Growing up in Ajegunle has helped me stay focused – Ighalo

Nifemi Daniel

Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo, has revealed that growing up in Ajegunle, a poverty-stricken ghetto in Lagos has helped him stay focused in his quest to become a great footballer.

The 26-year-old striker, one of the Premier League’s top scorers with 15 goals in 26 league appearances, said his growing up has helped shaped his career.

“You see bad guys. You see good ones. So it depends on you;  your destiny is in your [own] hands there. If you want to choose the bad side, or if you want to choose the good side,” he told CNN.com

“Work hard and pray, that is my motto. When you believe in yourself, you keep working hard, the sky will be the limit,” he said.

Speaking on the crucial role played by his mum, Ighalo revealed that his mother bought his first pair of football boots.

“I have a Mum that supported me right from the beginning. It was not easy coming up from there. You’re training on a mud ground and all that, sometimes you train barefoot.

Read also: Crystal Palace coach wary of Ighalo

“My mum bought me my first pair of football shoes, I can remember they were Copa Mondials. In Nigeria, you have to pay for water you drink, pay for transport to go training. You have to pay for everything.

“My mum afforded me what [she] could … sometimes it wasn’t enough to travel to play games outside the city. She supported me right from day one.”

The star revealed he may not have continued to play football at all saying that, “Without God, I would be nothing.”

“Sometimes my Dad wanted to spank me when I went to play football, when I didn’t do my homework and all that,” he said. “They would argue. My mum said, ‘You have to leave him if he wants to play football.”

The Ajegunle ghetto, known for notorious gangsters, was always besieged by neighborhood crime but Ighalo said he was determined to succeed despite the risk of being hit by a stray bullet from the Police who regularly storm the Maracana stadium where he trained with his grassroots club, the Olodi Warriors.

“We had bad gangs going into the ghetto, taking marijuana and all that. I remember when we were training, some people who stole would have to cross through the field and police were shooting guns.

“We had to run and bend down because a stray bullet can hit anybody. I was young then; I was so afraid that day.”

The Edo-born striker said he is fulfilled playing in the English Premier League.

“In Nigeria, everybody watches the Premier League. It’s the best league in the world,” he said, reflecting on a deep-seated adulation that has played its part in recent decisions. Last summer, Ighalo reportedly refused lucrative offers from the Chinese Super League.

“If it was [about the] money, I would be in China by now,” he said categorically. “This is the best moment of my career so far.”

“My mum is very happy that I’m doing well. My Dad too, he’s the proudest man on earth because his name on my back is Ighalo.

“I will keep on doing what I’m doing and make sure I’m the best at it”.

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