Okocha, Zidane are my idols – Igiebor

Real Betis midfielder, Nosa Igiebor, is one
player who has been attracting a lot of
attention in the Spanish La Liga in recent
times.
His skilful ball control and high percentage
completed passes have placed him in the
spotlight in a league that features some of the
best players in the world.
His domineering figure in the midfield
notwithstanding, only a few people know that
the former Warri Wolves player never started
as a midfielder.
“I started football as a defender; very few
people know this,” Igiebor, who moved from
Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel to Real Betis for
€1.1m in 2012, told our correspondent in
Calabar before he helped the Super Eagles beat
Malawi 2-0 to reach the final round of the
2014 World Cup qualifiers last Saturday.
“Each time I got the ball as a defender, I would
rather hold on to it and dribble past my
opponent instead of kicking it away from the
goal area.
“One day, the coach of the team couldn’t bear
it any longer as he shouted from the stands,
‘who told this boy to play in the defence?
Defenders don’t play like this.’
“I thought he was going to remove me from
the team but he moved me forward during
training. That was how he converted me to a
midfielder.”
Being a professional footballer had always
been Igiebor’s dream, especially after watching
his heroes play on television.
“I knew what I wanted as a little boy. I think I
was between eight and 10 years old when I
started telling my friends I wanted to be a
footballer, that I would be famous and so on. I
think I said all those stuff children would say
when aspiring and dreaming big, especially
after watching a particular football game,” the
22-year-old said.
“When I watched those games, I started
challenging myself and worked hard to be
noticed by clubs.
“Austin Okocha and Zinedine Zidane are my
idols. For me, they remain the best midfielders
in the game. It’s difficult for any player to
replicate what they did on the field, because
they were unique. There can never be another
Zidane; he is the best I’ve ever seen.”
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner went
on to receive special training to master his
new role and went on to play for FC Abuja in
2006 before joining Warri Wolves a year later.
His sojourn at Lillestrom SK in the Norwegian
league, where he scored 13 goals in 67
appearances, and at Hapoel Tel Aviv, where he
scored three goals in 27 appearances, only
made him more prepared for the bigger
challenge of the Spanish league.
Coming to Spain meant he had to brace himself
for the challenges of playing against the likes
of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – the
two most rated players in the world last year.
“The Spanish league is highly competitive and
all the teams have very strong midfield setting
up,” Igiebor said.
“I never feel intimidated playing against
Ronaldo or Messi; these guys are human beings
like every other person. It’s like an honour
playing in the same league with them and
aiming to defeat their teams.
“You don’t consider fear when you get on the
pitch against Real Madrid or Barcelona. Your
coach must have developed a workable tactic
to counter them, so when you have this in
mind, you forget who you are playing against.
“Besides, these top teams have other quality
players that are as dangerous as Messi and
Ronaldo. “You can’t afford to take your eyes
off them while concentrating on another.
(Andres) Iniesta and David Villa for Barcelona
and (Angel) Di Maria and Xabi Alonso for
Madrid are also good players. But I never
nurse any fear facing any one of them.”
Igiebor admitted though that Messi and
Ronaldo would remain the subject of argument
that may not end soon. While some football
fans say Ronaldo is the best in the world,
Messi has gone on to win the FIFA Player of
the Year award four times.
He said, “The debate will never end, but I’ll
choose Messi over Ronaldo. This guy plays
football differently and it’s hard to explain how
he does these things. He’s just magical. I’ve
played against both of them at different times
but it’s difficult to comprehend how to handle
Messi.”
Despite the super-human attributes attached to
the duo, Igiebor rated his teammate at Real
Betis as one of the best finishers in the world.
“Rubén Castro,” he said when asked to name
his best teammate. “This guy is the best
finisher I’ve ever seen, trust me. Everyone
knows this in the Spanish league but the
football styles of Messi and Ronaldo draws
attention away from him. If you give Castro 10
chances, he’ll convert nine; he’s the best
finisher in football today. I love him so much
and even the team want to keep him there for
long.
“But in the national team, it is Emmanuel
Emenike. He’s a powerful striker who converts
chances easily. If you give him the ball, you
can be sure he’ll do something with it.”
Igiebor, who was criticised by Real Betis fans
after a difficult start to last season, kept his
doubters quiet in April with a stunning header
against Sevilla, rescuing a point for his side as
the game ended 3-3.
“I’ve only seen the video of the goal once or
twice, but the reactions over it were huge,” he
said.
“That goal further improves my profile in the
league. This is normal whenever a player
scores a special goal. It was an equaliser to
make the game at home, and you can imagine
how the fans felt after the game. The goal and
the support from the fans gave me confidence
to do more for the club.
His performance in the game and the
subsequent ones convinced some Spanish
football commentators that Igiebor was better
suited for bigger club.
He said, “Many journalists say that all the time;
I only respond by thanking them each time
such issue comes up. But I won’t get carried
away by the compliments. I’m still focused on
my duties at Real Betis even though many
clubs have shown interest in me.
“My employers want me to take things easy
and play about one more season with them. I
think by the end of the season or before that
we might see something tangible.
“Things are not clear yet (on whether to stay in
Spain or move to England ). There are many
options and we have to sit and consider them
all.”
With the season less than a month old in
Spain , Igiebor has set himself the target of
competing for the La Liga title and also helping
Real Betis as far as the semifinal of the Europa
League.
His focus is also on the Brazil 2014 World Cup
for which Nigeria are yet to qualify.
He said, “We’ll be playing in the Europa League
this season so our target is to go as far as the
final. For me, a semifinal berth will mean a lot.
We want to also do well in the league. It’ll be
difficult knocking Barcelona and Real Madrid
off the top but it’s not impossible for us. All
we have to do is work harder and focus; we’ll
have to take the challenge one step at a time.
But we don’t want to end the season empty-
handed.
“Every player wants to play at the World Cup
so it’ll be a dream come true for me to play at
the 2014 World Cup; I’ve never been there
before. I need to stay fit and play well to keep
my place in the team so that I can be in the
(Super Eagles) squad for the World Cup.”