Kunle Odunlami - I became a fisherman to earn money to buy boots

Super Eagles defender, Kunle Odunlami tells KAZEEM BUSARI about his grass to grace story in this interview

What effect does the 2014 World Cup have on you, being your first time?

Being at the World Cup is perhaps the greatest aspiration for any player; it’s only second to winning the tournament. It was my first time to be at the tournament, but most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to interact well with the rest of my teammates. Playing alongside players like Mikel Obi and Vincent Enyeama really inspired me. The experience can’t really be quantified.

But how apprehensive were the Super Eagles when you knew you would be up against highly-rated Argentina at the group stage? Continue.....

There was not an element of fear in the team; we knew right from the beginning that Nigeria would qualify from that group. Argentina had quality players but we had an equally good team in our line-up. I don’t agree with people when they say Argentina had players with better profile than Nigeria at the World Cup. It is easy for anyone to think this because a good number of the Argentines ply their trade with top clubs in Europe, but we also have players with big clubs in Europe. There was nothing special about Argentina at the tournament; you could see that we almost beat them. We were undone by hard luck at the World Cup, but that’s football. You win some, you lose some. There are some games you will play well and lose, and others you play badly and win. We even had more chances than Argentina but the game didn’t go our way.

Lionel Messi scored twice against Nigeria and when he was substituted, Nigeria seemed to play a better game?

Messi is a great player but he was not a major threat in that game. (Kenneth) Omeruo marked him well, and (Juwon) Oshaniwa also did the same. In football, one second’s loss of concentration can decide the game and that was how we conceded those goals. That’s what makes football interesting; you have to be alert all the time.

What do you think Stephen Keshi sees in you as a home-based player?

The coach is very experienced both as a former player and in managing national teams. It is obvious to everyone that he knows what he wants, so he knows how to deploy a player to play certain roles. I always get confidence boost from coaches even at Sunshine Stars. They believe I can do certain things on the pitch, and I always make sure I don’t disappoint them. I’m ambitious just like any other player, I want to win laurels, but I can only do that under an experienced coach like Keshi. He has shown me the way on how to improve and I’m grateful.

What kind of support do you get from Sunshine Stars when you play in the national team?

The club wants its players to succeed. They always tell us that we’re not going there to represent ourselves alone but also representing the club. The players know what is at stake whenever we play in the national team that’s why we put in everything we’ve got.

Do you think Nigeria could have won the African Nations Championship earlier in the year?

Of course, we could have won it. There was nothing wrong with the team, only that Ghana took their chances better than us when they beat us in the semi-finals. Mind you, it was the first time Nigeria would play in that tournament and most of our opponents had featured in all the editions. I also don’t think it was proper for anyone to refer to the Nigeria team as home-based Super Eagles. We played against players who were first choice in their respective countries so we regarded ourselves as the full national team at the competition. That further strengthened us in our resolve not to disappoint our fans. It was barely a year after Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, so we wanted to repeat the feat, but sometimes things don’t go the way you plan.

But you were expecting to win the tournament.

Yes. But I felt bad that we finished as third best. Thank God it was not a failure but I would have loved us to win the title in our first attempt. It was not just me, everybody in the team felt the same way. We had thought we would win. When we lost to Ghana, it was like someone died among us, nobody could go for dinner that evening. The coaches had to work on us to bring back our confidence.

How do you rate Nigerian league as a result of the CHAN?

We still have a long way to go in encouraging players in the Nigerian league. For instance, we could see how the South Africans were cheering their players even when they were losing. Over there, if you win, they praise you, if you lose or draw, they still praise you. That’s unlike in Nigeria where you only get praise when you win. Nobody wants to understand the reason you failed; they criticise you even when you get a draw. That shouldn’t be the way to encourage your players.

At the World Cup you didn’t get the chance to actually play. How were you feeling on the bench?

I believe everything will happen in God’s time. At the World Cup, I don’t think I could have done better than Oshaniwa or any of the defenders. They played very well. I didn’t feel bad at all because we all couldn’t have played at the same time. It was a privilege that I was with the team in Brazil. There were equally good players who didn’t make the cut.

Did you start your football as a defender? You seem to be a mobile player.

I used to play as a right winger, but I was converted by coach Afo of Golden Star, a grass roots club in Lagos . During a match, our central defender was injured so the coach thought I would be a good replacement due to my height. I played well in that role and since then he kept me there. So even when I moved to other clubs I decided to play in that role and that was how everyone had come to know me.

How did you start your career?

After playing in Lagos for the amateur clubs, I left for Ogbomoso to join Crown FC for two months in 2004 but I was not signed on. They told me I was to replace a player who was injured but that the player had returned to take his role. They told me they had to consider him ahead of me because the player stayed with them when they went through financial crisis. They were paying him back for his loyalty. From there, I went to Iwo to play for Olaoluwa FC at Amateur Three level. I decided to play for this club because I didn’t want to come back to Lagos empty-handed. I helped the club in gaining promotion to the Amateur Two and to Amateur One. But they didn’t have money to contest for slots in the National League. So I left them to play for Ilaoragun, then I later joined Dolphins. Somehow, Dolphins couldn’t sign me on too, so I left for Lagos. I tried to play for Union Bank in Lagos but things didn’t work out so I travelled to Ede in Osun State to join Gray FC in the amateur division. I played just five matches for them before First Bank invited me to join them. That season in 2012, I went to Ilorin for a trial with Kwara United but I was not comfortable with the way things were going there so I moved away. But on my way to Lagos, I learnt Sunshine Stars were having trials, so I went there. I’ve been with them since then. I was drafted to the team by coach Abimbola when he saw how I played in a friendly against Warri Wolves.

Who is your role model in football?

I have lots of them. I love seeing Godfrey Oboabona play. Osaze Odemwingie is another player I enjoy watching. There’s also Olowo Emmanuel. I’m not saying there are no better players but I have confidence whenever I see these players perform. I’m an Arsenal fan so I love watching their defenders at work.

What was your parents’ decision when you decided to play football?

That is a big one. They never supported me when I started. They were totally against it so I had to play football in secrecy. I was very young when I decided that I would play football. I had to struggle for money to buy boots to play. On many occasions I had to fish at a river around Alapere in Lagos so as to earn money to buy football kits. I did a few other odd jobs to get along. I became a labourer at construction sites just to earn money in order to actualise my dream. I got about N5,000 to buy what I wanted. But when I eventually got the kits, I couldn’t bring them home because I was afraid what my parents would do to me. I still have a scar on my head which I got after a severe beating for coming home later after a football match in Mile 12. When I went to Crown FC to play for two months, my parents didn’t know where I was. I actually ran away from home to play with the team. You can imagine how sad I was when the club couldn’t sign me on. Right now, my parents are proud of me.

What is your target in football?

Every player wants to be the best, I’m not different. I’d love to play in Turkey or any top league. I would have said England but the Premier League wants players who have played a certain percentage in their national team’s campaign. I’m relatively new in the national team so I have to work my way to the top.