Agbim's long road to Afcon
by Ojeikere Aikhoje 23 January 2013, 13:29
Football is called the beautiful game for many reasons.
Despite its beauty, rejection comes along, but only a few have
been able to manage it.
Super Eagles third-choice goalkeeper, Chigozie Agbim, is one
footballer who fought rejection at every stage in his career.
Whether you are a fan of domestic football or not, Agbim’s life
story is an extraordinary tale of success, against all odds.
In 2001, Agbim was dropped from Nigeria’s Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets that was headed for the Under-17 World Cup, in Trinidad and Tobago.
This was after the goalkeeper played a role as the Eaglets won the
African Championship, in the Indian Ocean Island of Seychelles.
In fact, Agbim’s heroics earned him the Best Goalkeeper Award at
the cadet championship.
But, like the Biblical Moses, the goalkeeper was unable to reach
the “Promised Land.”
With the duo of Bassey Akpan and Osaze Uweluyi as goalkeepers, the Eaglets under Musa Abdullahi reached the finals but lost to France in
the epic final.
Agbim never made it to the Under-20 and Under-23 teams.
Two years later, Bassey was first-choice as the Flying Eagles lost
to Morocco over two legs and failed to qualify for the Africa Youth
Championship.
Somehow, he managed “rejection” at the national team and continued to work his way to the top.
The search for greener pastures even took him to Khartoum-based
El-Merriekh, but it turned out to be a fruitless venture and he had to
return home.
Subsequent attempts at Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Gombe United and Enugu Rangers yielded no dividend.
It was at Warri Wolves that luck finally smiled at Agbim as the Super
Eagles gaffer, Stephen Keshi, gave him the chance to hit stardom.
Like a “football starved” professional, the thirst for stardom
made him grab the opportunity with both hands and he was later
nominated in the Best Goalkeeper category at the inaugural League
Bloggers Awards (LBA) in 2012.
Now fast forward to 2013.
2013
Twelve years after, Agbim has blossomed in his chosen trade to
become captain of Nigeria’s alternate squad composed of players in the
domestic championship and Nigeria’s third-choice goalkeeper at the
2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
Since making his debut against the Afcon-bound Angola in 2012,
Agbim has become the favourite of Keshi in the domestic scene.
The Angolan side were packed with Europe-based stars like Manucho,
Gilberto and Flavio amongst others who were headed for Gabon/Equatorial Guinea.
Critics, who felt he wasn’t good enough after matches against
Angola, Liberia, Egypt and Niger Republic watched in awe as the former Warri Wolves goalkeeper maintained a composed state in goal when Nigeria played a star-studded Catalonian side.
The presence of several big names from Barcelona, Espanyol and AC Milan in the Catalona squad did not scare the goalkeeper.
Agbim’s performance earned him plaudits from former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Joseph Dosu, who was in goal when Nigeria won gold at the Atlanta ’96 Olympics.
“I’m impressed with Agbim,” Dosu told supersport.com.
“All his moves were well calculated which is an indication of his
readiness for the big stage. It's clear that he has justified his presence in Nigeria's squad at the Afcon,” the respected Dosu said to supersport.com.
International Caps: 5
Angola
Liberia
Egypt
Niger
Catalonia
