Grandson to late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Seyi Awolowo, is a former Big Brother Naija housemate. He talks about his love for Manchester United, his favourite Nigerian player and more in this interview with PETER AKINBO
Growing up, did you participate in sports?
Yes, I did. In primary school, I did relay, track and field, and a little bit of football. In secondary school, I tried basketball and also a little bit of football, which was where I established that I was not a good player and in and after university, I played paintball.
So, you discovered you were not good at football, what about the other sports?
For basketball, I was average, while when it came to football, I would miss so many goals, and I got dribbled so many times, so I don’t think it was for me. I tried goalkeeping, but some shots made me reconsider my decision.
With training, could you have been better at basketball?
Oh, yes. If I had a good coach, I would have been good at basketball. On the side of pursuing it as a career, I think I just grew out of it and I was discouraged from playing basketball by the testimonies of those that went to represent the school in a tournament that the opponents were too tall and too good. So, I focused on track and field back instead.
Were you discouraged from pursuing sports at home?
I was not. Sports was more or less considered exercise in my home. You know, that’s the average excuse that the mother will give the father or the father will give the mother, when the son says he wants to be a footballer. We were not exactly discouraged from it but there’s a time for it, we needed to know when it’s time to go and read our books and when it’s time for sports.
Do you regret not going into sports?
Yes, knowing what I know now, that all I needed to do was set my mind to it and really push myself harder than usual. I wouldn’t have minded probably playing football or basketball, to be honest, or any sport, I would have liked to be an all-around athlete that can play all the different kinds of sports.
Who do you think is the greatest Nigerian footballer ever?
Based on how I love football to be played, it will be the living legend that was so good they had to name him twice Jay-Jay Okocha. That guy played football, and he played good football. That guy brought Bolton out of relegation, he was very consistent. It’s very sad that he never won the African Player of The Year award, it’s very very unfair, he did so much that he wasn’t recognised for. I believe most of all these awards are political, but Okocha was a great player, and I think he knows it and that’s enough.
Which football club do you support?
I have supported Manchester United since I was eight, although they have cut a lot of my tickets. I am glad with the last three games but I am not putting my mind there, they can surprise me soon. It has happened with multiple coaches. Let’s just see what’s going on before we enter with our full chests.
How would you pick a five-a-side team of the greatest players to play for United?
I would pick Ruud Van Nisteelroy as my striker, (Cristiano) Ronaldo and (Ryan) Giggs would be my midfielders. When it comes to my defenders, it can certainly never be Maguire, not in a million years. I would go for (Rio) Ferdinand because of his consistency over the years, and (Patrice) Evra and I will go with Van der Sar for my goalkeeper.
How do you feel about Manchester United now?
I still believe we are going through a transition. Coming from a very good coach to testing the waters with other coaches, I think we have not found it yet. Each time we think we have found it, they just lose it, maybe the player-coach cooperation just goes off, I don’t know, but I think we are still trying to get our wings back. Sir Alex Ferguson left and he was a serious part of the vertebrae, he was the man and we just need to find that missing piece. I think we should just give it a little bit of time, besides, we can’t stay on top forever, other people have to win too. Right now, we’re not there, we just don’t have it now, it doesn’t mean we are not going to be able to get it back again like Liverpool, they went down for a bit, and look at them now, so it happens.
The problem most United fans have is Liverpool winning because Man United have 20 EPL titles, while Liverpool have 19. How do you feel about this rivalry?
Quite frankly, this type of rivalry keeps you on your toes. With this kind of statistics, the appropriate minds in United should know that they need to sit up, especially with this type of tension that will take you out of your comfort zone. So, I like it because it will motivate the players and coaches. The fear of losing the record should make them buckle up.
What do you think of United’s chances of success this season?
Honestly, I am just optimistic, there is nothing that cannot happen. If we judge based on the last couple of games we’ve played, there is nothing that cannot happen, let’s just leave it at that. In football, it is always 50-50. You can be at top form and some clubs will just come from nowhere and embarrass you and that is it for the rest of the season. So, every match I go to with Manchester, I go in 50-50. Although there are some things that I see and I feel like ‘if these people don’t win, I will get mad.’ That last 4-0 defeat to Brentford pained me but I could not just express myself. I had to keep it in, but hopefully, they put in as much energy and do the things that they can do for us to win.
What do you hope for as a fan when United face Arsenal this weekend?
I will just say it will end at 3-1 or 4-2 in favour of Man United. I think Arsenal will score first, but if they are not able to score by halftime, no goals for them for the rest of the game.
What do you think about the Cristiano Ronaldo situation?
When you are a former player, and you went outside and became a superhero, you then come back to the team that set your deciding moments and they are fumbling, one can’t blame the guy for saying he wants to leave. I think if he wanted to leave, they should have let him leave, it’s not like we did that badly without him, we don’t need to build the team around him. He’s a very good player but if he says he wants to go, they should let him go.
Do you follow the Super Eagles and what do you think of them now?
Yes, I do. I am a strong follower of the Super Eagles, I never believe we will lose to anyone until we lose the game because we were always beating all the top teams. For now, I think they should privatise our football, I think they need to remove the government from our sports, they are not taking care of the people that they ask to represent us. Right now, they don’t play for the flag, they just show themselves so that foreign clubs can see them, they are playing for the money now.
I believe we can do much better because I have seen Eagles beating Argentina and Brazil when they were at their peak. I think the whole system needs a reset.
