Super Eagles midfielder Seyi Olofinjana has kept an average profile in his football career, and despite being wanted by Ligue One club, Monaco, twice, the Chemical Engineering graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, still prefers to remain in the English Premier League, playing for modest clubs. He explained the circumstances that led to his rejection of a £2.5 million move to the club last July.
“It was my second time of getting close to joining Monaco of France. I was about to go there in 2004 when I left SK Brann in Norway but there was a change of administration at the club and the new management had a change of heart about recruiting players,” he said.
“Last July, I was about to join the club but I decided not to pursue the move despite the club’s readiness to give me a contract with a very good package. Football is not all about the money and I had to weigh my options and consider my future. It is obvious that many players want to come to England to play, so why should I leave such league for France? Even players from France are eager to come to England. I didn’t see it as sign of moving forward if I took the France option, so I decided to stay in England .
“But the major reason why I did not go to France was because of my education. I have been studying in England for some years and I want to complete my masters degree in engineering and hopefully begin a Phd programme there. My future lies in how much I put into my education and a mere movement across Europe could put all that in jeopardy. If I have to do it in France, that means I have to learn the language first, that could take a year.”
With all the facility and perhaps enough wealth to live life to its fullest in England, Olofinjana makes daily sacrifice, walking away from the glare of the public. According to him, his life has only two phases in England.
“It is very tasking playing Premier League football and studying at the level I do. It takes away so many things from me because I am not able to do anything else outside the pitch except going to school. While my club mates are relaxing and enjoying outside the pitch, I am in the classroom all the time. Football is not forever and either I like it or not, the truth is that one day I will stop playing. It could come anytime.
“I don’t see myself better than anybody in the game but it is a privilege to study in the United Kingdom at this age. As a human being, I am equipping myself for the future by studying but who knows, my future may still be in football if God wants it like that.”
The former Wolves and Stoke player may be an employee in England, but in Nigeria, his status is in the reverse. He reluctantly opened up on his other business, pointing out the significance of his mother’s death in his life.
“Who told you I have an engineering company? Well, it is true that I have a growing company but it is not something elaborate and I am not making noise about it. I formed the company in Nigeria as a way of giving back something to my country by creating employment opportunities for the people. I pray that it grows more so that more people can be employed. I am not after the profit but it will be a great thing if those in charge help its growth.
“I do a lot of charity work but I don’t think I will want to talk so much about it in the media. Charity work is a thing of mind and only God can reward those who are doing it. The one most people know that I am involved in is the football academy in Nigeria where children are trained to play football and go to school. It is formed in memory of my late mother, Elizabeth Olofinjana.
“The academy is in her name and I also have a foundation named after her. She did a lot for me but it is unfortunate that she died in 1996 when I needed her most. I was a young boy at the time and I felt that death was too wicked to me. It was a painful moment for me, but I thank God that she lived a good life. He is the one that gives and takes back. I cannot fault Him because there are children who have no parents. That is why it is important for me to help the needy in the society.”
“With the Monaco deal off in July, Olofinjana joined Hull City , but his first major achievement in the club came when his solo drive killed off the zeal in his former club mates. It was a fantastic goal that he celebrated wildly on November 8, 2009.
“When I scored against my former club Stoke City , I celebrated in a special way for several reasons. It is not every defensive midfielder that scores goals and even though I have been scoring goals for clubs I had played for, I considered it special to score for Hull City for the first time.
“The fact that the goal was against my old club made it special to the fans although I did not see it that way, but the major reason for my wild celebration was because of the nature of the goal. It was a fantastic goal and was nominated as the goal of the month.”
Football is hereditary in some family. Austin Okocha has a brother, Emmanuel, who played for Nigeria at Algiers ’90 while Segun Odegbami’s brother, Wole, also played for Nigeria at Maroc ’88. Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu brother, Ogbonnaya, was also invited to the national team at a time in his short football career. But does football flow in the family blood of the Olofinjanas? The former Kwara United player explained that football came to him by accident.
“I have brothers that also played football but they did not get to the top of the game. I am only a privileged person to have played to this height but it does not mean that everybody related to me must also play football. They can be useful to themselves and mankind in another way.
“When I started playing football, I did not see it as a career; it was something I did leisurely but as I started developing and people appreciated what I did on the pitch, I realised that I could make a living from it.”
At the Serrada Chela Hotel where the Super Eagles camped in Lubango, Olofinjana, Osaze Odemwingie, Kanu and Yakubu Aiyegbeni were always seen together. These players are without doubt the senior members of the team, but their congregation, according to Olofinjana who joined the team in 2000, must not be viewed as a class symbol.
“People may be right that I am among the senior members of the Eagles today. But there is no senior player here, we are all equal. I associate with all the players normally and whoever comes in will be treated equally. We are not going to be here forever. If we were not welcome by the players we met here, maybe we would not be here today.”
One of the major problems of the team today is the absence of a playmaker like Okocha, a problem coach Shaibu Amodu has struggled to solve without success. While many have called for the inclusion of the former Bolton Wanderers in the team, Olofinjana reminded Nigerians that every player has his special talent.
“The Eagles do not need another Okocha, we have to do with what we have and develop the team. Asking for Okocha is like the French team asking for another Zinedine Zidane. There is only one Okocha in Nigeria and he has retired from the game. Talents are different in players.
“Mikel Obi is a player we need to encourage. He is young and gradually coming of age, he is doing a wonderful work in the midfield. He has the talent and each time he plays, you can see that he is willing to do more. Apart from that, we need to develop more young talent. We don’t have to start looking for them because they are there in Nigeria . We only have to give them the chance and let them play at the right time.”
At 29, the Hull City midfielder is still single but not searching for a partner. Despite his preference for a low profile lifestyle, he said he would not hide away from walking to the altar when the time comes.
“I am not too young to do so and even if I have the money to wed now, marriage is not done because you have wealth to sustain it. It is God that established it and He is the one that will choose the right time for me. It is not just getting married but staying married. I am already working on it and to be sincere with Nigerians, I already have someone that I will marry.”
Source:punchng.com/
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