IKENWA NNABUOGOR digs deep into some rather strange nicknames of some top stars to find out more about them…
Take or leave it, some nicknames – strange, funny and attractive – have come to stay with some players so much so that people do not even know their real names.
Funny some sobriquet sounds that your adrenaline is activated when you hear the names for the first time and that’s where this story lies.
Some of these funny names have stuck and become part of their identity.
The award for the strangest of all nicknames would most probably go to Enyimba midfielder Ikechukwu Ibenegbu!
The languid middle man was nicknamed ‘Mosquito’ at El Kanemi Warriors by his friend and team mate Ezenwa Otorogu and till date this strange name has become his permanent identity so much that even club officials call him by the name.
The Abakaliki-born player was given the name by University soccer team mate at Imo State University for his restlessness.
His friend and El Kanemi Warriors’ team mate Otorogu popularised this strange name as Ibenegbu showed equal skills on the pitch as well as “biting” his team mates at the Maiduguri-based side like the dreaded, disease-carrying insect.
“’Mosquito’ would never let us rest for a second as he would disturb our peace unless he’s sleeping,” Otorogu recalled.
“He’s even more troublesome on the pitch, in the training and in games.
“Most times it was to our advantage because he would constantly “bite” our opponents in league game and make them get tired till we strike.
“I was the closest to him and I received most of the “bites” so much that I was looking for a way to keep him quiet.
“I thought I had kept him quiet when I let the cat out of the bag with his new name, but I was very wrong and his troubles tripled.”
In truth, this strange name has done his reputation more good than bad as he rode on the waves of the sobriquet to announce himself on the scene.
The personal highlight of ‘Mosquito’ in Nigeria football was winning the league top scorer award at El Kanemi in the 2005 season.
Appearances in the home-based Super Eagles and Sand Eagles complete an impressive track record.
The circumstances surrounding Italy-based central defender Michael Odibe’s strange nickname ‘Asaba’ was more of classroom accident than football related.
His name has stuck since his secondary school days at Sari-Iganmu High School when his new Economics teacher asked her students to introduce themselves
‘Asaba’, a renowned backbencher in the class, stood up to introduce himself – names and where he hailed from.
“I hollered my name and town from the back, but the teacher demanded I should speak louder,” ‘Asaba’ informed.
“I became more audible and the next I heard was the teacher roared “Asabaaaaaa” when I said I hailed from Asaba and that’s how my name became ‘Asaba’.”
His former team mate Udo Ochiogu added “Ijo” as him and mates joyously journeyed back to base after winning a game in the local league.
“Till date, most of my mates still do not know my names as Michael Chukwunwike Odibe,” he further explained.
“It’s too bad that some would be searching for me on the social media typing the “Asaba” on search engines to reconnect with me.
“One funny part was when some mates came to my house to visit and told my parents they were looking for ‘Asaba’
“My parents were shocked to hear such strange name, but have come to accept the name just like the whole of my family.
“I must confess that the name has opened some doors for me because of its attention-attracting sound.
“Some of my friends have suggested that I add “Asaba” to my names officially, but I haven’t considered it.”
Former Super Eagles’ midfielder Kalu Uche’s case was totally football-related and the name has become part of him till date.
Kalu was rechristened ‘Senegal’ by his secondary school mates in Aba for his love for the Africa Cup of Nations staged in Senegal in 1992.
Kalu would sneak out of school to watch the AFCON at the expense of his classes.
He was so much into the competition that he was nicknamed ‘Senegal’ by his mates so much that the sobriquet has stuck till date.
Chinedu Obasi’s is similar to former Super Eagles’ captain Austin Okocha who inherited his older brother’s nickname.
Obasi was handed his older brother’s, Henry’s sobriquet, Ojoko, when he came of age and made popular when he went on to play for the Golden Eaglets.
Henry was a brilliant midfielder in secondary school and youth clubs in Enugu, where the Obasis grew up, and was looked up to take his game higher.
But it was the younger ‘Ojoko’ that popularised the sobriquet by surpassing Henry and making it to play internationally and as professional overseas.
Obasi is hardly known by his real names in Enugu where he grew up as the sobriquet ‘Ojoko’ is firmly on everyone’s lips till date.
It is unclear what the sobriquet means, but sources in Enugu revealed that it is of those traditional nicknames that do not have any known meaning.
Still in Enugu, Solomon Okoronkwo’s nickname of ‘Papa’ has no trace to its origin, but the former Hertha Berlin striker got the strange name for his smartness even at a very young age.
‘Papa’ is a product of the famed Riverlane Academy in the soccer-mad Coal City that also produced Peter Utaka, Obasi and Chidera Ezeh.
‘Papa’ is said to have possessed native wisdom and sense beyond his young age those days even at secondary school land was thus was “rewarded” with the strange sobriquet.
The name has stuck till date that he’s hardly known as Solomon even at national team level.
Greg Nwokolo is currently the biggest Nigerian import to Indonesia, but his nickname ‘Papa Umu Azi’ meaning Father of all children in local parlance, has completely taken over his real names.
The Onitsha-born naturalised former Indonesia national team striker has a penchant for being around kids in Onitsha where he grew up and started his football career.
He’s so much loved by kids who swarm around him for gifts each time he is in Nigeria for holidays.
He was rewarded for his love and kindness to kids and youths alike in Onitsha by honouring him with this special sobriquet.
Greg is the undisputed father of all children in Onitsha and he’s arguably the most popular footballer to come out of the city known for business, manufacturing and merchandise.
The stories surrounding erstwhile Cyprus-based defender, Rasheed Alabi’s nickname are those of name mispronunciation with heavy comic relief.
The towering defender’s Igbo looks handed him the sobriquet Indubuisi, mispronounced and misspelled for popular Igbo name Ndubuisi.
It’s even funnier that it was shortened to “Indu” instead of proper Igbo shortened form of “Ndo” to further provide more amusing side of the strange name.
His fans in Agege, where the former Omonia Nicosia defender was born, felt he needed another name for his striking Igbo looks so much that the name had stuck and continued to trail him.
He’s hardly known by his real names in Agege and the environs and even his family members identify him by this strange label.
Across the street in the same neighborhood lived Dynamo Moscow striker Sylvester Igbonu who is known till date as ‘Tata’.
‘Tata’ showed great promise for local school Dairy Farm Secondary School and captained the school team at an incredible young age.
He was nicknamed ‘Tata’ for his boyish looks which can even today pass him as a teenager.
‘Tata’ is a local parlance for a baby here in this clime and mostly given to people with boyish and girlish looks.
‘Tata’ is 30 now, but still local folks have refused to believe he’s no longer a boy and still identity him with that nickname.
Late former Stores’ right back Collins Ebitimi was nicknamed ‘Barbwire’ for his rugged and uncompromising style on the pitch.
Stores’ faithful at the Onikan Waterfront were thrilled by his uncommon attribute and wasted no time in giving him this name.
‘Barbwire’ was feared and dreaded by opposing strikers for fear of being injured or maimed by fearful Ebitimi who hated being messed by skillful strikers.
Turkey-based agent and academy owner Osahon Guobadia goes by the horrible sobriquet ‘Ice Cream’ and the former Beitar Jerusalem midfielder even added more colour to the name by having it written on the back of his shirt.
The former Golden Eaglet was given the name by his Benin City fans as a reminder that he was a former ice cream seller in the streets of the city, where Osahon hailed from and grew up.
‘Ice Cream’ contributed to his family business by selling ice cream but always found time to play football by the side.
The name stuck when he moved to Gabros for his first shot at professional football and even took over his name when he moved to Austria in 2006.
There are indeed many more with strange nicknames, but these are some of the strangest with stories behind them.