Oboabona was one of the six home-based players selected by Coach Stephen Keshi for Africa’s football showpiece event.

It took the team’s victorious outing, for Keshi to convince his critics, and even some members of the Nigeria Football Federation, that he took the right step by excluding the so-called big names.
And Oboabona, wearing the jersey number 14, was a crucial factor in Nigeria’s third triumph as African champions in South Africa, as he and the only stand-in captain and goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, played every minute of the Eagles’ six games. Even though he performed brilliantly in the Eagles’ three group games as the national team managed to book a quarter-final ticket, many expected Oboabona and his teammates to crumble like a pack of cards against star-studded Cote d’Ivoire. The Ivoirians had an intimidating line-up; apart from home-based third choice keeper Badra Ali Sangare, the other Ivoirians were established names in European football.

But the Eagles had other ideas. And Oboabona alongside fellow centre-back Kenneth Omeruo, full backs Efe Ambrose and Elderson Echiejile made Drogba and his mates look ordinary. The Nigerians triumphed 2-1 with another home-based player, Sunday Mba grabbing the headlines with the match winner. But Drogba sure knew the man who kept him at bay allthrough 90 minutes: Oboabona.

The Galatasary forward went straight to the 22-year-old Oboabona, gave him a pat on the back and commended him for his brilliant outing on the day.

Oboabona shared ‘Drogba’s words of wisdom’ with SUNDAY PUNCH . “After the match, Drogba walked up to me and told me that I had a good game.He said I gave him a tough time and that I should keep it up andI said ‘okay’,” Oboabona told SUNDAY PUNCH.

The thought of playing against Drogba gives even the best of defenders scary moments but Oboabona is not in that class. “With due respect to Drogba, heis a fantastic player, a model for young African players like myself but I wasn’t scared playing against him. Big names don’t play football, human beings do. That was not the first time I was playing against a big player. “You don’t have to be scared simply because you are playing Drogba. All I did was just to focus on my game and I think I did my best. The most important thing was that we won the game. It was a collective effort,” he said.

Thereafter, the Eagles march towards winning the competition sounds more like a Cinderella tale. They overran Mali4-1 before Mba again rose to the occasion, his lone strike in the final against Burkina Faso ending a 19-year wait for the AFCON trophy.

“It was a matter of commitment, dedication and focus. With all these, you won’t be scared of playing against anybody. “I want to thank the coach for giving me the opportunity to show what I am capable of doing as a home-based player. And thank God we came back home with the trophy,” said Oboabona.

The sensation of lifting Africa’s number one trophy on February10 will always remain with the player, who hails from Ubiaja, Edo State, but was born and raised in Akure, the Ondo State capital. “It was amazing. Some of Africa’s greatest footballers didn’t have the opportunity of lifting the trophy as players. Even Drogba unfortunately is yet to touch the trophy. So as a young player going to the Nations Cup for the first time, it was incredible doing the unthinkable,” Oboabuna said


http://www.malaspark.com/2013/04/what-drogba-told-me-in-south-africa.html?m=1

More grease to your elbow "Stone Wall" Oboabona.

Y are u teling us this now