Former Nigeria and Lazio striker, Ayodele Makinwa, tells JOHNNY EDWARD that the arrival of Portuguese gaffer Jose Peseiro will usher in a new dawn for the Super Eagles
How have you been coping with life after football?
Life after football has been an adjustment for me. Clearly, I have had to adjust to a new lifestyle, even though I haven’t changed much but I don’t go for training and matches anymore and these are some of the things I have had to adjust to. The kind of job and business I do now is more of fun and traveling and I have been keeping myself busy that way. I thank God for what I have been able to achieve through the game but right now I’m into the other side of the game, which is management.
What did you make of the Eagles’ failure to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup?
The disappointment of not qualifying for the Qatar 2022 World Cup big. And I believe it has to do with our lack of professionalism towards the way Nigerian football is run. It also has to do with so many mistakes made along the line and others we don’t want to let out for some reasons: from the sacking of Gernot Rohr to the appointment of Austin Eguavoen, which I don’t see as a mistake. If you appoint a coach you should afford him the liberty to work freely and get results. The timing of Rohr’s sacking was very wrong and his replacement did his best to salvage the situation.
You watched the Eagles playoff games versus Ghana. Where do you think the team got it wrong?
I think two things went wrong. The first leg was fine because we had the full complement of the team in Kumasi and there were options from the bench. In the second leg in Abuja, we did not have that, and I feel the fault was from the selections from the scratch. Apart from injuries, which nobody foresaw, I think the midfield should have been well covered in case something like that happened. I think that was where we went wrong because we had to try to adjust to playing players who were not ready for a game of that magnitude. Another major problem was inviting players that were not ready (at their clubs) for both games.
Which players do you think weren’t ready for the playoffs?
We were missing Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi for the games due to suspension and injury respectively. Who replaced these players? We had option for Ndidi but lacked the creative sparkle and at some point those who played in Ndidi’s role fizzled out of the game in the second leg.
How far do you think not playing at the World Cup will affect the players’ value?
No doubt, it will affect the value of our players because playing at the World Cup is like showcasing your talent at the biggest football market in the world. And we all know what it can do to the career and value of a player. Our players’ value will be affected but that does not mean it will go down drastically. But those that would have had a chance to boost their careers have seen that dashed.
The Nigeria Football Federation recently appointed Portuguese Jose Peseiro as the Super Eagles coach. What’s your take on him?
I don’t really know him but looking at what has happened in the last five months, I believe that good foreign coaches remain the best option for Nigerian football in terms of control. They will do better in that regard. Those who know our football and are well prepared will succeed here. It will be difficult to find a Nigerian coach who won’t be told what to do at some point during his reign . This has happened in the past in our national teams, which I don’t want to discuss here.
Seven years after you retired from football, what have you been up to?
Immediately, I stopped playing football, I started working as a football agent and ever since I have found so much passion in this, which enables me to watch, scout and discover new talents and also help fight for the players rights. I also have other businesses I engage in.
You played your entire football career in Italy. What was it like playing in the Serie A?
Playing in the Italian Serie A was fun and tough for me. It was like a dream come true as a teenager coming onto the scene at that time.
I was lucky to play in one of the best leagues in the world, with some of the best players at that time.
As a striker, who was the toughest defender you played against?
I faced a lot of defenders who gave me tough and torrid moments but I think the toughest defensive pairing I faced was Lilian Thuram and Fabio Cannavaro. They were really tough for me.
Why were you nicknamed El Tigre?
It was from my days at Atalanta. I was doing well at that time and during the season the fans and journalists started calling me Tigre de Lagos (Tiger of Lagos). They all loved me for the goals I scored, my pace and my abilities.
During your era with the national team, you scored twice in 18 games for the Eagles. What was it like fighting for the Eagles’ No.9 shirt with the likes of Obafemi Martins, Ike Uche, Obinna Nsofor and John Utaka at that time?
Obviously, it was tough competing against these players you mentioned because they were all top players as well at that time. They had immense qualities but the thing about the national team is that most of the time I played in different roles. I played as a striker, a winger or as a second striker as well, just for the team to accommodate these quality players you mentioned.
Can you share with us your best and worst moments?
I had so many good moments. When I was at Atalanta, I used to be named the man-of-the-match in most games. Their fans were so good to me. The high point of my career was when I got the chance to play at the highest level of football in Serie A, which at that time was so competitive, unlike now that the talents on display cannot be measured to what it used to be. Also, playing for the senior national team was great too. My worst moment was when I had to take a stand to retire from football. It was tough to play games because I was always in pain from the start of training to the end. It was like I was poked with a knife each time I tried to run. You can imagine that. I felt so sad I had to call it quits with football.
Not many knew you were in the squad that won the 2013 Coppa Italia with SS Lazio…
(Cuts in) Yes, because as of then I was in and out of the team on loan and I could recall I was battling this same cartilage injury then, which kept me out of the team. But sincerely, getting a Coppa Italia medal was consoling for me as I was barely on the pitch. So, it was like a bonus for me that year. Same with the national team, I was unable to achieve my set goals with the Super Eagles because I barely had the chance to play. Quite often, I would arrive camp with swollen knees and just watch others play. The sore part for me was our failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Brazil with the bunch of talents we had then.
Footballers usually live the high life, wearing expensive jewelry and driving big cars. Were you that kind of player?
That’s not my style. I prefer to be simple and neat at all times and moreso, l love wearing quality things that always make me stand out.
How were you able to cope with your female fans?
I treat both female and male fans equally. Most times some of them just want an autograph, picture or dedication on their shirts and I also try to be nice to them, which they always appreciated.
Your first son is eligible to play for the US and Italy. Would you encourage him to play for Nigeria instead?
My son is just enjoying himself at the moment with no pressure. If football eventually becomes something he desires to take to, that will be his decision to make. My job is to guide him well and offer him quality advice on the kind of decisions he makes. He is free to make his decision on which country he wants to play for whether Italy, Nigeria or the United States of America, mine is just to advise him properly.
What did you do back then that if you had a second chance you would change?
The future is very unpredictable and I would not have been able to achieve some of the things I achieved successfully if I did not take those risks at that time. I am happy with what I have accomplished and as I speak, I am an Italian as well. I was supposed to move to Stuttgart in 2005 but I chose to move to Palermo. Then I signed a pre-contract agreement with Inter Milan but then there were issues. They had to sell some players before I could join but the players listed for transfer refused to leave and that quashed the move. I had other teams prepared to sign me also too. I have this policy of joining teams at the start of the season when they kick off their pre-season campaign, hence that fast-tracked my move to Parlemo, but then I have no regrets whatsoever about not joining Inter. I don’t know what the future would have been but despite that I’m still grateful for everything.
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All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
