₦airaland Forum

Eruditor:
Costa is not 6'2". He is at best 6'0".

David Luiz is a legitimate 6'2" and Drogba should be about 6'2.5". Both players are clearly taller than Costa.

I also doubt Morata is 6'2". He looks 6'1". Drogba was also about an inch and a half taller than him when they stood together.

Players lie a lot about their heights. Lukaku, Pogba etc. Matic who is a legit 6'4 (just like Fellaini) is taller than Lukaku and Pogba who claim to be that height.

The one that tripped me was when Batsuayi was claiming 6ft 1in.

Final Costa price £58m. Same price we signed Morata.

airmark:
Saw him in dubai some years ago when he came with his kuwaiti team for preseason. He made a lot of money from there. Very cool guy.

I just realised he is still playing sef. He go done hold something decent by now.

Unlimited22:
If anyone signs Leon Goretzka ahead of us, I'll be royally pissed.

He only wants Bayern. Forget it.

Griffon:
Just last weekend, I was in the good company of Ogar Okpara and Obinna Nwaneri, two former captains of Enyimba. Na only brew and loot these ones can offer you, believe me.

Nnwaneri still hold cash from football?

You forgot to mention your junior brother!

This Sane is becoming a real problem of Gareth Bale proportions

afrodoc2:
Nihilist, Ibime abeg which sports bar person fit watch football for Westminster area?

Dem suppose plenty na. Just google. No be the kain area I go go to watch football so wouldn't know TBH but you can never more than 10 mins walk from one in that area.

obainojazz:
Okocha owns a bdc company. Dude comes to collect the dollars and pounds himself from CBN.

That makes sense from the way he's balling.

funlord:
Cele had a good time with his paper! He is not as broke as nati in zebrudaya but men nigga plays the background when you see him in any spot these days! No more popping or hummers and bitches...he has some cats who use him to pose in abuja as per rolling with a star levels while they pop on his behalf....but i have not seen that nigga "anywhere in abuja" this year.....he is usually with his bro Emma in his pad in abuja living silently! Kanu and okocha invested well....i saw some of their ish in lagos and my jaw dropped!

Yeah, it was sad. I was reading something about Cele in DailyMail how he is living in one normal Joe house in UK and the house is unkempt and dilapidated. As for Okocha, I don't know where he is getting his money from, whether he is taking from Delta FA or what . His kids are all in very expensive private schools in UK, he's still driving multiple expensive cars etc, even after Societe Generale stole his $1m. Anytime I see him flexing, I say shuo, this guy is still earning well after football oh, but I can't pinpoint what is bringing him the cash abi na endorsements?

raumdeuter:
I like James Obiorah but his U17 set fuckedup. Edward Ayamkyeh, Chinedu Chuwueke, Bosun Ayeni

I'm sure Henry Onwuzuruike was part of that setup too, not forgetting our own Igenewari George (RIP), Finidi's brother. After that tournament, Igenewari came home to Borokiri where he used to play at Churchill pitch every Sunday. See yabbing wey dem give am ehn. Few months later he was shot dead playing for Enugu Rangers.

funlord:
Na only cele babayaro I know from area! All him brothers na my crew...all the rest na club jamming, traffic, stadium, fan zone or hotel moves...

Na true say him money done loss patapata? He was very notorious for going out clubbing once a week in London, and each clubbing trip, he used to budget £1k to spend. I was told that when he comes home from club, he would go and stick his fingers down his throat and vomit everything he drank saying that he can't afford to keep the alcohol in his system as a pro footballer.

His mate who ran Cybereagles website was an acquaintance of mine, and took me to The Bridge on three or four occasions using Babayaro and Gallas concessionary tickets. This was around 2001/2002 time. I done forget that guy name, but he liked showing off his contacts with Super Eagles players. He would call Yobo and Godwin Okpara and get me to greet them on phone then.

afrodoc2:
One match can't really judge a player.
Anyway was just using it as an example of how strikers were blocked out.
Even Ikpeba was sidelined. That was why after Italy knocked us out of USA 94 when players were entering team bus to go to airport Ikpeba rented a private limo to take him to the airport.

Yeah, Ikpeba was done dirty for years.

Funny enough we still took a 36 year old Yekini to France 1998. I heard even the likes of Ohenhen were shunned from the France 1998 team.

afrodoc2:
Ohenhen was jamming when he was at Compostela.
But Yekini, Amokachi and Siasia blocked him.
I heard he refused to sort the coaches so he didn't get regular call ups.
Even Owobokiri that was killing it in Portugal was ignored.

I watched one match Owobokiri played around 1993 oh, he was atrocious. He is my kinsman sef, but we all agreed he had a stinker.

funlord:
How many footballers have you guys actually met? Both naija stars and European etc?

Up close, took pictures with, gisted/hung out with or just been around? Na jand crew go plenty pass for sure as per unfair advantage through location....

Who you sabi? Most of my meetings na waka pass except some lower level players that I've hung with.

diggz:
Wilson oruma na odede abeg...I no go doubt am if na 28yr old hin b den self. That guy na old meat chief!

Una dey spoil the guy name. That guy played at top level till 2007

raumdeuter:
For Saudi 89, much was expected from Phillip Osondu but he didnt deliver. It was Chris Ohenhen, Chris Nwosu, Mutiu, Sam Elijah that bailed us out. Ohenhen was our freekick specialist, he scored I think 3 freekicks in the tournament.

Why did none of these guys make National team except Headmaster? I believe Chris Ohen had a decent career in Spain. I used to see him on Championship Manager as late as 1998.

Another guy who is probably Naijas 2nd best AM of all time was Oruma, but injuries and Okocha stunted his Eagles career, though he resurfaced quite strongly in the 2000s with Marseille and sometimes with Eagles. That guy was too talented jor. I even naturally like his style of play compared to Okochas riskier style. He was a very European style of playmaker, low risk, but great passing.

Another dribbler extraordinaire was James Obiorah. He was the star of Qatar 1995 but that team phucked up his profile by going out in Quarter final.

diggz:
My god!! U dey burst my head with this songs

I get the song wrong sef. It was Oladimeji, not Okwaraji. I just dey remember now. Una sing this one for Waffi?

afrodoc2:
Lol that was from ras kimono's song Rhumba style.
It was 89 saudi.

Was that the same tournament Oladimeji and Chris Ohenhen played?

There was this song they used to sing:

Oladimeji, he's a skilla
He pass the ball to Osando
Osando pass to Ohenhen
Ohenhen put inside the net
Ohenhen, put the ball oh, inside the net

raumdeuter:
My first memory was Canada 87 final vs USSR, My mom wanted me to go sleep because it was late at night na popsie say make dem leave me. I am sure they all regretted it because na cry I cry till morning after USSR beat us on penalties and referee robbed us.

Nations cup I didnt miss any from Maroc 88, FA cup of the days of John Fashanu Wimbledon and Bruce Grobbelaar Liverpool, Then Serie A, Then football made in Germany was popular in Lagos then that was when I started supporting Bayern but as with youths of those days I still supported Ajax because of the Naija connection.

Algeria 1990 was my first match I watched, when they flogged us 5-1.

I always hit the playground in 1989 to hear stories of the 89 abi 91 tournament though. They would be singing:

"We play Russia, we beat Russia.
We play USA, we beat USA
We play Portugal, Portugal give us 2-nought. Aroma stylee, styleee. Isawonaroma, Romaaa"

diggz:
Abeg sey no be U17 world cup dem kanu,babayoro brothers ,oruma n co break out from. After which he joined Ajax where he had finidi as a team mate, then left after 1995 for inter Milan?

Yes oh. That was my first tournament when I had my senses. I think I missed the first match, I did not know tournament was going on, but when I heard score was 8-0, I was like kilode, I have to watch this. Then we hammered Argentina 4-0 next. Soon it was obvious that we would flog every team we faced except those Addo brothers from Ghana that were giving us heart-attack. Oruma was the star of that tournament, followed by Kanu. We had Babayaro brother and Pascal Ojigwe as well. The only disappointment was one wasteman striker we had called Peter Anosike. Everybody was scoring hatfuls and the guy no gree score despite being the number 9. I think he scored in the final though.

funlord:
Abeg see tv dish? Like wetin dey find aliens

Hahahaha. That was the standard one. You never see dish oh. Our neighbours one was as big as a house like wetin NASA dey use. The thing dey rotate by itself to face satellite.

timbros:
Back in the '90s NTA show tournaments (world cup, Olympics etc).

I watched the' Damman miracle' match of Saudi '89. I can still vividly remember my father's reaction when Nigeria went 3-0 down. The way he slammed the door, the hinges nearly fell off. My mum was just laughing. When the scoreline became Nigeria 3-4 USSR he is back.

I watched Italian ' 90 but didn't follow it that closely. I saw Andreas Brehme score the only goal, a penalty, against Argentina in the final.

I was a kid but I watched and actually understood what was happening.

I was among the many youths burning tires and jubilating in the streets in North Bank, Makurdi when Nigeria knock out Brazil and won Argentina in Atlanta '96.

I started taking an interest in Chelsea when my favorite player in Atlanta ' 96, Celestine Babayaro signed.

I watched all these matches in NTA. There was no cable but NTA has a program every Saturday, Weekend Sports. There I watch highlights from virtually all leagues in Europe and South America. The highlights might come 2 weeks late but that was how I got my updates. I also have a big bro then who doesn't miss any edition of Complete Football International and International Soccer Review... Those are full color glossy magazines. I get infos from there too.

There was no cable then but I've always loved football. And I watch football from an early age.

Don't forget Complete Sports abi Complete Football. I believe it was N50.

You have not followed football in the 1990s if you did not buy Complete Sports magazine. I can forego lunch for a whole week just to buy that magazine.

I am sure the owner of that magazine never conducted those interviews, just probably ripped them off foreign newspapers. He made a killing boy. My first ever copy was before World Cup 1994 either the one they were talking about how Ruud Gullit has been banished from the Dutch team, or the one where Romario was giving interview saying this would be his last World Cup as he would be 32 by France 1998. That magazine dey trip me then ehn.

funlord:
ABG satellite tv that was about N1500 in 1992 which was also the year the premier league began, which provided access to all those channels along with those hubble space telescope sized dishes were all imaginary to some peeps?

Oboy that was big money those days oh. Our house rent for 3 bedroom was N7,000 per annum in 1990.

We had some rich neighbour with hubble telescope dish in the early 1990s. When we put booster on our TV and face the antenna toward their dish, we would be picking up their cable channels. That lasted a few good months until our Landlord went and raised his own antenna higher and stole the signal.

MoR2:
Are you minding that guy, your pman will come home to watch news, you will now tell him, "dad i want to watch ball (or movie then)". Once it's 8, esp when it is not holidays and school is tomorrow, you will hear how you have been watching tv since 4pm and if news finish thats when you can soap operas because of mum.

The look your papa go give you self, except it's WC or Nigeria is playing. The only matches you can watch won't be live games and some highlights.

Na you do yourself. So you were watching Tales by Moonlight and Voltron since 4pm and you still want dey drag remote with your popsie at 8pm? For our house, we no dey watch TV sef except na football. If we are not in boarding school, once school finish, we drop our bag and go and play ball or table tennis, so when we enter house like 7pm, nobody go drag TV with us.

Your father no dey read newspaper for morning? So he go shun football dey watch Frank Olize and NTA News at 9? He no try at all.

sod09:
my father taught me how to watch football, he wakes me up sef to watch, i ask questions and he is always there to answer. atlanta 96 he will carry me on his head to watch football...i grew up liking arsenal and nigeria
DONT MIND THAT GUY HE DOESNT HAVE A CLUE, but true true una dan old oo
those players una day mention na legendary players...twale baba

No mind am. Atlanta 1996 was even on NTA, and NEPA no dey take light during Naija matches. See prayers wey my popsie dey lead for house when we were 3-1 down against Brazil in the semi. As soon as that match finish, my popsie put us inside car dat night dey parole dey blow horn everywhere. For the final with Argentina, he took us to one hotel viewing centre sef wey people gather to enjoy the atmosphere

lalaboi:
@Ibime

I don't think Nihilist should count Bakayoko's 'Bag of beans'-like assists i his quest for Canvas. That would be double standard, what says you?

Anything official make dem count, Bakayoko would still not reach 8.

MoR2:
Skimpledawg do you know how expensive cable was?

Your father will tell you he did not pay for it for you, when time he returns in the evening to watch network news.
Then we used to watch cartoons, movies and animations.

Make I know who watch full league before y2k?

Most nigerian arsenal fans are the ones who watched arsenal 2002,3,4,5,6, even Man U that like shouting history, many of them started in the 2007 just like Chelsea fans 2004 or so.

Serie A fans in Nigeria, Lagos are the oldest bunch, then Real Madrid fans even this noisy Barca fans started 2003 or so, and yet some will be claiming they have watch ball since they were born, TA.

Just because your father flogged you for touching his cable TV in the 1990s does not mean all our fathers are deeper life sadists. Some of our fathers actually encouraged our passion and would watch matches with us. My 2nd ever memory of watching football was sitting down with my pops to watch Italia 90 bronze match between Italy and England and him telling me Peter Shilton is his agemate. We did not have cable then so it must have been on local TV.

Those who want to watch football in the 1990s will find way to watch it. I even watched 1995 and 1996 UCL final in boarding house. Don't ask me how. 1994 World Cup, my father bought cable especially for that tournament. I can't remember how long his subscription lasted, he probably stopped subscription within few months but I know I watched 1994 World Cup on Canal + with French commentary. I watched every single match, even had logbook of yellow cards and red cards, and my pops would even let me stay awake till 2am to watch those matches, sometimes watching with me. As for Euro 1996, I watched as many matches as possible in Shell Camp, Port Harcourt.

afrodoc2:
Chic2pimp mentioned the decade of the 90s and i was answering him for the whole decade.

And 96 to 2000 Nesta and Cannavaro were already better than Ferrara and benching him in the national team DESPITE playing for smaller teams.
Cannavaro without renown ke? In that 96-2000 period Cannavaro played about 45 times for Italy from his young Parma side while Ciro played only 14 times despite playing for dominant Juve. Nesta played about 35 times too.

We talking club football here. Italy NT wasn't shaking shyt in late 90s International football so what happened with National team doesn't resonate like the big UCL nights where Montero and Ferrara were centre stage nor the epic Serie A title fights of which 97/98 was the most epic. I also cut off at 1996 because that's when Montero arrived in Juve and when I started following European football. 5 years is a long enough period to consider and for that period, Ferrara and Montero are most definitely top 10.

I also drew comparison between Martin Keown and Iuliano because there are some defenders that gave extra solid performances year in and out and did not receive the accolades. Martin Keown was the strongest and fastest Arsenal CB, super sound positionally and very organised and vocal yet his England caps tell another story while Gareth Southgate was collecting caps upon caps. Keown did a lot of the donkey work in Arsenal defence, likewise Iuliano was the faster Juve defender and the only one over 6ft tall excluding Tachinardi who was really a DM. Iuliano did a lot of the donkey work, ate all the aerial balls, and did most of the foot races, yet his status was way lower than Ferrara and Montero. Most underrated defenders of that period would include Keown, Ronny Johnsen, Iuliano them while Ferrara and Montero would definitely be mentioned in elite top 10 category.

afrodoc2:
Maldini, Baresi, Desailly, Blanc, Vierchowood, Sammer, Kohler, Hierro, Bergomi, Cannavaro. And i am talking about quality or ability not just having a better career.

Vierchowod, Bergomi and Baresi were finished when Montero was taking off in Serie in 1996. Desailly was no patch on Montero from when Montero arrived in Italy and was chased away to Chelsea in 1998. Blanc was a disgrace at Barca during that same period (1996 to 2000) and was chased away to Marseille. Cannavaro was the equivalent of Eric Dier today during that same period as part of a young and promising Parma side, but trophyless and without renown. Hierro was conceding a lot of goals that period also.

Come to think of it, only the two Bayern boys of those you mentioned can arguably be placed above him for that period, and I can't even speak of that with authority as I wasn't following Bundesliga closely. You suppose dey mention Adams and Maldini dem sef, not these expired products.

Trust me, you cannot name top 10 respected defenders 1996 to 2000 without mentioning Ferrara and Montero.

Dedetwo:
This a response from a person whom Ahmadu Bello had called a 'willing tool". The above post bordered on comprehension or lack thereof. Igbo land is an ethnic enclave while Rwanda had been an independent nation years before the civil war. I had always believed in the saying that the taste of the pudding is in eating. Nigerians who tend to jump into any opportunity to bash Ndigbo should join hand with Ndigbo to actualize Republic of Igbo land. It is unfortunately that above poster is partially Igbo.

Dede1 are you still around? Greetings Sir!

The poster I was replying to said and I quote "No other nation has rebounded from war like the Igbo". So I gave him a nation indeed. He referred to the word Nation so I addressed him appropriately.

diggz:
Fergie use to smoke alot too right?

Nah, never. I've never seen English manager smoking on touchline.

Some European managers used to smoke cigarettes every now and then, but none smoked Cigars, and none had it in their mouth for 90 minutes like Marcello Lippi. I'm sure that nigga used to take it into dressing room at half-time and choke his players with smoke during half-time team talks

afrodoc2:
Was Ferrera also world class? Or Iuliano?

National team honours is where World Class was decided, with a little bit of media hyperbole as well. They could not hype these guys too much in Italy after already crowning Maldini and Baresi King and Costacurta Prince over at Milan. A country cannot hype all it's defenders, but make no mistake, these guys whipped Maldini, Baresi and Costacurtas âss all over the shop from 1995 to 2000. The beating they gave the Milan boys in the art of defending was worse than Mayweather vs McGregor.

I personally like Mark Iulianos style the best. Just like Martin Keown, he was as good as any defender of his time, and can give you 9/10 job every game without the accolades and International hype.