THURSDAY COLUMN – EAGLE EYE Tears For Ikechukwu It was joy-and-pain for me, seeing Ikechukwu Uche put up another top-grade performance in the colours of Villarreal of Spain last weekend, as he went full throttle against Atletico Madrid and the in-form striker eventually saw his efforts end in a draw against the more-glamorous visitors from the capital. That match provided a deeper irony about IK, because, for all his efforts on the night, he could not snatch victory for his side, which would have been a deserved token for collective joy among the team and their fans, and he also saw what could have been a personal piece of bliss dented, when what appeared like his equalizing goal was later adjudged an own goal by an opponent. The game did end 1-1, and the next analyst could conclude that ‘all’s well that ends well,’ considering that Villarreal did not lose the match, but I beg to interject that it could have been a better outing on team and personal levels for IK Uche, especially as he put up one of his best ever performances, yet it turned out to be so much for so little and I could not help but weep for him. Yes, tears for Ikechukwu, because this is one striker whose style, effort, ability, acumen and finesse have been belied by floundering fortunes that keep hitting his career with both club and country; as a debilitating lull or the other has taken him from a highpoint to a lowly level more than once, more than twice, but several times over. Such it has been that all his efforts at getting to the zenith of club football have failed to materialize, to the extent that this super-duper-striker, who should be lining out for the like of FC Barcelona or Real Madrid, keeps oscillating from one midstream club to another – Racing Ferol, Recreativo Huelva, Getafe, Real Zaragoza and now Villarreal – as the gods have apparently cast a spell that condemns this petit lad to falling short at a point he should be exploding. More alarming, while IK has found his fortunes at club level so pedestrian, he initially had the national team, Super Eagles, as his biggest, best and happiest escape route, as he could return home to don the green-and-white and enact some of the most lofty, laudable, edifying, spectacular and memorable outings for Nigeria; with goals raining one by the dozen, and eventually became our top scorer heading into the Africa Cup of Nations. I remember telling a colleague of the pen trade that Ikechukwu would be our best player at the 2013 AFCON in South Africa, because he had shown over the months that he was a striker who could be relied upon to make the most ardent soccer fan gloat with glee in his voice and observe with glitters in the eye, simply because he is one lad who packs as much skill in his brain as he does an uncanny eye for goal, trickery round his waist, hot shots in his feet, team work on his mind, modesty in his thoughts, gaiety in his voice and harmony in his plans. Except for his lack of height, Ikechukwu Uche (like Lionel Messi) appeared to me as the quintessential striker, one who could score from any angle in front of goal, could take on any opposing defender at will and could make a world of difference whenever the tightest chips come down – at least with the Super Eagles, if not with his now numerous and various clubs in Spain. Sadly, where I used to take consolation for Uche’s vicissitudes in seeing him get his time under the sun shining with the Eagles, that route of escape for this Aba-born attacker has since been cut off, simply because he could not hit the right cord (surprisingly) at the Nations Cup, and has been reduced to the level of persona non grata ever since. What a sad commentary for this starry-eyed player, whose hopes of making an impact for the national team at World Cup 2010 in South Africa were also dashed by injury, which stopped him from being part of the squad, left early signs that his days of solace in the Eagles were hanging on a tiny string and, while his older brother, Kalu went on to emerged Nigeria’s top scorer then with two goals in the kitty, the younger sibling was left to watch at home on television nibbling at his finger nails. Ironically, even Kalu Uche has also been on the outer with the Eagles, mostly due to his inability to honour an invitation due to injury, but it is for Ike that my tears roll freely. Though he downplays his continued snub by the gaffer, I am sure tears are rolling through his heart, as he cannot be there to cherish the moment of us picking a ticket to Brazil 2014. Which is why I now go on my knees and beg Stephen Keshi to please consider IK for a recall, a chance to right all wrongs he committed at South Africa 2013.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 13:11:22 +0000