of the Year, beating off opposition from such players as Lille’s Kader Keita, Lens’ Aruna Dindane, and Arsenal’s Kolo Toure. As of February 25, 2007 Drogba’s tally has reached 28 for the season in all competitions after netting two goals against Arsenal in the Football League Cup Final 2007 on February 25, 2007.
On Thursday, 1st March, 2007, he became a winner he has been by adding the African Footballer of the Year award to his cap. An award many believed he deserved last year, when it was given to Samuel Eto'o Fils for the third term in a row.
All rise and give honour to whom it is due as we celebrate our new winner in Chelsea forward, Didier Drogba, He is sure a winner!

Francis Obiorah Obikwelu

Under-appreciated at home but celebrated and handsomely rewarded abroad. Francis Obiorah Obikwelu, fastest European sprinter in history and the 2006 European Athlete of the Year, epitomises that irony. The astounding success of the Nigerian who assumed Portuguese citizenship in 2001 confirms the robust endowment of Nigeria and, more importantly, the cost of mismanaging her abundant talents.
The odyssey of Obikwelu is indeed a lesson in resilience. While training for soccer, his coaches in Nigeria advised him to try out athletics. At age 16, as a bricklayer in Lisbon, Portugal, he also began to learn Portuguese under a teacher who later discovered his pupil's sporting aspirations and introduced him to an athletics club. In the first race he entered at 17 years old, he broke the Portuguese 100-metre record. But that feat did not turn his heart away from his motherland. He kept honouring national assignments around the world.
In 1996, Obikwelu, then Nigerian, was the world junior champion in the 100 metre and 200 metre races. The critical moment of decision came in 2000 under embarrassing circumstances. After sustaining injury at a world championship in Sydney, Australia while representing Nigeria, he was allegedly abandoned by the Nigerian Athletics Federation. But for the timely support of the Portuguese government whose sports minister visited him regularly at his hospital in Canada, his career would have been jeopardised. Afterwards, he had no difficulty in deciding to change his nationality.
Since then, Obikwelu has continued to justify the confidence and respect of his adoptive country by winning many world and European championships. One of his most spectacular moments was at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He came second in the final of the prestigious 100m dash, just one hundredth of a second behind Justin Gatlin. That effort beat the European record set in 1993 by the legendary Linford Christie. And that silver medal was Portugal's first ever Olympic laurel in sprinting events.
His recent crowning as the Waterford Crystal European Male Athlete of the Year for 2006 by the European Athletics Association is a befitting honour for a sportsman who had achieved last year what many of his contemporaries would not in a lifetime. He won 16 top class 100 metre races and six Grade A 200 metre races and also won the European Cup in Greece, thereby representing the continent at the IAAF World Cup in Athens in September. But the real clincher was his superb performance at the European Athletics Championship in August last year. He finished first in both the 100 metre and 200 metre events, the first man to do so since 1978 - the year Obikwelu was born.
This great sprinter has enough basis to feel fulfilled and even nurse bigger aspirations - as expressed in his reaction to the award: "It's been a great run. I can tell you I have been one of the luckiest athletes in the world but I have always worked to get where I am today."
Obikwelu plans to establish a training centre for athletes in Portugal to "give others the opportunity to also pursue their dreams." We agree with him absolutely. Diligence, after all, has its own reward. He has demonstrated that it is possible to surmount obstacles and come out on top. Nigerian youths surely have in him a true model. We congratulate our own king of tracks and rejoice with him as he savours a well-earned honour.

Kanu Nwankwo's longest Interview

Here is an excerpts of Kanu Nwankwo's interview granted the Vanguard Newspaper for records. Please enjoy

THE Kanu Nwankwo story is full of intrigues, mystery, magic, unexpected turns, challenges and lots of success. For now, the Kanu Nwankwo story is one of the major shocks this season. The story was about a star who might not find a credible top side to play for. Months down the line, he became the top scorer in the English premiership, scoring regularly and even doing the unusual, scoring goals with his head.

So much had been said about the comeback of Kanu Nwankwo. He’s been interviewed severally and his club manager, colleagues and analysts have all had their say. So, what’s left? Well we travelled out of London, to Southampton, to meet up with Kanu on the eve of yet another big game where he keeps defying logic. He was “hiding” in a big hotel, away from the media frenzy and everything arising from the consistent performance very few expected.

In this, his longest and most revealing interview ever (he said so himself), Kanu touched on: EVERYTHING. He spoke about the lack of respect he gets from people in spite of proving himself all the time, how he will keep proving people wrong, his God-given talent, how he survived bachelorhood without any scandal, the big occasions and how he always rise-up to them. Kanu spoke about the magic of scoring those unbelievable goals, winning the bigger honours in soccer and of course those five hours he was operated upon when he was told, “you will NEVER play football again” and all emotional trauma of regularly being made a “Super-Sub” in the Super Eagles. Kanu also told us that players should be paid their “dues” because none of them are from “millionaire homes and he said Austin Okocha is not a “betrayer.”

This,’ for you, is the exclusive interview of the most decorated African Soccer Star. After all, how many African players have won the Olympic games Gold as Captain, won the European Champions Cup, Won the World Club Cup, Won the African Footballer of the Year Award twice, won all the domestic honours in Holland and England and scored the most amazing goals in the world of football, making the worlds best goal keepers and defenders look like dummies? There can be only one KANU NWANKWO!

On his Wonderful season so far
“First of all, I give thanks to God who made it possible. With God everything is possible . I don’t think people always believe that, you can do things always but I am somebody who keeps on working hard and I believe in myself and what I can do. I remember when I went on holiday after West Broom were relegated and people were asking me, which club are you going to? Is he going to play again? Things were happening, but I was calm because there were lots of clubs knocking on my door and I knew I was going to play football and enjoy myse1f. Finally, I am at Portsmouth scoring lots of goals, but the same people are still talking. Its been a long time and people will always say this. I have been there for long and I keep on proving people wrong.

THAT HE MAY NOT PLAY REGULARLY
“That’s what I am saying, a prophet is never recognized and honoured in his home. That’s life. If you’ve been there for how many years, it means that you are good enough. I have been there, I have done enough for myself , won trophies. Its not easy to be at that level for long. All the same, its just there for me. The only thing is that, out of 100 per cent, let 70 be your supporters, people who really believe in you and trust in you, and let the rest still talk what they want to talk.That’s life, you cannot please everybody.

DEBUT:
“It was the first game and after being with Harry Rednapp for a while, I knew who he is. He appreciates players and he values them. He knows what you can do. He saw me in training and knew what I could do. So, I thought I would start the game in my debut. And he really wanted me to start because he had given me confidence and motivated me. But suddenly, at the dressing room, he came to mc and said "big man, you trained only on Thursday, Friday, going to Saturday to play a game? All right, it’s better you come from the bench and do the magic for me and we win the game.” I said to him that I wanted to start and he said ‘no, no you will start lots of games, just do this for me. ‘I said no problem and like he said, after the first half it was like 1-0 and I bad to come in, and for me, you try to make an impact to the supporters so that they will be there for you. You want to really show you can play football. With what happened to West Brom being relegated, you want to show that you can play and that their relegation was not your fault. Strange goals with the head

“Well, that’s the truth. I score wonderful goals and now scoring unexpectedly with my head. I am somebody who does special things, I thank God for that, I know the goal I scored against Middlesborough will be strange to lots of people but that’s football. For me to take the ball from my own half, ran and powering on until I scored, it’s one of my best goals ever and that tends to prove lots of people wrong. Of what they think with my head? Well, I normally score some times with my head but not regularly with my head. Its something strange to people now. Well, I don’t know what else to do to tell people that I know how to play football. I’m good at it, but I always say, whoever supports Kanu, Kanu is the same Kanu, until the day he stops playing football. I’ll not let my fans down.

RELEGATION
“It’s true, I always stand on my word, I am not somebody who is aggressive or who is going to make lots of noise, or open my mouth, but when I do, whatever I say, I always make sure I know where I am supposed to be, and I know my qualities so that I can defend it. If you believe in yourself, you ought to know your level. It’s no disrespect for the championship but I know I belong to the premiership or it’s equivalent - the Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga or whatever league, I know I have been there and have played in lots of top clubs in Europe. A lot of clubs came knocking, clubs from Germany, from Spain, France and even here in England but there's always time to really take your time to make a decision. Before, I made decisions only by myself but now I have my wife, my family. Before I do anything, I have to think about them, sit down and make the right decision.

GOAL against Arsenal
“It’s good because you really want to play against your old teammates, your former club and try to make a mark. So for me, scoring against them is not like you want to score 100 goals against them but all the same, you want to make a mark and I was happy to score against them. You know sometimes when you score against your old club you don’t have to celebrate all that much, but you feel good because you’ve performed well against your former club and have shown them that you are still around. I believe in your heart you will be happy about that because, can you imagine if they beat you 5-0, it means that you are not missed, but when you do something like that and make a mark, it means that you are still there.

THIERY HENRY FACTOR
“It doesn’t offend me when the British media keep saying that before I came from the bench, while at Arsenal, that Thiery Henry had already finished matches. I know Arsenal fans take me to their hearts and I am like a legend before then. So, if I have that support, I don’t ever feel bad and they will forever recall those times when I decided very ‘crucial games for them and when I scored lots of spectacular goals. I know the real Arsenal fans loved me when I was there and even now that I have left they still feel for me. I remember when I went to play in the Dennis Bergkamp testimonial and the way they were shouting and singing my name. I remember when I always go there to play against them, how they always have a big ovation for me.

They know what I have done. I have been there, played lots of big games, scored lots of very important goals, and when some say Thiery Henry had done this or that someone has to give him the ball to score, and we were the ones that supplied the assists, which he appreciated. It’s a team game, a team effort. If Arsenal are doing well, its not only one player. But when you have 11 players, a team still tends to produce a superstar and that’s the way it is. So you should not take away anything from him. I have scored goals people didn’t know how it happened or where it came from. But nobody is going to be there forever. Sometimes you have to move on. That’s life. Clubs or teams are going to stay, players will come and go.

BEST REMEMBERED GOALs:
“There are two, I believe the one I scored against Middlesborough and the one I scored against Chelsea. Now you are telling me, I remember the one I scored against Deportive La Coruna, against Sango, but if you ask me I will say the one I scored against Chelsea, because you see, it was one of the very big games, a derby against Chelsea, and it’s Chelsea, so, for you to do something like that against Chealsea1, you really have to feel good. You can do what I did that evening against small teams and there will be no big deal, but to do so against big teams like Manchester United, Liverpool Chelsea and with the caliber of the defenders they had at the back that day, to score three goals, yeah, I will say that’s the very best.

on ground for them to follow. There should be a culture of compromise between players, FA and other sports authorities so that the young ones will see such normal conditions as the rules in camp and things will always get better.

A foreign coach:
It’s difficult. That question, I don’t think any player wants to get involved. If you ask me, it’s all about winning, and when you have a coach, whoever is sitting down on the bench, and he keeps on winning,

he’s producing, then you have that person. I remember we won the last two games in the world cup qualifier and we scored 10 goals, but all the same we didn’t qualify for the world cup, the most important thing is that you see yourself winning, even if its half a goal, whatever you have to do to win, you win, until you are in the major tournament and then you can say whatever you want to say. Everyone was disappointed we missed out on the world cup but if we had won all our games home and away, we would have been in Germany.

So, talking about foreign coach, everybody has his own opinion, his own feelings. Each player is different, but like I said, whoever is there, we have to do our bit to support him, work very hard for him and produce the results for him, because coaches don’t go into the pitch to play, the players play for the coaches and make them succeed. If the players are not there for the coach, whatever coach, he will struggle, but it’s left for the F.A and the board to make their decision. For me, foreign coach or local coach, nobody no player wants to put his head or show his hand.

“DID OKOCHA BETRAY OLISEH?
“I don’t think any player wanted to betray anybody, Okocha didn’t betray anybody when players are fighting, it’s always difficult to know the truth. First, when you said media does not write negative things about Kanu, I disagree with you. They do, it’s my country and I know how it goes, people tend to come out with lots of things, negative or positive and they put them in peoples minds, and people believe them but like I said you always have to be strong, and keep on going. You know, where you are going, you know the truth, you know the positives and the negatives, you really have to work hard because the main thing is when you have results and you are doing good, people tend to be your friend and tend to talk good about you. But sometimes even when you are doing good, people want to put you down and that’s life. So, the question you asked me, I don’t think Okocha betrayed anybody. The truth? I don’t know when the truth will come out, you have to hear from all sides, both parties and everything but from my own side I will say Okocha didn’t betray anybody. I don’t know what he said he did, but he’s my friend and I know him and from what we are doing together, I don’t think he’s a betrayer.

WINNING THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:
“The enormity and how big an achievement of winning the European Champions League did not hit me then like it does today. Then I was so very young it didn’t register like it does today. Then, I was like enjoying my life and having a nice time, but we had a good squad, young talented players and we came back again in 1996 to be in the Finals, it’s a great achievement, but we knew we champions of Europe. Looking back now, that’s the biggest trophy you can win in your career, but for you to do it at that age is something great, it means you have achieved. What people are still struggling to do now. If it’s now you will appreciate how big it is, but then, we were like we’ve won another cup and all.

“That what we are trying to impact on the young ones now I was young then but, I was not intimidated by the big opponents. If you have quality, you have ability, if you have confidence and belief in yourself, you tend to do a lot of things that people will ask questions later when you see a young talented player you only have to guide him and tell him, because in the field of play you have eleven players against eleven, no matter what the age is, it’s just 9O minutes, that’s the time limit you have to show the world what you can do. I remember playing with Frank Rijkard and he’s always calling me the magician, always telling me you are the best. At that time he was just giving you that confidence and he knew what you could do, and he didn’t want you to let go. He wanted you to produce at the moment that everybody was looking at you. If a young player is talented and is confident, he will make it, the ones that make it are the ones with big hearts.

HEART OPERATION:
“It’s something that I can’t really say when exactly it started and I can’t say “why?” But like I normally say, I thank God for everything. He knows His purpose and He knows why. He’s the only one that can give you the answer. I remember when I was at the Olympics and it was very very hot, and of course if you have heart problem I don’t really think you could cope. I was at the Games, won, had a wonderful time, signed on with Inter-Milan and I was flying, having the best time of my life, surely, nothing could go wrong, or so, I thought. I signed with Inter and played some friendly games for them and when the league was about to start, you have to do all those medicals and all that. It was strange when they said to me, you have to wait at the hotel, you are not going with us to the friendly game, I said to myself that there’s something wrong somewhere.

And finally in he evening they came back to me and sat down to tell me ‘you have a problem with your heart!’, which is really hard to take. lt was a massive shock, it was really difficult to take. As at that time, I was really trying to call some few people to tell them the situation and break the news to them, only to get a second shocker, it was all over the world media within a matter of hours that I was not going to play football again, he’s finished and everything. But I only had to go back to God, prayed to God, told God if you are the one that allowed this to happen, you know why and it’s you who will bring me back.

KANU HEART FOUNDATION
“It’s not everyone who goes through what I went through lives to tell the story, hours of operation when your destiny is no longer in your hands, where you are practically dead to the world I thank God I came out alive, still continued to play football and still making progress. I still continued playing and won trophies and still won for a second time the African Footballer of the year Award. It’s like, from all odds, you have come back and proved everybody wrong.

For me, it was like, I was sitting at home one day and watching a documentary, saw people in pains, adults crying and all and I was like, it’s time to give back, because you have lots of less privileged people in Africa that don’t have money even to go to hospital for medical check-ups alone not to talk about the treatment itself, so what do? We do, we have the name, have played well and have everything, so its time now to give back. Its God that made it happen and I was asking myself, what am I going to do and I realized I have a name. I thought if adults could go through these pains, what about the little children? It s simply unbearable even thinking about it. They want to be like Kanu, they want to be presidents of countries one day, you have to make their dreams come true. So, I started using my name and every wherewithal I could muster to really generate funds and do everything I could. That’s how it started.

MARRIAGE:
As a bachelor, it was always going to be difficult because people want to be your friend, but all the same in the profession that we are you have to be disciplined and the discipline will always carry you along and help you in every other aspect of your life and career. Its always difficult to find who the true one is for you in a situation like this, you have to keep on praying and believing that the right one ‘will come it doesn’t mean that because you are famous, everything in skirt is yours and it doesn’t mean that you will be with everybody, for me you have to be disciplined and know what you are doing. Some people allow it to get to their head, their flume that is, and they start misbehaving, but when you are disciplined you don’t let it get into your head, and rather than it controlling you, you control it. For me, I believe I controlled it, behaved normally and when time came for me to get married, I started praying to God to get me the right person and he answered me.

MY WIFE
It takes a lot to tell you what makes her special first of all, character, not outside, but inside, what the heart is all about. I believe everyman wants his wife to be like this or that, there’s so much to it, but I don’t always like to say it out because you don’t know so you have to be careful what you say in public but I thank God, that’s the right one, she’s been there for me, she’s a Christian and, so, we do a lot together, it’s like a brother and sister relationship, which is important and we appreciate each other.

HIS SON:
“God’s the one that give kids and yeah, I th God my lord gave me a big boy and right now, e’s still trying to play football and I am telling him to go to school. Well, I thank God for my family and I am happily married and I am v happy, because there are a lot of things that are clearer to me in life now because when you settle down, you see lots of changes and whatever I do, she’s always with me.

Even the foundation we do, she’s always with me, marriage it tends to reduce a lot of things you were when you were not married. This is good because as at that time you didn’t care for anybody, you just went out and enjoyed yourself but now you have responsibilities and you have to really work hard for your family and make them happy.

I always thank them from the bottom of my heart because you have the true fans, you have the fans that love you, whatever happens they are always with you. I really appreciate that and I thank them and I will keep on thanking them. They are the ones making it happen. Kanu will always be Kanu and football is what God has given me and nobody can take it away from me. I thank all those who have been there for the Kanu Heart Foundation, like when I came home and families of children were thanking me, I said no, don’t thank me, go to church and thank God, it’s God that made it possible and not me and we really have to thank all the individuals who have been there, donating and supporting, all the companies, it’s a good cause and we thank them all.

“Whenever I stop playing, I will bring out my autobiography and video documentary so that whenever the fans want to remember the glorious days, they just go back memory lane.

“Tomorrow, people may have injuries or lose form, but it’s God. Footballers will come and go but I will give my services to my fatherland till I can’t do it anymore. When the time is right, Kanu will say bye-bye.

ON THE BIG OCCASION GOALS

“I will say those goals scored against Brazil at the Olympic Games were natural. Some- times you tend to do things by luck or fluke. It happens.

But for me, I knew what I was doing and, like you said, there are special goals. Sometimes you work for the goals. Sometimes, you are in the right position at the right time and the ball comes, you just finish it up. Sometimes you are just there and somebody works hard and hits the post and you jab in the rebound. When you say Kanu goals, you will never, never forget them or miss them. And those at the Olympics were memorable.

There are things you don’t get a second chance to do. Those Olympic moments were such things. Time goes but such memories stay with the Press and most importantly, with you. To score that goal against Brazil when we needed to do something out of the ordinary was great. It was magic and I can remember putting the ball up, turning and scoring, it was already past 90 minutes and we were in stoppage time. I scored again and we won and I will say it’s at those big occasions where you know the big players, the big occasion players, the special players. So, for me, I will not say things I do are just pure luck.

They are special and what God has given me - magic. God gives and creates. Scoring such goals are the magic God gave to me and nobody can take it away from me. It's magic from God. I will keep on producing magic and people will keep on talking until the day I will say enough is enough and I will stop. I’ll say so when my body tells me to do so. I do not need anybody to tell me that my time is up. Players come and go and someday, there will no longer be Kanu. We once had Pele, Maradona and the likes of Cruff. And in Nigeria, we had the times of Christian Chukwu, Odegbami and later, Yekini. It was like the end would come if they stopped playing. But the end did not come, rather, players who even made bigger news on the global stage came. So my prayer is for there to be greater players when we go."

Club vs Country:

"It’s difficult and even till now, people are still finding it difficult. If you play in a big club where they play in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, the big leagues like the Premiership, F.A. Cup, League Cup and things like that, you have to make a decision. The clubs are paying your wages, they are paying your salary and entitlements.

They want to keep you late, even try to stop you from going to honour your country’s call. But still, your fatherland comes also. In your heart, you want to return home to play for your country but at the same time, you want to respect those paying your wages, those responsible for your upkeep without whom you become jobless. In one moment, you want to take everything your club tells you and in another moment, you remember your fatherland or motherland, the place you will retire to and the place you call home. You know that home is home and you owe home something. That’s why people talk about giving back. When you have attained some level in any profession, there’s what you call giving back. If there’s anything we have to give back, it is service to our country. At this moment of your thought, you want to go and honour a call from your country even if your club is reluctant or wish that you stay.

For you to move to Europe and make money and fame, you must have come from somewhere and that place is what you must give something in return. So, it's always a difficult problem and the best thing is always try to reach a compromise. You have to serve the two in the best way you can. But the problem is always there. We are at the centre of it always. We know what we go through, but people don’t tend to appreciate how tough it is or what we go through. Sometimes you go to play for the national team, you come back and your team place is no longer there. You have to fight back for months to try to get your place back.

Sometimes the coach may be angry with you for leaving when they needed you most. You are sidelined. A lot of things happen that people don’t know about, the intrigues are so deep and sometimes so sensitive that it’s only the players who know what we go through - football is politics, big business, people just see us running round the pitch for 90 minutes in shorts and t-shirts. They applaud good movements and cheer goals, they don’t have an idea of what goes on in the background. We the players know what goes around, but you don’t have to come out and start blowing your trumpet, you only have to fight it yourself and come out strong."

Playing Kanu as a sub

“It’s strange because I have been there, done a lot. I have played in a lot of Nations Cups, other competitions and big competitions for Nigeria where I started and we won lots of games comfortably. But all these things started recently. It doesn’t mean that Kanu will not start a game and we win, because no one knows the result of a game until the end of the final whistle. I remember when I was at West Brom and it was time for the African Cup of Nations, I had an injury on my cheek bone and I had to go for an operation and the doctor said to me, 'you have to take one month off,' and yet I was ready to go to the Nations Cup.

The Nations Cup was like one week away. I had to really go and join because everybody concluded I wasn’t coming again. And I wanted to be at the Nations Cup and I fought tooth and nail and made the list. If you considered my state, it shouldn’t have been strange that I came in from the bench. I needed one month to be in good shape but now, we were rushing things and I had to go with the team to Egypt.
So, in our first game, they put me on the bench. Later, they asked me to come in because the situation was not looking good.

I had to play ten minutes and when I came in, it happened that we scored and won. The next game, it was getting better and I had to play twenty, twenty-five minutes and it kept happening and like you said now, everyone was like, “Look, he’s the one that knows how to read the game and bla, bla, let him come in from the bench and change the game if it's not going well for us. But in my club, I play 90 minutes, from the start and we still win games. But you know, I am a team player. Mine is to do my best for my team to win. It’s left for the coaches to do theirs. I want to do everything, I can only pray to see that Nigeria keeps improving, keeps winning games and keeps growing.

I am not going to fight the trainer. I am not going to fight anybody for being on the bench. But it doesn’t mean the bench is meant for Kanu. If I am fit and 100% and playing good football, definitely I will like to start games. But if the trainer makes his decision and says ‘you start from the bench, I will not fight him, I will still sit down and still do whatever I have to do for my country. You can imagine when the season just started in England and I was topping the score chart with four goals in the English Premiership and we had a game against Republic of Niger. For people to see me on the bench was strange to them, I mean those who were following my performance.

It doesn’t mean I can’t start or play against Niger Republic from the bench. I am not the boss, the boss calls the shots and I went there and I saw myself sitting on the bench and I gladly took it and we still played football and still came back. So, at this stage, I don’t put pressure on myself because I have seen a lot and been through a lot, and when you have seen a lot, there’s a lot in life than whatever we do and you thank God wherever you find yourself. Your experience in life, had taught you a lot, so, with that attitude, I really appreciate all my doings and all, so I really have to thank God that I am still alive playing football again.

On Leadership:

“I will play a very important part, because we are in the modern world now, when the players have a big and vital role to play. They have to really say what they want and contribute. You really have to carry the players along and do what they want and by that you really will see good football going in Nigeria. It’s been a long time we’ve been outside and we’ve learnt a lot from the outside world, from countries better organised than ours. How do we bring it back home? We can bring it back home by assisting the F.A. b y contributing our quota, and letting them know what football is all about and what they can do to see that we keep on growing. On the players’ side, we know what they want us to do, we know what is expected of us. We have to deliver, but before we can deliver, we have to be happy, for any player that is not happy cannot deliver.

So, like I said when you spoke about great captains of the Eagles, yes, we have had captains who have been there and who have achieved things and who have done great things and provided great leadership in the past. But for me, I want to be a captain that people will easily remember for good things when the name is mentioned. So, I am not going to fight anybody but whatever is due to the players let them give to them, make them happy. They will produce and do a lot for you. They sacrifice a lot and I always ask people a question - how many players have millionaire parents? Players come largely from poor or average homes.

They fight for their families and future. In few years their careers are over and what do they do after? They need all the money they can lay their hands on while playing. So, when people say players demand this and that I ask them who works and expects not to be paid? People should know that what a player earns in ten to 15 years is what he has to live on after he retires. Therefore, it’s right to pay them their dues. There are young players coming up now. We have to set good example for them to follow. It will be wrong for them to grow up seeing officials and players always in dispute over allowances and other entitlements. We have to lay something good on ground for them to follow. There should be a culture of compromise between players, FA and other sports authorities so that the young ones will see such normal conditions as the rules in camp and things will always get better.

On foreign coach:

It’s difficult. That question, I don’t think any player wants to get involved. If you ask me, it’s all about winning, and when you have a coach, whoever is sitting down on the bench, and he keeps on winning,
he’s producing, then you keep that person. I remember we won the last two games in the world cup qualifier and we scored 10 goals, but all the same we didn*t qualify for the world cup, the most important thing is that you see yourself winning, even if its half a goal, whatever you have to do to win, you win, until you are in the major tournament and then you can say whatever you want to say. Everyone was disappointed we missed out on the world cup but if we had won all our games home and away, we would have been in Germany.

So, talking about foreign coach, everybody has his own opinion, his own feelings. Each player is different, but like I said, whoever is there, we have to do our beat to support him, work very hard for him and produce the results for him, because coaches don*t go into the pitch to play, the players play for the coaches and make them succeed. If the players are not there for the coach, whatever coach, he will struggle, but it*s left for the F.A and the board to make their decision. For me, foreign coach or local coach, no player wants to put his head or show his hand.

“DID OKOCHA BETRAY OLISEH?

“I don*t think any player wanted to betray anybody, Okocha didn*t betray anybody when players are fighting, it*s always difficult to know the truth. First, when you said media does not write negative things about Kanu, I disagree with you. They do, it’s my country and I know how it goes, people tend to come out with lots of things, negative or positive and they put them in peoples minds, and people believe them but like I said you always have to be strong, and keep on going. You know, where you are going, you know the truth, you know the positives and the negatives, you really have to work hard because the main thing is when you have results and you are doing good, people tend to be your friend and tend to talk good about you. But sometimes even when you are doing good, people want to put you down and that*s life. So, the question you asked me, I don*t think Okocha betrayed anybody. The truth? I don*t know when the truth will come out, you have to hear from all sides, both parties and everything but from my own side I will say Okocha didn*t betray anybody. I don*t know what he said he did, but he*s my friend and I know him and from what we are doing together, I don*t think he*s a betrayer.

WINNING THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:

“The enormity and how big an achievement of winning the European Champions League did not hit me then as it does today. I know this may surprise you but it is true. It is now that I look back and I say to myself, wow, is this what you achieved? Then, I was so young it didn*t register like it does today. Then, I was like enjoying my life and having a nice time. For me then it was just one of the cups, just winning one competition. It wasn’t so magnificent in my young man’s mind then. All I knew was that we had some nice times on and off the field in Ajax. It was in subsequent years like when Liverpool won and all streets of Liverpool were in their colours and the reception and all the attention they got that gave them larger than life image that I looked back and realised that I had gone through the same feat but my little mind saw it differently then. I just laugh and feel good when I remember such great moments. But we really had a good squad, young talented players who just felt free expressing themselves on the field. We just knocked the ball and had the spirit to go forward for goals. And we came back again in 1996 to be in the Finals.

It was a great achievement and great feeling knowing that you are champions of Europe. Looking back now, that*s the biggest club trophy you can win in your career. And for one to do it at that age is something great, it means you have achieved what people are still struggling to do now. If it*s now, one would appreciate the magnitude of that feat and not a feeling of just winning another cup.

“That’s what we are trying to impact on the young ones now. I was young then but I was not intimidated by the big opponents. If you have quality, you have ability, if you have confidence and belief in yourself, you tend to do a lot of things that people will ask questions later. When you see a young, talented player you only have to guide him and tell him the way it is going up. If you don’t guide players, some who have the potential to reach to the top would fall before getting there. They may never get there. We come from different backgrounds and we are different human beings. Some will still get to the top without guidance. They fight their way through or are well mannered may be because of family upbringing.

They are cool headed and know how to be focused. Some who are talented don’t get to the top because of indiscipline. There are also those who are talented in one way but who lack the fighting spirit to complement their natural skills. So, it is still good to talk to young players and urge them on to develop that spirit because in the field of play you have eleven players against eleven, no matter what the age is, it*s just 9O minutes, that*s the time limit you have to show the world what you can do. I remember playing with Frank Rijkaard and he*s always calling me the magician, always telling me you are the best. At that time he was just giving me that confidence and he knew what I could do, and he didn’t want you to let go. He wanted you to produce at the moment that everybody was looking at you. If a young player is talented and is confident, he will make it, the ones that make it are the ones with big hearts.