“RUSPA”
(The Kid Who Never Gave Up)

Riccardo Calafiori was only 6 years old when he was scouted by Roma because of his exceptional ability and physique.

He was nicknamed “Ruspa” which means “The Bulldozer” by his father because of his playing style at the age of 9 joined the Roma Academy and at the age of 16 signed his first professional contract with Roma.

Just when he thought he had achieved his dream, it turned into a freaking nightmare!!!!

“DON’T STOP DREAMING BECAUSE YOU HAD A NIGHTMARE”
#OdogwuTales In October 2018, after he had just won the Italian Youth Cup with the Roma Under-17s, they were to face Viktoria Pozen who was visiting Rome for the UEFA Youth League match.

The match was evenly poised at 3-3 late in the second half, Calafiori was with the ball when he was tackled by a Viktoria Pozen player with a high boot on his knee immediately injuring him, leaving him in severe pain!!!

He suffered what was termed, a “Once In A Decade” injury and had to be stretched out. An injury that had first-team Roma players in shock!!!

“PAIN IS INEVITABLE, SUFFERING IS OPTIONAL”

“THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS”
(Kweku The Traveler)

Inaki Williams, the elder brother of Spanish wing sensation and Euros 2024 winner, Nico Williams had just turned 20 when he asked his mum, “How did we come to Spain?”

His mum told him, “Sit down, I think you’re ready to hear the story of papa and me now.”

For years, nobody knew that side of Inaki Williams who was now an Athletic Bilbao star with his brother, and his parents refused to tell him the story until he turned 20.

His parents, Maria and Felix left Ghana shortly after they got married, they crossed the Sahara desert without food or water.

“EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL, BE WILLING TO HEAR IT BEFORE JUDGING”
RT!
#OdogwuTales They were being smuggled into Spain so they had to be light as ever, with no luggage, they walked barefoot across the Sahara desert sand of about 40-50 degrees hot.

Many couldn't make it and to make matters worse, Maria discovered she was pregnant with Inaki Williams.

You can imagine a pregnant woman trekking barefooted through the Sahara Desert for days without food and water.

They finally got to Spain, she had to climb the fence into Melilla, Spain’s north African enclave, and immediately got arrested together with her husband, Felix.

“TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO”

“DIBU”
(Just Wait!!!)

As a child, he would watch his father cry because he couldn't pay their bills. He would see his parents starve so he and his brother could have something to eat.

Emi Martinez was playing for Independiente and was living in Buenos Aires and could only see his parents twice a month because they couldn't afford to come to see him play always.

Martinez didn't just see football as his passion, he saw it as an escape route from poverty for himself and his family.

“POVERTY IS A GREAT MOTIVATING FACTOR”
#OdogwuTales He was only 16 when Arsenal invited him to come for a trial and when he got a call a week later from the Gunners offering him a place at the Emirates, his mother and brother were crying, begging him not to go but when he remembered his father crying, he said “Yes for them” because it wasn't easy for him.

He was alone in a new country where he had to learn a new language as he couldn't speak English and an entirely new culture as a 16-year-old!!!

“SOMETIMES THE HARDEST DECISIONS AND THE RIGHT DECISIONS ARE THE SAME”

“TRANSFER FEES VS PLAYER SALARIES”
(How Do They Affect A Club’s Finance)

Yesterday, transfer guru David Ornstein @David_Ornstein broke the news that Chelsea was pulling out of the Olise deal as the player's wage demands made the deal very expensive.

This is news that divided the Chelsea fanbase as many believed the club owners should have done everything to bring in Olise even if it meant disrupting the wage structure at Chelsea.

They felt if they could spend millions on transfer fees, why couldn't they just pay Olise whatever he wanted?

I think I can tell them why, follow me closely, and retweet. - What Are TRANSFER FEES & How Does It Affect A Club’s Finance?

Transfer fees are ONE-TIME expenditures that can also be paid off in installments via “amortization” like what Chelsea has done with Enzo, Mudryk, and Caicedo's transfer fees.

The transfer fees are divided by the number of years the player signed, for example, sign a player for 100M and give him a 5-year deal. With amortization, you divide it by 5 years, meaning each year you pay 20M.

This reduces the financial burden on the club.

“MOLA”
(The Stubborn Football Journey Man)

The name on everyone's lips since yesterday night is “Ademola Lookman” and to many the journey to stardom started in southeast London, Peckham but that's not true.

This is another Naija “Japa Story” when Ademola Lookman's parents who were both Nigerians decided to leave the shores of Nigeria for greener pastures, and at this time, Lookman had two older sisters who were born in Nigeria as he was the only one born in Peckham, London.

Everyone has a story, let's tell Ademola Lookman’s Story.

#OdogwuTales His father and one of his sisters were in Nigeria while he, one of his sisters, and his mum were in London.

His mum had to do all sorts of jobs, cleaning jobs, diner lady jobs, and anything she could get her hands on to put food on the table and clothes over Ademola and his sister but that wasn't even enough.

There were times when they didn't have food at home and Ademola would eat at his friend's place before coming home because he didn't want to ask his mother for food knowing how hard she was working.

“JUST TRY YOUR BEST, THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS”

“ACL WAHALA”
(Should I Do Surgery Or Not?)

Now ACL injury is the COMMONEST knee injury seen in individuals not just athletes and it’s one you simply can’t just stamp your feet on the floor twice and it’s gone.

Now, Sven Botman had a partial ACL tear and he was advised to go for surgery which isn’t a must(I will explain further) but he choose rehab and after a few months of rehab, came back and tore it completely, this time requiring surgery.

So What Went Wrong? Now the ACL is a tough, flexible band that connects the thigh bone(femur) to the shinbone(tibia).

Athletes who participate in high demand sports like football, basketball and soccer are more likely to injure their ACL.

ACL injuries can come in two forms, one a SPRAIN and the other a TEAR, and they come in different grades and this is what would determine if you would have just rehabilitation or surgery.

“MKPEBI”
(Disability Is Just Different Ability)

He wasn't born crippled but suffered paralysis of both legs after an illness and treatment that left him paralyzed from the waist down and left him bound to a wheelchair.

Even though he was crippled, he never wanted anyone to pity him because he believed disability was just a thing of the mind.

“DON’T LET THE MIND LIMIT WHAT AN ABLE HEART CAN DO.” He was constantly reminded of his condition by people and coming from a very poor background didn't help either but he found solace in music.

He always wanted to do music full-time because he believed he had the gift of music but it was hard and close to impossible because there were no funds or backing from anyone to help him.

In the midst of these uncertainties, he would sing either to God or to himself to console and encourage himself.

“ENCOURAGE YOURSELF!!!”

“THE ANTELOPE”
(A Leap Of Faith)

She was the last born and only girl in a family of 9 and lived with her family in her village, Ahiazu-Mbaise in Imo State.

She was barely 13 when she saw 3 police officers walking toward her, they asked her to come and she got scared and ran for her life.

It was that “Race For Her Life” that changed her life.

#OdogwuTales
#MTNChamps2
#MTNChampsIbadan The police officers later caught up with her and told her, their boss wanted to speak with her.

They took her to their Police boss who was expecting to see a grown-up and asked, “Where is the antelope?”

The officers pointed to her explaining, that she was a fast runner so the villagers gave her the nickname, “The Antelope”.

The Police Boss explained to her that the Police wanted her to represent them in the ongoing “Police Games” as an athlete.

“AWONIYI”
(The Boy Who Dared To Dream)

Taiwo Awoniyi’s story started in the industrial City of Ilorin, Kwara State in a family of 6 kids.

Taiwo’s father was a prison officer whose salary was barely enough to feed his family but it never stopped him from sending 6 of them to school.

He would borrow money just to pay their fees because he believed education was their way out of hardship but God had other plans.

“GOD ALWAYS HAS A PLAN, TRUST IT”
#OdogwuTales His father wanted him to read medicine and become a doctor but young Taiwo fell in love with the round leather game and only wanted to play football.

His mother noticed his love for football and bought him his first ball, a ball commonly called “Felele”.

His father was still insistent on him going to school but after a while, they came to an agreement which is “Do well in school then you play, any term he fails, no football”

“FOLLOW YOUR PASSION”

“JUST WAIT”
(Delay Is Not Denial)

For 3years I was denied admission to study medicine and this wasn't a result of my score, one of the years I was the highest in JAMB for those that applied for medicine, but still nothing.

I was heartbroken, my friends had gotten admission and it looked like I was the only one left, that was when my youngest sister, Laurel did something that shocked me.

She was still in Junior Secondary then, so you can imagine her age.

#OdogwuTales She came home from school and bought me an artwork that had the inscription “Delay Is Not Denial” and told me, “Brother don't worry”.

There are times you want to stand firm as a man and not shed tears but certain actions just break you wide open, yeah, this was one.

I sobbed like a kid, thanked her, and hung the artwork on my wall as a daily reminder that “Delay Is Not Denial”.

“FORBIDDEN LOVE”
(The Story Of Nigerians ‘Troosted’ General)

This is not the typical from grass to glory story of most footballers as he was born in Harlem, Netherlands to a Nigerian father from Akwa Ibom and a Dutch mother.

As a kid, he loved football but it was a forbidden love that led to a serious friction in his family between his parents.

He simply refused to give up on his love and it had serious consequences.

#AFCON2023
#OdogwuTales His father wanted him to go to school as he didn’t see any future in football for him and at the age of 12 sent him to a boarding school in England.

Ekong got to England and instead of focusing on his studies and gaining admission to the university fell more in love with the game of football.

After 3 years, his father was expecting him to return home with university admission but Ekong returned with documents to gain admission into a football Academy and this infuriated his father who refused to sign the documents.

“NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAM, BUT YOU DO”

“ONYEKA”
(The Nigerian Midfield Tank)

As the second child out of 5 kids, Onyeka grew up with responsibilities hanging on his shoulders.

He had to mend roofs after school to support his family, so when he said he wanted to go the football route, he didn't get much support.

His mother out of concern, wanted Onyeka to focus on his studies just like every other African mother would have done at that time, but Onyeka held on to his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

“JUST HOLD ON”
#OdogwuTales
#AFCON2023 It wasn't just the family discouraging him, everyone around him didn't see the future Onyeka saw in football and kept telling him to give up.

Onyeka said, “People told me to quit football because there was nothing there” and because of this he had to trek for over 40 minutes to train, avoiding highways and taking longer, lonely routes to avoid people who kept discouraging him from football.

As a proper Benin boy, he never gave in, all these struggles motivated him to keep pushing.

“KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF FORWARD, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES”

“NWABALI”
(The Beacon Of Hope)

It’s been a “Gulder Ultimate Search” to get Vincent Enyeama’s replacement.

Cancer robbed us of Carl Ikeme and since then we’ve combed Europe looking for a replacement going from Akpeyi to Madueke and recently Uzoho.

None of them worked out well until we met “Bobo”, a player not many knew about until this tournament started.

“WHEN IT’S YOUR TIME, IT IS YOUR TIME.”
#OdogwuTales Stanley Bobo Nwabali was born in Rivers State, Portharcourt, and like most kids his age wanted to be a footballer, an outfield footballer.

Growing up on the streets of Port Harcourt, he was a striker who wanted to score goals, not catch them.

His passion for becoming a footballer took him to Go Round FC, a club based in Omoku, Rivers State where his youth coach converted him from a striker to a goalkeeper.

“SOMETIMES YOUR PLANS MIGHT FAIL BUT TRUST GOD TO ALWAYS HAVE A BETTER OPTION.”

“DOUBLE WAHALA”
(The Curious Case Of Umar Sadiq)

Nigeria played Guinea in a Pre-AFCON friendly which featured Real Sociedad striker, Umar Sadiq.

During the match, Umar Sadiq had a knock and the Nigerian medical team recommended an immediate substitution but Sadiq insisted that he was fine and saw out the match.

Wahala…😏😏😏
#OdogwuTales During the press conference, Sadiq said he had a “small knock” and should be fine but as required, he had to be assessed by the Nigerian Medical Team.

This is where it got messy!!!

The Nigerian Medical Team assessed him the next day and said Umar Sadiq had suffered a MENISCAL INJURY and ruled him out for at least 15 days.

Another Wahala….😏😏😏

“BIG VIC”
(The Story Of The Dancing Assassin)

Victor Boniface like most Nigerian young boys wanted to become a footballer and at a very young age, he left home(Akure) to Lagos State to join Real Sapphire Academy.

He impressed while at Real Sapphire and this earned him a move to Europe just aged 18, joining the Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

NOW, THE STORY BEGINS….
#OdogwuTales He arrived in Northern Norway in 2019 to join Bodo/Glimt and also earned a call-up to join the Nigerian Under-20 side.

2 weeks after signing for Bodo/Glimt and 7 days before the Under-20 Nations Cup, Victor Boniface had a knee injury, tearing his ACL in training.

This was a big blow as he was ruled out for 6 months meaning he couldn't go to the Nations Cup or debut for his new club and he was just 18 YEARS!!!!

“IT DOESN’T GET EASIER, YOU JUST GET STRONGER”

“ORBAN”
(The Wonderkid From Nowhere)

Barely a yew and a few months ago, Gift Emmanuel Orban was thinking of quitting football and becoming an “Olokpa” but decided to give it another go when it happened.

Like every Nigerian boy, Gift loved football and wanted to become a professional footballer and this led to him skipping classes to play football.

This risk almost turned FATAL!!!
#OdogwuTales Gift Orban’s father was Nigerian and his mother, a Togolese so when he couldn't get any club to sign him in Nigeria, he went to Togo in 2021.

In Togo, he participated in a football trial organized by Nigerian football Scout, Ola Fowler in Lome, Togo’s capital where he decided if it didn't go well, he will try to become a police officer, an “Olokpa”.

Ola Fowler loved what he saw and invited Gift Orban to another trial in Akwa Ibom, Uyo.

“THERE IS NO SCRIPT FOR LIFE”

“CALVIN BASSEY”
(No Gree For Anybody!!!)

Calvin Bassey was only 6 years old when his father abandoned his mum and his 3 other brothers in Italy where he was born.

His mother had to move to the Uk with her 4 sons settling in one of the roughest parts of London called “Newham”, a place Bassey said at the time was like a “War Zone”.

#OdogwuTales Kids were being stabbed and killed due to gang violence and Bassey lost 2 of his mates that period with one shot dead, it was “deadly” area at the time.

There was only two ways to survival, either you end up in a gang or you play football, and Calvin Bassey chose to play the beautiful game, football but things only got worse.

“EVERYTHING YOU ARE COMES FROM YOUR CHOICES”

“E DEY!!!”
(Masters Energy Industrial City)

Since yesterday, the good people of the southeast have been displaying their flamboyant edifices but some people were not impressed and asked to see factories that employ more than 300 people.

I just want to tell them that “E Dey” and this one is located in my village, Uturu in Isuikwuato LGA of Abia State.

Follow me for a tour of the Masters Energy Industrial City.


• MASTER ORGANIC FERTILIZER PLANT.

The Organic Fertilizer Plant is completed.

The machines for the production of organic fertilizer from animal wastes, household/market wastes, and farm wastes are fully installed.

The Plant is designed to sustain a waste-to-wealth policy and for a cleaner and green environment.

Robert Lewis was an 18yr old kid from Leek, Staffordshire who on the 13th of March 2020 was struck by a van and suffered severe head injuries.

He was flown by an air ambulance to Royal Stoke University Hospital where 4 days later, he was confirmed: “DEAD”.

#OdogwuTales He was confirmed “Brain Stem Dead”.

If someone in the UK is diagnosed as brain dead then the damage is considered irreversible and they're legally confirmed as dead.

The brain stem controls breathing and heart rate, so when it's dead, the body can't breathe on its own.

She was born with HIV.

She had AIDS at age 5.

She has had fungus in her brain, blood infections, etc.

She was told she won't live past the age of 5.

She was sprayed bleach on her face because she sneezed in school.

This is the “STORY OF HYEDIA”

#OdogwuTales
#WorldAIDSDay2023
Hyedia Broadbent was born June 14, 1984 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Her biological mother was a drug addict who abandoned her at the hospital just after she was born.

She was adopted at 6 weeks old by adoptive parents, Loren and Patricia Broadbent.

Nobody knew she had HIV.

“FAITH vs MEDICINE”
(The Tragic Case Of Raphael Dwamena)

Raphael was born in Nkawkaw, Ghana 28yrs ago and like most kids born in Ghana, and like most kids had fallen in love with the round leather game, football!

He got the opportunity to pursue his dream when he joined the Red Bull Ghana Under 17 team.

It was just the start of a crazy story of “Faith vs Medicine”

#OdogwuTales
He played for the RB Ghana U-17 team at the “Red Bull Ghana Developmental Program” in Croix, France in 2013, helping his team to win the silver medal.

He was named the best player of the tournament and this earned him a move to FC Salzburg in Austria where he joined the Under-18 team winning the golden boot in his first season.

His talent was UNDENIABLE.