Former Nigerian striker, Jonathan Akpoborie, recently recounted an unusual and unexpected call-up to the Super Eagles during a game against Togo.
In an interview with Elegbete TV Sports, Akpoborie shared how he found himself on the pitch after watching the match from the stands, following a hearty meal of pounded yam at the home of Honourable Nduka Irabor.
He said, “I was at Nduka’s house and we had pounded yam. He convinced me that we should go and watch the game. I said Area Boys won’t let me rest but he said we should just go to the stadium.”
At halftime, with Nigeria trailing 1-0, Akpoborie was approached with a surprising message.
“Somebody walked up to me in the second half and said Bonfrere Jo [the coach] asked me to come,” Akpoborie recalled. “I looked at Nduka and asked, ‘How did Bonfrere know I was here?’”
It turned out that news of Akpoborie’s presence had reached Bonfrere Jo, who had been pressured by Nigerian football fans and officials to include the striker in the squad.
“They said I should come to the dressing room. At an international game!” he exclaimed.
Despite just having finished a meal, Akpoborie was summoned to the dressing room, where his boots and jersey awaited him.
“I had just eaten pounded yam, but they said I had to play,” Akpoborie said, adding that when Nigeria calls, “you can’t say no.”
He eventually suited up and took to the field.
“After that game, I went with that team to America,” he added.
Akpoborie also addressed rumours surrounding his exclusion from Nigeria’s 1996 Olympic football squad, dismissing claims of tribal bias or any cabal-related issues.
He clarified that Kanu Nwankwo, a key member of the squad, arrived late due to his heart surgery but was always part of the team.
Akpoborie explained that while Bonfrere Jo wanted him in the Olympic squad, Nigeria’s overage player limit left him as an alternate.
“Bonfrere had the three overaged players that he wanted — Uche Okechukwu, Emmanuel Amunike, and Daniel Amokachi. If one of them got injured, I would have been the replacement,” he explained.
