By China Acheru

Dolphins’ FC shot-stopper, Godwin
Ayalogu looks back at his past and
believes he has come a long way
from the misery of his secondary
school days.
He has played football as a
goalkeeper for Ebonyi Angels,
Rangers International, Sunshine Stars
and now Dolphins FC.
However, the bulky goalkeeper says
he began his life in the most bizarre
of ways washing corpses in the
morgue and being a prized street
fighter.
"My nicknames are Paco, Desperado,
The Cat and these three names
basically sum up my life up till this
point as a footballer,” Ayalogu said.
A Diener with respect
[b}“Paco is about a dead person that
came back to life. I was given that
name when I washed bodies at the
morgue because I needed money.[/b]
“They gave me that name because
never was scared of anything or
anyone.
“I didn’t have a dime, my parents
didn’t either so I used to do that job
to pay my school fees and help my
siblings.”
The graduate of Government
Technical School said he would leave
class, while in school to the morgue
to wash bodies and explained how
he started.
“There was a morgue close to the
school and it was run by a Ghanaian.
I used to sneak from school to go
there.
“When the Ghanaian asked me what I
wanted, I told him a job.
“He wanted to know if I could cut it
there and I affirmed. I asked for
gloves and the required chemicals
and I washed four bodies on my first
day at work.
“I don’t believe in fear. I had gone
hunting in the forest at midnight and
I never thought anyone should be
afraid of anything.
“At that time I was paid ten naira per
body and I did that job for four
years.”
Ayalogu continued that after washing
bodies at the morgue, he would go to
the market to push carts/ trucks for
people who did heavy buying.
“I would carry yams, lettuce and
stuff. During the rainy season, I used
to go to the river to help pull out
boats that sank in the River Niger.
“I had to learn how to swim for this
because pulling sunk boats out of
the river and mud was a lucrative
trade for me.”
Fighting in the streets

The second nickname given to
Ayalogu was/is DESPERADO and he
explains that he always believed no
one on earth could defeat him in a
fight.
He said he fought on the streets and
fighting pits for money.
“I was a street fighter too and I used
to bet in my fights on how many
minutes my opponents would last
with me in the fighting pit.
“Around the streets, I would be
invited to fight and defeat anyone
who was king fighter of his area.
This one fetched money for me
because there was always lots of
blood spilling and people wanted to
see blood.
“At a time, people would call me to
come and defeat the ‘strong man’ in
their area.
“I did Taekwondo, Karate and a little
Boxing so they helped me in my
street fighting. It also helped in
goalkeeping by the time I focused on
football.
“That’s why as a keeper I am never
scared of going into battle on the
pitch whilst protecting my area.”
He says he was still a street fighter
while he became an active
goalkeeper.
The Cat

“The cat was one given to me at
birth, according to what my dad told
me. He said since I was born, I never
allowed my back touch the ground. I
always used to retaliate any wrong
done to me. When I got into football,
I started using that name,” he
explained.
“I always retaliate any offence meted
out to me. It may take years but I
will seek my revenge.
“But after I moved from being an
outfield player to being a goalkeeper,
the name, Cat came up again, no one
really knew the origin of the game,”
Ayalogu said.
Life without football

It was tough for the goalkeeper to
say what his life would have been
like if he had not been a footballer.
“I really cannot tell what I would have
been doing if not for football.
“Only God knows… maybe I would
have been dead or maybe joined a
bad group, cult or gang that would
have been my undoing, but I thank
God for football eventually.
“I lived a rough life and when I look
back I can only be thankful that
football has taken me this far.”
[b]My wife and I[/b}

The Dolphins’ goalkeeper, Godwin
Ayalogu sensationally revealed that a
sacrifice made by his wife was what
convinced him to get married to her.
Ayalogu reveals that after a game for
Ebonyi Angels where he played his
football, he went to visit a member of
the club’s supporters group and
there he met Ifeoma who was
around.
“My wife was a friend of a member of
the Ebonyi Angels Supporters club
and I went to visit her and met my
wife there.
“We were engaged in a careless chat
and when I found out she was a
student at the Ebonyi State University
I asked her discipline and I had no
idea what she said.
“She said she was studying Human
Kinetics and I didn’t even know what
that meant so I made a joke
concerning the course she was
studying in school. Remember I had
no idea what it meant,” Ayalogu said.
“When she asked what I meant, I
explained that Human Kinetics means
nothing and that she would be better
off in a course like Economics.”
Ayalogu revealed that being an
uneducated person who was into
football, he would have preferred to
marry an economics graduate to help
him manage whatever money he
makes from his career.
“I told her that I would prefer an
economics graduate to help me take
care of my money since as a
footballer and I would not want to
misuse whatever money I make.
“To my greatest shock, she applied
to change her program from Human
Kinetics to Economics and lost one
semester in the process.
“I was so touched by that action that
I became convinced I shouldn’t let
her go,” the burly goalkeeper said.
[b}The Joy of football[/b}

The goalkeeper who hails from
Anambra State adds that he does not
regret being a football player.
“Football gave me a wife, Ifeoma, four
beautiful kids, Winner (the first),
Bright (the second) and the twins,
David and Daniel, and a house I built
while I played for Rangers
International. I am grateful.”
His first daughter, Winner is eleven
years old and is now in the
secondary school while he has three
other boys.
Football and my kids[/b}

Many footballers do not want their
kids to play football because of the
suffering that goes with it, especially
in Nigeria, but Ayalogu will not stop
his.
“I would advise my kids to play
football but not in Nigeria because
there is a lot of suffering in our
football.”
[b]The goalkeeper cited poor
remunerations and welfare as
reasons he would not support his
kids playing football in Nigeria.

One thing he would however support
his kids to do in Nigeria will be to go
to school.
“I will push them to go to school and
it will not even be about going all the
way in school, as long as they can
read and write I will be okay.
“My father did not leave anything for
me but I want to leave something for
my kids to build on and that is what I
plan to do for them,” Ayalogu said.
Why our footballers suffer
“The way we are owed, by the time
they pay us, we have already
borrowed a lot and that is one reason
why they suffer the way they do.”
He explained that at Rangers, he
managed to make use of just his
salary and bonuses so by the time
signing on fees are paid he was able
to use it judiciously.
“That’s why I was able to build a
house. Remember I told you I wanted
an economist by my side and I
married one.
“The reason is that I wanted a wife
that would help me manage whatever
money I make as a footballer.”
His advice to his colleagues is that
they spend a little of what they have
earned and invest the rest in a
business that will be worth their
while.
“They should focus on their future
and not their now. This is the advise
I give to them.”
So if you are an opposing player
wondering why Ayalogu has total
command of his area, diving in and
charging at crosses, corner kicks and
through balls, remember he is Paco,
Desperado, The Cat and he fears no
foe.
http://www.npfl.ng/index.php/news-features/club-news/1139-ayalogu-from-corpse-washing-brawling-to-dolphins-safe-hands
Cc Lalasticlala
Cc honeric01

Hmmm from grass to grace i hope tomorrow we won't find you in the under 17 camp with your head shaved?