Here I was, surfing the web and minding my business when I stumbled upon espnsoccernet.com and the ‘team of the week’ for the week ended September 20, 2010. I was pleasantly surprised to see Nigeria’s very own, Peter Odemwingie (we know him as Osaze, sha) in the list. I should think the last time any Nigerian made that list was way back in 2008 when Joseph Yobo was still in form and was turning out some fantastic performances for Everton FC. I’ll share what the columnist had to say about Osaze’s performance;
‘If West Brom are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship, they are going to need to find a goalscorer, and they might have found one in Peter Odemwingie. The Nigerian followed his debut goal against Sunderland with an impressive performance against Tottenham last weekend, and he got himself on the scoresheet again against Birmingham. After they’d fallen behind, Odemwingie first pressured Scott Dann into scoring an own goal, before showing striking instincts to pounce on a Lee Bowyer mistake and give the Baggies the lead.’
Now, you fellas know I’m not one kiss anyone’s arse or waste my precious time (which I could use to play Football Manager) giving ‘props’ to someone or something that does not deserve it. My ‘love’ for this player has steadily risen from the day he scored two superb goals against a mediocre South African side at the 2004 Nations Cup in Tunisia. A true patriot, always ready to answer the call of his nation to do battle on the football pitch, he has warmed his way into millions of Nigerian hearts with his commitment, dedication and skill.
Odemwingie is also delighted with the impact he has made in the few weeks after joining the Baggies. Racial taunts were directed at him from Lokomotiv Moscow fans after his move to the Hawthorns. Some fans in Moscow unfurled a large banner that said “Thanks, West Brom” – together with the drawing of a banana. West Brom fans responded with a banner that read “Thanks Lokomotiv” – in response and Odemwingie was clearly delighted to have left the Russian team when he did.
“There was no doubt what they meant. They tried to give me some other explanation about it being an Old Russian custom. But that didn’t wash with me.
“It was all very unfortunate. It wasn’t just about racism, there were other things going on as well. Eventually, it was best that Lokomotiv and myself parted company,” Odemwingie told The Sun.
“The whole business has worked out perfectly for me. I am grateful. Once I knew Albion were interested, I was interested too. The Hawthorns has turned out even better than I might have hoped.
“This is a proper football club, with a good team that concentrates on playing attractive football for their supporters. It is a better team than Lokomotiv,
Four English Premiership games and two goals under his belt, Osaze has started turning heads and making teams like Liverpool and Everton wish they had bought smarter during the transfer window. His technical ability and high football intelligence make him a deadly opponent to play against, while his professionalism and humility endears him to team staff and players alike.
I really hope the Nigerian Footballer of the Year 2010 has a good season with West Brom and secures a bigger club soon. At 29 years (real age o, unlike 99.2% of Nigerian players) age is not on his side and his chances of being signed by a top club decreases by the hour.
