Top Five Nigerian Soccer Players Who Grabbed The Headlines For The Wrong Reasons
In Nigeria, the game of soccer is followed with a lot of passion considering that the country is still the largest exporter of soccer players in the world’s top leagues. However, the game is not without its players who become famous for the wrong reasons. Below are the top five Nigerian players who, while talented, were always on the receiving end of the media. Some are no longer active, while others continue to be active both in the club and in the country.
ethym esin
Etim Esin was born in Oron in Akwa Ibom State, southern Nigeria in 1960. He emerged as one of the most talented stars on the local scene when he helped Nigeria qualify for the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship. in Chile. However, her drive potential took a serious dent due to lack of discipline and arrogance. At the height of his escape, Etim Esin was shot by armed robbers in 1987 before the Junior World Cup. The nail in his coffin came while he was playing for Belgium’s AK Ghent in the early 1990s, as he was convicted of raping a Belgian girl and subsequently deported to Nigeria by Belgian immigration authorities.
Tarila Okorowanta
Tarila Okorowanta was a creative midfielder who became a local folk hero while playing for the Ibadan Shooting Stars football clubs in the 1980s. However, her career was shrouded in controversy due to lack of discipline and frequent non-compliance of the camp rules. Tarila Okorowanta made the wrong headlines when she defected to Italy while the Ibadan Shooting Stars were returning from an African Champions Cup match in Tunisia. That rash action led to the eventual downfall of her wonderful but short career.
Salami Gbolahan
Gbolahan Salami is a striker for the Ibadan Shooting Stars football club. A bulky and exceptionally gifted player, Gbolahan rose to fame when he shone for Nigeria at the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt in 2009. However, the bully striker’s rising profile took some hits last year when he was pummeled with two caps. . ban for verbally assaulting his former manager at the Sunshine football club, Gbenga Ogunbote. Compounding his problems, he recently received a one-year ban when Shooting Stars was forced to a 1-1 draw by Ogbomosho’s Crown FC in a Premier League match played on Sunday 30 January 2011. He allegedly tried to attack the match referee. Michael Oshei for conceding a late penalty against his team.
junior osagie
Junior Osagie is a former guest of Enyimba and Super Eagles of Nigeria who liked to break the camp rules. The highly talented striker was unable to fulfill his goal of playing professional soccer abroad due in part to his erratic behavior and the negative influence surrounding his career.
akpan bassey
Akpan Bassey is the only Nigerian Premier League goalkeeper to have been banned for a year since the league’s inception. He was a member of the under-20 team led by Ladan Bosso that participated in the 2007 FIFA World Cup held in Canada. Although he lacks height, he remains one of the best goalkeepers in the Nigerian Premier League to date. His superlative performance has even earned him invites to the Nigerian Super Eagles on several occasions. Owerri’s Heartland FC goalkeeper had previously been fined $650 and given a one-match ban on 20 January 2011 for shoving a referee during a Premier League match against Akure’s Sunshine FC.
A sad trend that can be observed in each of these players is that they are all gifted and talented, but the failure to abide by the rules of the game negatively affected their career. It is a lesson that other aspiring footballers should learn from.