₦airaland Forum

And some folks here wanna make us think they are unserious and only social media clowns because we lost to Croatia??! Nonsense!

This is Leon. The Leon behind the player, Leon Balogun.

They will rise. They fought through hell personally and professionally to get to Russia. They will rise. The Super Eagles will rise. This is an example of the story behind our team's individual key stars. These guys are not jokers. People can ridicule them all they want because of a loss but we that know the team will stand and back them up until that fire manifests.

Go Leon... Rise.

joseph1013:
THE WITCH AND THE SUPER EAGLES
by Leon Balogun

My sister’s best friend’s mom had a best friend, and she was the witch.

She could read auras, or some crazy nonsense like that. I was 19 years old when I was told about her. I was trying to become a professional soccer player in Berlin — I didn’t have time for nonsense. But I had this issue … I was injury prone. Every year I felt like I would take one step forward and two steps back in my career because of the injuries. My sister, who is 13 years older than me and also my best friend, had an idea: The witch. Maybe witch is a bad term. I’m not sure. But she was a little spooky.

When my sister first pitched me the idea, I sort of rolled my eyes, like, Yeah … I’m sure she’ll know what’s wrong with me.

“No, Leon,” she’d say to me, “She sees things.”

“Fine, fine. Let’s give it a try.”

Let’s meet the witch.

She was a middle-aged Russian woman. She didn’t look like much of a witch, or an oracle for that matter. Her eyes walked up and down me as soon as I entered the room. My eyes darted around. She started to talk to me and my sister. It was about nothing in particular really, but I think she was studying me — my energy. Her first diagnosis was that there was an hole in my aura. I was like, Alright, well, anybody could have guessed that.

She said, “It’s on your right side.”

“The hole in my aura?”

“Yes.”

That’s where I had a scar from a bad right-shoulder injury. She had no idea about it, and she had never seen me with a shirt off … she just, felt it, I guess. Now she had my attention.

Then — and I’ll never forget this — she really blew me away.

“Four or five years ago, you lost a person very close to you, but someone who you didn’t completely know, either.”

I don’t think I said anything. She went on about how all people have someone like this in their lives, whether they know them or not. Someone who, no matter the strength of your connection, you will feel connected to — your soulmate, in a way.

She said, “Is this true, Leon?”

“Yes, my grandma.”

https://cdn.theplayerstribune.com/uploads/649ed230-d8357ae4-328f-45e1-819a-b0db084e9967.jpg?width=1000

I was amazed. I hadn’t thought about my grandma that much since she passed when I was 16 years old. But, this lady was right. My grandma’s death had a huge effect on me, and I had never even met my grandma, who lived in Nigeria. That’s the part that was wild to me. My sister didn’t know anything about my reaction to grandma’s passing. This woman, though, she saw it. She told me I had to heal my soul, my heart, before I could become the player I wanted to be.

After we left, I didn’t completely understand if my experience with her was successful. The most important thing that came out of that day was that it got me thinking about my grandma. When I got home, my mind went straight back to the day my dad told me the news.

Because I had never met her, my dad didn’t tell me right when it happened. He actually waited a few days — that’s how distant my relationship was from her. She only spoke Yoruba. So when we talked on the phone when I was little, my dad would try to translate for us. He had never taken me to Nigeria, for reasons he didn’t make clear to me, and I only ever saw photos of my grandma.

When my dad told me, he pulled me aside in our home. I have this vivid memory of the feeling — like, this terrible, terrible feeling of sadness. I crawled up the stairs, sobbing my eyes out. I cried for an hour. My mom had to come to my room and ask me what was wrong … she couldn’t understand why I was so sad, either.

I think, what I knew at a young age was that my grandma represented a part of my life that I didn’t completely understand. I was mixed race. My mom was a German, my dad Nigerian. I was different than the other kids. And I knew that my grandma, and Nigeria, had a lot do with it.

I now wanted to understand more about that part of my life. And because of a witch, I knew how important that part of me truly was.

My dad used to walk three miles every day before school when he was growing up in Nigeria. I knew this because he never let me forget it. It was one of a handful of stories he would tell me about his childhood. He moved to Germany in 1966, learned the language, got his diploma and met my mother. He was the blueprint for immigrants. He made it sound easy — being a foreigner who looked different — but I knew it wasn’t. Because even though Germany is a progressive country, there is that group of people, especially in sport, who still lurk around waiting to knock you down if you’re different.

I met one of them when I was playing U-16 in Berlin, in 2003. I had given up on my dreams of being Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho, so I was playing at center back. The other team had this huge striker. He was bad news. I played really well, and I kept him in my pocket. We were up 1–0 at halftime, and as I was walking to the locker room, the striker kicked the ball at my head. It missed me by about an inch. Woosh. I turned, and he was yelling at me. He was calling me the n-word, using other racial slurs.

Nobody did anything. There were people all around us, and nobody did anything. After the game, while we were still at the park, I told my dad about him kicking the ball at me.

“Leon, you must always be calm. You’re smarter than they are. You’re better than they are.”

Then I told him what the boy said to me. And that, for the first time in my life, was when I saw my dad lose his cool. He had this look on his face. I told him I wanted to go home because Mom said she was making a nice dinner.

“No, we have to fix something.”

https://cdn.theplayerstribune.com/uploads/cfa66c8b-72bf6182-c4ba-4886-86d6-ca82342296f3.jpg?width=1000

So we waited in the parking lot for the boy to come out with his parents. They did. And my dad let them have it.

“Hey, how can you raise your kid like this? Do you know what he said to my boy? We all come here to play football, and you lost, and that’s the game. But your son is 15 — he’s 15! — and he acts like this. I hope that you can one day fill his heart with love, instead of hate.”

Their back-and-forth went on for awhile, and the other parents weren’t very nice. But I will remember what my dad said forever: Love, instead of hate. He was very upset in that moment, but he used empathy over rage. And I began to understand, little by little, how he made being an immigrant look so easy. I think because my dad worked so hard to integrate into society in Germany, it gave me the opportunity to do the opposite and connect with my Nigerian roots.

I never supported the German national team, mostly because I thought they were arrogant and their football was boring to watch. Even in 2006, when Germany hosted and the whole country had World Cup mania — I secretly cheered for them to lose. Because I was a kid, and I was rebellious. And because, even though I felt in my mind that I was just as German as all the other kids, a lot of people didn’t see me like that.

I was always asked, “Where are you from?” Or, “How long have have you been here?”

I would think to myself sometimes, Maybe I was meant to be Nigerian.

Even after I overcame some of the injury issues I had as a teenager and began playing regular minutes in the 2. Bundesliga and Bundesliga, that thing — the part of my soul that I had been told to heal all those years ago — was still missing from my life. In 2014, I was coming to the end of my contract with Fortuna Dusseldorf. I wasn’t sure where I would go next. There was uncertainty in my life, and from time to time I would think of the witch. What did she mean, “heal my soul?”

One night in March, my phone rang. It was a Nigerian number … it was Stephen Keshi, the Nigerian National Team manager. I was sweating as soon as he introduced himself. I wanted him to say the words I had thought about for so long. He spoke for awhile about how he wasn’t totally familiar with me, but he liked how I played.

Then he said it: “I would like to invite you to be a Super Eagle.”

Those words … they meant so much to me. It meant validation for every step of my footballing journey. It meant happiness for my family. Most of all, it meant an opportunity to go to Nigeria.

And that … that was everything to me.

https://cdn.theplayerstribune.com/uploads/49bba59f-balogun_quote-card.jpg?width=1000

When I told my dad the news, he was skeptical. “Are you sure it was the coach?” he said.

And he had a point. I don’t want to speak poorly about the people of Nigeria, but there are some that are real scam artists. They spoil our name. I think that was a part of why my dad never took me back there.

“Yes, Dad, it was the coach. I even listened to his voice on YouTube right after to make sure it was him!”

He warned me about some of the things I could encounter in Nigeria. It wasn’t quite the celebratory phone call I had played out in my head, but that was my dad, always preparing me. But he was proud, I could hear that in his voice. I knew, as much as I understood about myself, about my father, I would learn even more on this trip.

My first impression of Nigeria was probably same as that of any person who has lived in Germany his whole life: Man, it’s hot — heat like I’ve never experienced. I flew down with Anthony Ujah, a striker playing for Koln at the time. He helped me prepare for the trip a bit, too. Tips on what to do, how to act, all that stuff. When we stepped off the plane — the craziest thing was that people knew who I was. Some smiled and asked for photos. I couldn’t believe it. Just as I knew that in Germany I would always be seen as black, I assumed that in Nigeria I’d be seen as another white guy on a business trip. But they knew me, they were happy for me. Maybe I was meant to be Nigerian.

We landed in Abuja, the capital city. We were there for a few days before training started. When we drove to practice that first day, I was listening to music, headphones in. “Nobody Knows” by August Alsina was playing. I like that song because, as somebody with a little fame, people sometimes seem to forget that I go through things, too. As I was listening, I saw a boy on a skateboard on the street. He had a disability. He had to sit on the board and use his hands to get around — something you would never see in Germany. And I just started to cry. I think, because I had seen some of the poverty in the city — in this beautiful city, with wonderful people — that it just sort of put things into perspective for me. It made understand how fortunate I was to grow up in one of the world’s greatest countries, to have the family I did. It was a humbling few days, and that boy’s problems made mine seem so inconsequential.

https://cdn.theplayerstribune.com/uploads/5927726e-gettyimages-966588870.jpg?width=1000

It was a such an important trip for me, such a great trip. I felt a sense of … healing. I felt like I was connecting with a part of me that had been lost — or better yet, never truly found — a long time ago. I love Nigerian food; I love the culture. Everyone is always playing music, laughing … trying to have the best time. I felt at home. And I understood that I could have two homes.

I want to make both of them proud in Russia at the World Cup. Because Germany gave me this opportunity to have success with Nigeria. It is my footballing heritage. I get that. But when I wear that Super Eagles kit … it feels so good. And when we beat Zambia in October 2017 to punch our ticket to Russia, it felt amazing. I remember the final whistle, our stadium in Uyo erupting. I fell to my knees in tears. John Obi Mikel, our captain, came up to me.

“No, no, you don’t get to cry. You don’t get to cry. We’re going to Russia!”

We’re going to Russia. It still feels surreal to say. I just can’t wait.

I know when we get there and I hear the national anthem, I’ll feel that much closer to my family, to my two homes, to my grandma.

And that, more than anything, is going to make the World Cup incredible.

https://storage.googleapis.com/www-theplayerstribune-com/uploads/8b8afc99-leon-balogun-signature-black.png
Leon Balogun
NIGERIA

Source: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/leon-balogun-nigeria?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=worldcup18&utm_term=Balogun

MetalJigsaw:
You're comparing our result to that of Spain, Argentina and Brazil. How did the Croatian team play?


Argentina played against an Iceland that were not ready to come out. They were fine with a draw- Parked the bus.

How can you campare Croatia with a Portugal that has a blazing Cristiano Ronaldo who single handedly snatched a point from spain??

Craotia were just average at best. They were there for the taking but our coach implemented a very wrong tacic despite failing with it on several occasions.

The tactics we used made Croatia average.

forgiveness:
Is that not how you decribed what Mitrovich did?



Is this not my reply. Take note of 'if'.

You didnt watch the match so just move on oga. Must you argue everything?

You are correct. We matched the Croatians tactically reducing their normal whirlwind effectiveness. Their midfield could do us no much damage. Uzoho was rarely tested. We lost because of two errors from set-pieces and also because we did not carry enough bite upfront. But this will change hopefully come Friday.

Someone was like, "Messi could not lead his side to victory against Iceland. C.Ronaldo at the Euros also could not lead his side to victory against Iceland. Is it now the Super Eagles that wanna defeat Iceland?"

I only responded to him, "Anything is possible my friend. This is why this is called the beautiful game."

Time will tell

forgiveness:
The tactics we used made Croatia average.

forgiveness:
The tactics we used made Croatia average.

Are you serious!? How?

Joebie:
Rohr to tweak Eagles’ formation against Iceland
By Ayo Olu Ibidapo - June 17, 2018 1919 0

https://aoifootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WhatsApp-Image-2018-06-16-at-20.29.16.jpeg

Super Eagles’ Coach Gernot Rohr intends to respond to his team’s 2-0 loss to a superior Croatian side as latest reports from the camp of the Eagles indicate he will tweak their formation and playing personnel against Iceland.

Reports gathered by AOIFootball.com’s correspondent who is in Russia show that the Franco-German tactician will pull the strings and rest some of the players he has kept faith with since the World Cup qualifiers and the friendly matches.

Players like Simeon Nwankwo may be given the nod over Odion Ighalo who has been Rohr’s preferred choice in the striking role, and the manager may also rest captain Mikel John Obi and give either John Ogu or Joel Obi the chance to pair with the duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Oghenekaro Etebo. Ogenyi Onazi may also be given a look- in.

One of Ahmed Musa or Kelechi Iheanacho may also be picked to start ahead of Victor Moses who is yet to find his rhythm in the past 3 games he has featured for the team.

Abdullahi Shehu and Bryan Idowu may keep their places but will be under pressure as Tyronne Ebuehi and Elderson Echiejile are breathing down their necks to return to the starting lineup.

AoiFootball

Rohr is confused. Salisu is not helping matters.

If this news is true. Then the man is clueless.

He is hell bent on the 4-2-3-1. You are playing Moses an inverted winger on the right side of his strongest foot. Moses is a poor crosser yet baba want him to play and cross in... He couldn't swap position this time around because of the absence of S. Moses and presence of Shehu who needs a more solid cover up which Iwobi can not provide.

He knows he only has the chance of making 3 subs yet he couldn't take the advantage of starting a more versatile midfield that can make you transist and tweak things easily. Ogu wouldn't have been a bad choice in the last encounter. A smart coach would have started him alongside Ndidi.

All he would have needed to do to reverse to 3-5-2 was to sub an ineffective Ighalo for Kelechi and shehu for Ebuehi. Then have Ogu drop to the back. Mikel further deep as CM while Moses plays LCF AND Nacho RCF with Iwobi playing behind the duo... With an opportunity to make sub later on. Either to secure the game or to reinforce the attack.

But here he is according to the news planning to start Onazi and Joel. Dropping Moses for Musa that can't cross and Mikel for Joel.

We are in big trouble.

adetoya234:
Currently rooting for Iceland and Argentina.

Just one loss you are already rooting for Iceland & Argentina? You are taking fickleness to a whole new level. Oya pledge your full support for your country or we bundle you out of this thread.

Look, AIG, try to relax your muscles and keep your countenance calm. I don't give a damn about any reports right now because all will just be speculative to keep their sites moving with news. None of them know and can ever know what our exact next step or lineup will look like after that first loss. They can only keep guessing.

I don't and will not take any reports seriously. I will only wait till June 22. I am only interested in what the players and coach are saying right now. It is their psychology that concerns me and not these speculative hogwashes.

AIG07:
Rohr is confused. Salisu is not helping matters.

If this news is true. Then the man is clueless.

He is hell bent on the 4-2-3-1. You are playing Moses an inverted winger on the right side of his strongest foot. Moses is a poor crosser yet baba want him to play and cross in... He couldn't swap position this time around because of the absence of S. Moses and presence of Shehu who needs a more solid cover up which Iwobi can not provide.

He knows he only has the chance of making 3 subs yet he couldn't take the advantage of starting a more versatile midfield that can make you transist and tweak things easily. Ogu wouldn't have been a bad choice in the last encounter. A smart coach would have started him alongside Ndidi.

All he would have needed to do to reverse to 3-5-2 was to sub an ineffective Ighalo for Kelechi and shehu for Ebuehi. Then have Ogu drop to the back. Mikel further deep as CM while Moses plays LCF AND Nacho RCF with Iwobi playing behind the duo... With an opportunity to make sub later on. Either to secure the game or to reinforce the attack.

But here he is according to the news planning to start Onazi and Joel. Dropping Moses for Musa that can't cross and Mikel for Joel.

We are in big trouble.

nextlevel2222:
What are you talking about Mr? Those countries you mentioned played with urgency, determination, Never-die-spirit attitude. We are not saying we should not lose but GALLANTLY. Either we will loose with 3-5-2 or not it shld be used since previous tactics is failing us. I want see same formation against Argentina in friendly game. Why is it difficult for Rohr to see that? Why is he stubborn? Why he want to waste all the resources spent on them to give them good preparations for the world cup. NFF and Nigerians gave him all the necessary supports he needed. When it was obvious is not performing up to expectation in friendlies, many Nigerians still believe in him that he will deliver by saying he is hidden tactics and all that which I didnt believe. Is this how he want to pay us?
Now he said we will play to get 4 points. Imagine A Coach Plannng On Playing For Four Points. How Will Four Points Help Nigeria? Instead Of Going For 6points, He's Confidently Going For Four Points. Rohr is being worried by mediocrity. Why not six point? He has resigned to fate that he cannot beat both Iceland and Argentina. What gave him the courage that with four points that Nigeria will go through? So 4 points is the target now out of available 6 points. When Rohr has lowered his expectation on the team, who am I to raise my hope high again. With this statement mediocre performance is guaranteed. Failure mentality always overwhelm him. Nigerians dnt give up easily even in our daily life, we work with determination, Never die attitude to be successful even if we are not the best. Why Rohr, why are you transferring your impossibility to our player? Why are you doing this to us? The players will paraded can do us proud if the coach is technical. We can see some tiki-taka with the way they played. Rohr is getting it wrong big time.
Rohr and Salisu can be called dump, Stupid, Foolish if they dnt do what they are suppose to do to get the results. Even at work our boss will call us these names if we are not doing the right thing because he is paying us. It's glaring Rohr dnt know anything. If you know, you know.

Rohr is very much aware of the 352 formation. he has his reasons for not using it. There is a reason most teams are not using it

TheSuperNerd:
And some folks here wanna make us think they are unserious and only social media clowns because we lost to Croatia??! Nonsense!

This is Leon. The Leon behind the player, Leon Balogun.

They will rise. They fought through hell personally and professionally to get to Russia. They will rise. The Super Eagles will rise. This is an example of the story behind our team's individual key stars. These guys are not jokers. People can ridicule them all they want because of a loss but we that know the team will stand and back them up until that fire manifests.

Go Leon... Rise.

You are just displaying sentiments.... So the Croatia or Iceland or Argentine players didn't go through hell before getting to the World Cup.

Games are won on the pitch not by what you have been through or how you feel or how much you pray or sing or dance. I'm dealing a wider issue here. If you know you know. If you don't you don't.

You are the one spitting nonsense here and allowing sentiment becloud your judgement.

If it is by sentiment then the world cup belongs to Portugal or Argentina, cos of Cr7 and Messi, the GOATS.

Joebie:
Rohr to tweak Eagles’ formation against Iceland
By Ayo Olu Ibidapo - June 17, 2018 1919 0

https://aoifootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WhatsApp-Image-2018-06-16-at-20.29.16.jpeg

Super Eagles’ Coach Gernot Rohr intends to respond to his team’s 2-0 loss to a superior Croatian side as latest reports from the camp of the Eagles indicate he will tweak their formation and playing personnel against Iceland.

Reports gathered by AOIFootball.com’s correspondent who is in Russia show that the Franco-German tactician will pull the strings and rest some of the players he has kept faith with since the World Cup qualifiers and the friendly matches.

Players like Simeon Nwankwo may be given the nod over Odion Ighalo who has been Rohr’s preferred choice in the striking role, and the manager may also rest captain Mikel John Obi and give either John Ogu or Joel Obi the chance to pair with the duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Oghenekaro Etebo. Ogenyi Onazi may also be given a look- in.

One of Ahmed Musa or Kelechi Iheanacho may also be picked to start ahead of Victor Moses who is yet to find his rhythm in the past 3 games he has featured for the team.

Abdullahi Shehu and Bryan Idowu may keep their places but will be under pressure as Tyronne Ebuehi and Elderson Echiejile are breathing down their necks to return to the starting lineup.

AoiFootball

Simy and Ogu or Joel should start.

Rohr should work out ways to score through set pieces.

Ebuehi should start too.


............................ Uzoho

.............Balogun.........Ekong............ Omeruo.......

....Ebuehi ........... Ndidi.............Ogu........... Brian..

.......................................Etebo ..............

.................Victor............................ Simy.


Or

4-2-1-3

.....….................Uzoho.........

Ebuehi........... Balogun...... Ekong........ Brain......

........................Ndidi............ Ogu......

...................................Etebo..........

.. Victor.................... Simy................... Ahmed......

Shukusheka:
Just one loss you are already rooting for Iceland & Argentina? You are taking fickleness to a whole new level. Oya pledge your full support for your country or we bundle you out of this thread.

I placed a bet on super chickens winning on Saturday and I lost a huge sum. I have every reason to castigate those chickens and their coach.

somehow:
You didnt watch the match so just move on oga. Must you argue everything?

Did i claim I watched the match?

I responded according to the tenor of your comment. So, I don't need to see the match since I didn't go outside of what you said.

MetalJigsaw:
You're comparing our result to that of Spain, Argentina and Brazil. How did the Croatian team play?


Argentina played against an Iceland that were not ready to come out. They were fine with a draw- Parked the bus.

How can you campare Croatia with a Portugal that has a blazing Cristiano Ronaldo who single handedly snatched a point from spain??

Craotia were just average at best. They were there for the taking but our coach implemented a very wrong tacic despite failing with it on several occasions.

i am saying it is difficult for even very good teams known to score to get goals at this tournament. we did not make it easy against Croatia, Croatia did not create clear cut chances except for one. we lost due to errors on a lucky day we could have drawn that match.

forgiveness:
Did i claim I watched the match?

I responded according to the tenor of your comment. So, I don't need see the match since I didn't go outside of what you said.

I said Ighalo doesnt do what Mitrovich did in the match against Serbia playing as a lone striker and you said Ighalo did all that Mitrovich did. So please what are all the things mitrovich?

eterisan:
You are just displaying sentiments.... So the Croatia or Iceland or Argentine players didn't go through hell before getting to the World Cup.

Games are won on the pitch not by what you have been through or how you feel or how much you pray or sing or dance. I'm dealing a wider issue here. If you know you know. If you don't you don't.

You are the one spitting nonsense here and allowing sentiment becloud your judgement.

If it is by sentiment then the world cup belongs to Portugal or Argentina, cos of Cr7 and Messi, the GOATS.

Lol.... So the post hit your nerves...ehyeeeaa.. Sorry okay. Keep ridiculing the team aiit... Sentiments indeed. Hahahahahahahhaa... Abeg #SoarSuperEagles.. We never say never.


This world cup is not only a test for the team but for the fans and most are already failing that test... Shows we only had more fans because we were soaring thru the qualifiers... In good times and bad times, I stand with this team.. That is the hallmark of a true fan.

After all, you all do same with your wobbling and fumbling European clubsides when they perform woefully.

So excuse me and let me focus on a team that matters... #MySuperEagles.

It is not over just yet Boys... I know you will find your wind.

TheSuperNerd:
And some folks here wanna make us think they are unserious and only social media clowns because we lost to Croatia??! Nonsense!

This is Leon. The Leon behind the player, Leon Balogun.

They will rise. They fought through hell personally and professionally to get to Russia. They will rise. The Super Eagles will rise. This is an example of the story behind our team's individual key stars. These guys are not jokers. People can ridicule them all they want because of a loss but we that know the team will stand and back them up until that fire manifests.

Go Leon... Rise.

They will rise??! Make DeM rise make we see na. They deserve to be mocked. Five games without a win... With just two goals.

They fought through 'hell'? lol... Then we too fought through heartbreak, disappointment and HBP!

MetalJigsaw:
They will rise??! Make DWM rise make we see na. They deserve to be mocked. Five games without a win... With just two goals.

They fought through 'hell'? lol... Then we see fight though heartbreak, disappointment and HBP.

Lol... Then you also deserve not to be taken seriously. Look at them... Fickle fans.

How am I even sure you aren't drunk again and saying this? Hahahahahahahahahaahahhaha....

joseph1013:
THE WITCH AND THE SUPER EAGLES
by Leon Balogun

My sister’s best friend’s mom had a best friend, and she was the witch.

She could read auras, or some crazy nonsense like that. I was 19 years old when I was told about her. I was trying to become a professional soccer player in Berlin — I didn’t have time for nonsense. But I had this issue … I was injury prone. Every year I felt like I would take one step forward and two steps back in my career because of the injuries. My sister, who is 13 years older than me and also my best friend, had an idea: The witch. Maybe witch is a bad term. I’m not sure. But she was a little spooky.

When my sister first pitched me the idea, I sort of rolled my eyes, like, Yeah … I’m sure she’ll know what’s wrong with me.

“No, Leon,” she’d say to me, “She sees things.”

“Fine, fine. Let’s give it a try.”

Let’s meet the witch.

She was a middle-aged Russian woman. She didn’t look like much of a witch, or an oracle for that matter. Her eyes walked up and down me as soon as I entered the room. My eyes darted around. She started to talk to me and my sister. It was about nothing in particular really, but I think she was studying me — my energy. Her first diagnosis was that there was an hole in my aura. I was like, Alright, well, anybody could have guessed that.

She said, “It’s on your right side.”

“The hole in my aura?”

“Yes.”

That’s where I had a scar from a bad right-shoulder injury. She had no idea about it, and she had never seen me with a shirt off … she just, felt it, I guess. Now she had my attention.

Then — and I’ll never forget this — she really blew me away.

“Four or five years ago, you lost a person very close to you, but someone who you didn’t completely know, either.”

I don’t think I said anything. She went on about how all people have someone like this in their lives, whether they know them or not. Someone who, no matter the strength of your connection, you will feel connected to — your soulmate, in a way.

She said, “Is this true, Leon?”

“Yes, my grandma.”

https://cdn.theplayerstribune.com/uploads/649ed230-d8357ae4-328f-45e1-819a-b0db084e9967.jpg?width=1000

I was amazed. I hadn’t thought about my grandma that much since she passed when I was 16 years old. But, this lady was right. My grandma’s death had a huge effect on me, and I had never even met my grandma, who lived in Nigeria. That’s the part that was wild to me. My sister didn’t know anything about my reaction to grandma’s passing. This woman, though, she saw it. She told me I had to heal my soul, my heart, before I could become the player I wanted to be.

After we left, I didn’t completely understand if my experience with her was successful. The most important thing that came out of that day was that it got me thinking about my grandma. When I got home, my mind went straight back to the day my dad told me the news.

Because I had never met her, my dad didn’t tell me right when it happened. He actually waited a few days — that’s how distant my relationship was from her. She only spoke Yoruba. So when we talked on the phone when I was little, my dad would try to translate for us. He had never taken me to Nigeria, for reasons he didn’t make clear to me, and I only ever saw photos of my grandma.

When my dad told me, he pulled me aside in our home. I have this vivid memory of the feeling — like, this terrible, terrible feeling of sadness. I crawled up the stairs, sobbing my eyes out. I cried for an hour. My mom had to come to my room and ask me what was wrong … she couldn’t understand why I was so sad, either.

I think, what I knew at a young age was that my grandma represented a part of my life that I didn’t completely understand. I was mixed race. My mom was a German, my dad Nigerian. I was different than the other kids. And I knew that my grandma, and Nigeria, had a lot do with it.

I now wanted to understand more about that part of my life. And because of a witch, I knew how important that part of me truly was.

My dad used to walk three miles every day before school when he was growing up in Nigeria. I knew this because he never let me forget it. It was one of a handful of stories he would tell me about his childhood. He moved to Germany in 1966, learned the language, got his diploma and met my mother. He was the blueprint for immigrants. He made it sound easy — being a foreigner who looked different — but I knew it wasn’t. Because even though Germany is a progressive country, there is that group of people, especially in sport, who still lurk around waiting to knock you down if you’re different.

I met one of them when I was playing U-16 in Berlin, in 2003. I had given up on my dreams of being Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho, so I was playing at center back. The other team had this huge striker. He was bad news. I played really well, and I kept him in my pocket. We were up 1–0 at halftime, and as I was walking to the locker room, the striker kicked the ball at my head. It missed me by about an inch. Woosh. I turned, and he was yelling at me. He was calling me the n-word, using other racial slurs.

Nobody did anything. There were people all around us, and nobody did anything. After the game, while we were still at the park, I told my dad about him kicking the ball at me.

“Leon, you must always be calm. You’re smarter than they are. You’re better than they are.”

Then I told him what the boy said to me. And that, for the first time in my life, was when I saw my dad lose his cool. He had this look on his face. I told him I wanted to go home because Mom said she was making a nice dinner.

“No, we have to fix something.”

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So we waited in the parking lot for the boy to come out with his parents. They did. And my dad let them have it.

“Hey, how can you raise your kid like this? Do you know what he said to my boy? We all come here to play football, and you lost, and that’s the game. But your son is 15 — he’s 15! — and he acts like this. I hope that you can one day fill his heart with love, instead of hate.”

Their back-and-forth went on for awhile, and the other parents weren’t very nice. But I will remember what my dad said forever: Love, instead of hate. He was very upset in that moment, but he used empathy over rage. And I began to understand, little by little, how he made being an immigrant look so easy. I think because my dad worked so hard to integrate into society in Germany, it gave me the opportunity to do the opposite and connect with my Nigerian roots.

I never supported the German national team, mostly because I thought they were arrogant and their football was boring to watch. Even in 2006, when Germany hosted and the whole country had World Cup mania — I secretly cheered for them to lose. Because I was a kid, and I was rebellious. And because, even though I felt in my mind that I was just as German as all the other kids, a lot of people didn’t see me like that.

I was always asked, “Where are you from?” Or, “How long have have you been here?”

I would think to myself sometimes, Maybe I was meant to be Nigerian.

Even after I overcame some of the injury issues I had as a teenager and began playing regular minutes in the 2. Bundesliga and Bundesliga, that thing — the part of my soul that I had been told to heal all those years ago — was still missing from my life. In 2014, I was coming to the end of my contract with Fortuna Dusseldorf. I wasn’t sure where I would go next. There was uncertainty in my life, and from time to time I would think of the witch. What did she mean, “heal my soul?”

One night in March, my phone rang. It was a Nigerian number … it was Stephen Keshi, the Nigerian National Team manager. I was sweating as soon as he introduced himself. I wanted him to say the words I had thought about for so long. He spoke for awhile about how he wasn’t totally familiar with me, but he liked how I played.

Then he said it: “I would like to invite you to be a Super Eagle.”

Those words … they meant so much to me. It meant validation for every step of my footballing journey. It meant happiness for my family. Most of all, it meant an opportunity to go to Nigeria.

And that … that was everything to me.

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When I told my dad the news, he was skeptical. “Are you sure it was the coach?” he said.

And he had a point. I don’t want to speak poorly about the people of Nigeria, but there are some that are real scam artists. They spoil our name. I think that was a part of why my dad never took me back there.

“Yes, Dad, it was the coach. I even listened to his voice on YouTube right after to make sure it was him!”

He warned me about some of the things I could encounter in Nigeria. It wasn’t quite the celebratory phone call I had played out in my head, but that was my dad, always preparing me. But he was proud, I could hear that in his voice. I knew, as much as I understood about myself, about my father, I would learn even more on this trip.

My first impression of Nigeria was probably same as that of any person who has lived in Germany his whole life: Man, it’s hot — heat like I’ve never experienced. I flew down with Anthony Ujah, a striker playing for Koln at the time. He helped me prepare for the trip a bit, too. Tips on what to do, how to act, all that stuff. When we stepped off the plane — the craziest thing was that people knew who I was. Some smiled and asked for photos. I couldn’t believe it. Just as I knew that in Germany I would always be seen as black, I assumed that in Nigeria I’d be seen as another white guy on a business trip. But they knew me, they were happy for me. Maybe I was meant to be Nigerian.

We landed in Abuja, the capital city. We were there for a few days before training started. When we drove to practice that first day, I was listening to music, headphones in. “Nobody Knows” by August Alsina was playing. I like that song because, as somebody with a little fame, people sometimes seem to forget that I go through things, too. As I was listening, I saw a boy on a skateboard on the street. He had a disability. He had to sit on the board and use his hands to get around — something you would never see in Germany. And I just started to cry. I think, because I had seen some of the poverty in the city — in this beautiful city, with wonderful people — that it just sort of put things into perspective for me. It made understand how fortunate I was to grow up in one of the world’s greatest countries, to have the family I did. It was a humbling few days, and that boy’s problems made mine seem so inconsequential.

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It was a such an important trip for me, such a great trip. I felt a sense of … healing. I felt like I was connecting with a part of me that had been lost — or better yet, never truly found — a long time ago. I love Nigerian food; I love the culture. Everyone is always playing music, laughing … trying to have the best time. I felt at home. And I understood that I could have two homes.

I want to make both of them proud in Russia at the World Cup. Because Germany gave me this opportunity to have success with Nigeria. It is my footballing heritage. I get that. But when I wear that Super Eagles kit … it feels so good. And when we beat Zambia in October 2017 to punch our ticket to Russia, it felt amazing. I remember the final whistle, our stadium in Uyo erupting. I fell to my knees in tears. John Obi Mikel, our captain, came up to me.

“No, no, you don’t get to cry. You don’t get to cry. We’re going to Russia!”

We’re going to Russia. It still feels surreal to say. I just can’t wait.

I know when we get there and I hear the national anthem, I’ll feel that much closer to my family, to my two homes, to my grandma.

And that, more than anything, is going to make the World Cup incredible.

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Leon Balogun
NIGERIA

Source: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/leon-balogun-nigeria?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=worldcup18&utm_term=Balogun

This is a world class piece. Almost brought tears to my eyes. I can totally see his life being made a movie.

TheSuperNerd:
Lol.... So the post hit your nerves...ehyeeeaa.. Sorry okay. Keep ridiculing the team aiit... Sentiments indeed. Hahahahahahahhaa... Abeg #SoarSuperEagles.. We never say never.


This world cup is not only a test for the team but for the fans and most are already failing that test... Shows we only had more fans because we were soaring thru the qualifiers... In good times and bad times, I stand with this team.. That is the hallmark of a true fan.

After all, you all do same with your wobbling and fumbling European clubsides when they perform woefully.

So excuse me and let me focus on a team that matters... #MySuperEagles.

It is not over just yet Boys... I know you will find your wind.

God bless you. I don't understand which kind of fans super eagles have at all.

TheSuperNerd:
You are correct. We matched the Croatians tactically reducing their normal whirlwind effectiveness. Their midfield could do us no much damage. Uzoho was rarely tested. We lost because of two errors from set-pieces and also because we did not carry enough bite upfront. But this will change hopefully come Friday.

Someone was like, "Messi could not lead his side to victory against Iceland. C.Ronaldo at the Euros also could not lead his side to victory against Iceland. Is it now the Super Eagles that wanna defeat Iceland?"

I only responded to him, "Anything is possible my friend. This is why this is called the beautiful game."

Time will tell

Thank God you saw exactly what happened in that match. Most analysis were surprised the Croats couldn't dominate the game in the midfield before the mistake.

Even after the mistake, dem still park bus.

Anyway, they never allowed us to play our counter attack Football by placing all their players behind the back and unfortunately Iwobi 's wing was on vacation while Mikel didn't support Ighalo hence our lack of bite upfront.

Hopefully, we organize ourselve against Iceland and focus on getting a goal through setpieces because Iceland will park the bus and rely on counter attack if we open space.

Mehn people are emotional oh, just one loss and panick has taken over. I would have died if I was like some of you.

MetalJigsaw:
Are you serious!? How?

We neutralized their midfield with two DMF and rendered their wingers impotent by defending with two players.

Those two areas are the Croats strength.

eterisan:
You are just displaying sentiments.... So the Croatia or Iceland or Argentine players didn't go through hell before getting to the World Cup.

Games are won on the pitch not by what you have been through or how you feel or how much you pray or sing or dance. I'm dealing a wider issue here. If you know you know. If you don't you don't.

You are the one spitting nonsense here and allowing sentiment becloud your judgement.

If it is by sentiment then the world cup belongs to Portugal or Argentina, cos of Cr7 and Messi, the GOATS.

Just imagine that silly statement " they have gone through hell"...

Dis others jump automatically into the World cup? nonsense

forgiveness:
We neutralized their midfield with two DMF and rendered their wingers impotent by defending with two players.

Those two areas are the Croats strength.

Thank God you have no influence on the team

Oasis007:


I do not aim to taunt you, but you suggested the Duo of Ndidi and Etebo to form a defensive midfield Pivot and Mikel as an AM against the Croats - yet you keep blaming Rohr for the Loss.

If you are in charge, what would you have done Difference if I may ask pls?! Tweaking the Formation or changing the Personnel?!

LMAO... Bhuuuhahaha!

Chaiiiiiiiiiiiii! Fearing God yiooooooo!

MetalJigsaw:
Thank God you have no influence on the team

Rohr also confirmed it. Wetin concern me with influence.

Humility017:
I will tweak the formation....later from 60 mins should there be no goals....
I will use simmy or nancho instead of Ighalo....

You are comfortable with Mikel as an AM instead of Iwobi?! Shehu and Ighalo also to start the Match, though I guess in your favored 3 - 5 - 2 Formation?

Where are you gonna play Moses? Iwobi....??!

One disheartening statistics I just noticed tho..

The Nigeria super eagles have never recovered from a loss, and go on to win the next match after loosing the previous game in the world cup

I hope will break this terrible record.. Amen

Spot on... And on Iwobi's wing being on vacation that is why most of our attack from the flanks were incoming via Moses' wing and he needed his fullback to support him and this is where I fault Shehu's offensive timidity. He is not inventive or adventurous upfront.

Defensively, I cannot fault Shehu. He put every foot right defensively save for only when Perisic got in behind once. Just once. But Shehu was good defensively and also had Moses supporting him defensively but when it was time to return the favor offensively, he became a wimp. Always too afraid to venture into those spaces Moses created with his movement down that right to enable Shehu charge in and collect a pass for a cross.

In all, we could have done better as a team. Those two mistakes cost us. If not for them, we would be talking about a draw now.

forgiveness:
Thank God you saw exactly what happened in that match. Most analysis were surprised the Croats couldn't dominate the game in the midfield before the mistake.

Even after the mistake, dem still park bus.

Anyway, they never allowed us to play our counter attack Football by placing all their players behind the back and unfortunately Iwobi 's wing was on vacation while Mikel didn't support Ighalo hence our lack of bite upfront.

Hopefully, we organize ourselve against Iceland and focus on getting a goal through setpieces because Iceland will park the bus and rely on counter attack if we open space.

Look don't mind metaljigsaw... He is so clueless as to how we executed that game. Probably must be the booze again.

In truth, Egbon , it is not just about what Rohr said. We ourselves that saw that game can confirm it. I mean those of us that can actually analyse and not some that love to rant because of just a loss while ignoring every other detail.

forgiveness:
Rohr also confirmed it. Wetin concern me with influence.

Oasis007:


You are comfortable with Mikel as an AM instead of Iwobi?! Shehu and Ighalo also to start the Match, though I guess in your favored 3 - 5 - 2 Formation?

Where are you gonna play Moses? Iwobi....??!

mikel in the AM role...depends...I can as well sub him for etebo if there be need for more fluidity in the midfield.....and introduce ogu to take etebo place in the CM role...

Ighalo will be removed for nancho who spear head the attack with nancho....


Moses play the wing back role...on the left and ebuehi play the wing back role from the right.......

achieving results with the super eagles calls for flexibility