•Recounts Super Eagles experience

•Says nobody taught him how to score goals

Super Eagles and Werder Bremen forward, Anthony Ujah, speaks about football in Nigeria, his carrier in the German Bundesliga, the Super Eagles and more, reports PETER DURU from Makurdi

How was your last season in Germany?

Last season was a wonderful one for me and my club. There were difficult moments but on the whole it was a successful season. For me to be able to score 10 goals for a team that was highly defensive like my team, I feel and believe that it is an achievement I could build on.

You have a record of being a top scorer in the teams that you played for in Norway and Germany. How would you describe your instincts?

Ujah

I would say they are just natural and also a blessing from God because when I look at my beginning, I don’t give credit to anyone for helping me on how to score goals. Though my moving abroad helped my skills but at the end of the day it is God. There are instances of footballers born overseas yet are they are finding it hard to play top flight football. So I see everything as the handiwork of God because no matter how you work, without His grace you might not get to the top. So it was a natural thing that I was doing coupled with what I learnt while training with other experienced players. I always try to be better than I was yesterday. I had a very short time in the Nigerian League and when I got to Norway it was like a dream fulfilled. But After a year and half I moved to Germany. Everything was working well for me because of my hunger to excel. I just keep looking to God at all times.

How difficult is the German League?

It is very very difficult because its not about what is happening on the pitch. It has a lot to do with discipline and character, because Germans don’t care about how talented you are or you contributions to the team if you are not disciplined and a unit of the team. So even if I’m doing well, I must ensure that I’m doing the right things on and off the pitch. Because sometimes players tend to lose their minds if overwhelmed by their success, so one is always on the guard.

On the whole, the League is very very physical. In England you are more with the ball, it’s the best League in the world but in Germany before you even get the ball their is someone already waiting to get it from you, so you’ll have to concentrate, be on your feet and also be physically strong. On the whole, my experience so far is good and has really made me a better player both physically and mentally.

Would  You describe your movement to Werder Bremen as a dream come through?

It is, it is, it was a hard decision to leave FC Cologne because I found a second home there since I left Nigeria. The way the people took me in, and the way I felt there (it was not all about recording success on the pitch), I actually felt that it was a second home, a place one can live in at the end of my carrier or where I could shuttle to home from. But in football they say you never know what could happen, so when the opportunity came I had to take it, not because it was the only opportunity but I analyzed my three years in Cologne and I felt it was time to move on. I was feeling too relaxed because things had become monotonous, the training schedule and so the hunger started to go down. I did not waste time to take the new challenge, in a new environment in a new city. I felt I had something to prove when the new challenge came; though it was difficult for me, SV Werder Bremen brought everything on the table for me. In my first meeting with the coach he was able to tell me what he saw in me and how long he had been following me; and for me, that was very important because it showed how ambitious they are this season.

So what would you say is your target in terms of the team you would also want to play for in the future?

Actually my dream is to play in England. Every child who had played street football like the place I come from, all you dream of is the Premier League. So it’s a dream for me to play in the Premier League. I felt I needed to take a step that will take me closer to actualizing the dream and I felt Bremen would provide the opportunity because it came in line with my ambition for the next three years and the trainer was able to tell me how much bigger players have passed through Bremen.

He was able to tell me about the bigger players that have passed though Bremen to other teams and there was this question he asked that convinced me the more, and that was that, if these other players could make it, why not Ujah? That question was like a hit on the chest for me. It was like a challenge. I realized he was not asking me to come there to be a legend for him or make him the best trainer but to come and take my next step. And it’s in line with my plan for the future. Everything was right including the package. He knew my weaknesses, my strength and he also knew I could fit into his team. My decision to leave Cologne was worth it.

Coming back home, you are one of Nigeria’s biggest in the attack position, but it appears you are struggling to catch a permanent place in the Super Eagles of Nigeria, what could be responsible for this?

I’ve not really settled in the national team. It’s a big honour to put on the color of one’s country because watching the Nigerian team as a child and now knowing that you are also part of the team is a big dream. It’s not a question of underrating anybody or feeling big or not taking it serious.

I’ve given my best the  times I’ve been there. The circumstances on the two occasions have not been the most comfortable. We were in Brazil for the Confederation Cup. As you are aware we had issues of bonuses so we didn’t travel on time, we arrived there 48 hours to the first game. Luckily we met a weaker team which we were able to run over, but it was not every player that was able to recover from the 48 hours jet lag. It’s not an excuse any way because I’m not a player who likes to give excuses. After the first game I didn’t play the rest games but every other player had time to rest, train and sleep well.

I went back to my club and continued to work hard to get an opportunity again. The next opportunity came and we were billed to play a friendly against a South American team in Uyo but it was cancelled, then Uganda were picked as replacement and the match was scheduled for Abuja, we all arrived Abuja and the match venue was again. On the whole the match was shifted three times and all this while we were flying to the venues and finally it was fixed for Uyo and all this while the Ugandans were training and preparing for the match. The game was a general weak performance for the team. We had just one training session which we had immediately on arrival. So, no one should be blamed because we all tried to put in our best, this is not like an accuse. If it’s were like a tournament where you have days and weeks to train in camp the story would have been different.

And secondly, in the game against South Africa I couldn’t make it because of Visa issues. But on the whole, I want to record as much success that I’ve recorded at the club level at the national team level as well. For me the national team is more important because at the end of the day when I’m assessing how much I’ve achieved as a player I wouldn’t want to look at only club performance but also my role in the success of the national team. I’m still a young player and I’m working hard to make the team to the next African Nations Cup and will continue to work hard hoping that I’ll make it.

Many liken your style of play to that of Daniel Omokachi, is it that the national team is not playing to your strength?

I play with a lot of strength, I’m not that type of player who would want to dribble two or three defenders before scoring, I always find my way to score, and I’m also very defensive. I do a lot of defensive work. I just hope and pray that I would always have the opportunity to train together with the team over a period so that I can prove my worth to the coaches.

What is you target in the next three or four years?

I want to become better than I am today. And fully ready to play in the Premier League and also score many goals for the national team. I want to see myself in this period in England. I don’t want to go there on loans. I want to plan my carrier, no matter how tempting the offers are.

How many goals are you targeting to score this season?

I  don’t like to place a target in the number of goals I score in the season because it could put me under serious pressure and also make me selfish which I have never been. I just try to put the team first. We have a target which is to secure a continental spot. Whether playing in the Europa or Champions Leagues. There are many bigger teams in Germany who set targets like this and at the end of the day they are battling relegation because in this League no one except Bayern Munich are favorites to win the league. Last season Dortmund were battling relegation, that was a team that was in the Champions League final  in the season before. So this league is very unpredictable.

How was your childhood like, and why did you opt for football?

Since I was born I never knew any other game but football. However, my father always ensured that his five children were educated. I’m the last of the five. After my secondary school, I had a talk with my father that I wanted to give football a trial. He gave me the support I needed. I saw the situation amongst my childhood friends where parents tried to force them into choosing a carrier and they ended up with the wrong choice. So when I told him I wanted to give football a trial, he only sounded one advice that he didn’t want me to end up without achieving success. I was lucky because he supported me with football shoes and I didn’t lack anything that I needed. He was not prepared for failure. He only gave me one year grace to prove myself. He said if I couldn’t prove my mettle I would go back to school and forget football. So after six months I was able to get my first professional contract with FC Abuja and after another six months I went to Warri Wolves. It was a short story in the Nigerian League.

Ujah

That is why I think that I’m blessed because it’s not normal, it’s something others try for a long time. So I feel really happy that I was able to achieve it within a short time. He gave me the support, I grew up here in Otukpo. I was born in Ugbokolo but I grew up in Otukpo. It’s a place I cannot do without even while abroad. When I arrived Abuja I wished I could drive immediate to Otukpo because I’m not a big city boy. No matter the level I get in life, I must always spend my holiday here in Otukpo. It’s a root I cannot turn my back on no matter the luxury I find elsewhere. I have friends who live in Lagos, Abuja and other places. They are always like, what are you always doing in your village?  I’m a village boy, there is nothing I can do about it.

You appear to be giving back to the society through you annual tournament in Otukpo, what is the motivation?

I have two reason for the Otukpo tournament; to avail the players exposure because there so many talents here and the entire Benue state, though no opportunity to showcase themselves. So I felt the tournament will give them the opportunity to do that and possibly create an opening for some of them and to help them fight for something like the trophy. Though there is a prize money, it’s just want to motivate them because they are always engaged in training and with this tournament they can now set targets for themselves. I’m happy that through this tournament, a player was picked by Lobi Stars of Makurdi. I’m really happy because it was the target. Secondly, I wanted to give the people something to cheer and celebrate about.

They play more than 35 games in the tournament. I follow each of them. The turn out of spectators in the finals was shocking. I never expected that. This year’s is my second edition. The last edition was in 2011. I’m making it a yearly affair, I’m also trying to get sponsorship from people around and companies. Some people see it as a money making venture but for me it’s to develop football. I don’t want to confine it to Otukpo, the next edition will capture the entire Benue South and from there make it a state tournament. It’s a little way I can contribute to my people and the state in general.

Are you planing to have an academy?

Ujah

Not really. It’s something very difficult to run. You know that when you make it an academy you’ll also have a target of selling out players to expect income. All I’m doing is to give them an opportunity to show themselves.

How was you first experience in Europe, what is your plan about marriage and raising a family?

My first experience in Europe was very difficult because I left a hot environment of about 30 to 40 degree to an environment of minus 15 in Norway which was like sitting in a deep freezer. It was a one time big change for me because you know that Scandinavian countries are very cold. It was very difficult to start. The food was also another challenge. I was used to pounded yam. That suddenly changed to salad and others. At the beginning I was having lots of stomach problem but I gradually adapted to it. But the weather was the most difficult. One had to cover himself well while playing and I was not used to it. You have reprieve only during summer. But now I’m used to it and no problems with any of that. I was in Norway in January 2010 and stayed there for one and half season.

On the issue of marriage, I don’t think I’m looking towards that direction for now because I have my immediate family to cater for. Though I have that plan but I’m not rushing to that.

As for my immediate family I do my level best but we are all independent. This year is the first time my siblings and I are meeting together in the last five years because we are all busy people and everyone is independent of the other.