Tijjani Babangida: Keshi told me to just obey Bonfrere – and I went on to play my best game ever

Tijjani Babangida, or TJ if you wish, has seen it all: glory, fame and money. And a near miss.

The Atlanta 1996 football gold medalist played at African Cup of Nations tournaments and two FIFA World Cups, and plied his trade around the world before hanging his boots.

His marriage to a Tunisian beauty, Rabah, was well celebrated.

So was his performance in the semi-final of the 2000 Nations Cup in Lagos in which he destroyed South Africa singlehanded, a match in which he almost did not want to play because coach Jo Bonfrere changed his position from right wing to left.

The speedster and master dribbler recently sat down with TheCable to re-live his soccer career.

PAINFUL 2-1 LOSS TO ITALY AT 1994 WORLD CUP

Losing to Italy at the 1994 World Cup really left a sour taste in the mouth. It was too painful, as it was unexpected given that we were almost home and dry, with just four minutes to the end of the game. That year we had a marvelous squad, team of players that was powerful. I was really opportune to have been part of that team even though I was included at the last minute, really in controversial circumstances. Clemens Westerhof didn’t want to take me to the World Cup but Nigerians would have none of that and insisted in very clear terms that I must be part of the team and so I was included in the squad. Westerhof wanted to drop a player for me and there was confusion. Even Victor Ikpeba didn’t get to play.

I will never forget the Italy match. We were just four minutes from beating Italy and it was too sure that if we had beaten Italy anything could have happened because I don’t see anybody stopping us. Because if you see the players in the team, they had reached their peak and were on top of their game and were at their best. The experience was there, they were very strong, they had everything and all of a sudden at the very last minute loss of concentration and the unfortunate penalty with Austin Eguavoen (a foul on Gianfranco Zola) in the extra-time, it was so unfortunate and heartbreaking that we lost.

FAILURE TO CELEBRATE 1998 GOAL VS DENMARK

Well, I know the game was almost over because we were destroyed (Nigeria lost 4-1), not just in the game alone but also mentally, on that day it was just not what we expected at all, but it happened, we had conceded four goals, it was unbelievable. Then I scored that goal. If you notice you will realize that I never celebrated that goal, I just raised my hand, and scoring at the FIFA World Cup and not celebrating is really very rare in football. It is unusual but the circumstances were such that it would have been unusual to start celebrating, you only have a good feeling inside you, but it’s a feeling one will never forget in spite of the circumstances, but I hope such never happens again to Nigeria where we lose to any country with such a scandalous score line in the World Cup.

MOST CHERISHED SUPER EAGLES GAME

My most cherished World Cup game was the France 1998 match against a very strong Spanish team (Nigeria won 3-2). I did come on in that game. What happened in that game was absolutely fantastic really with the goal Sunday Oliseh scored, it was even more special because at that time, Spain was a very fantastic team filled with World Cup stars like Raul Gonzales, Blanco who we knew will score and he did scored, but we surprised them, we shocked them even though I came on in the second half with the intention that they can never stop me and I will make my mark. It was really unfortunate for me that I had little playing time to do what I had in mind but it was a glorious day for us. I will always cherish that game as one of the best moments of my time with the Super Eagles.

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT FOR NIGERIA

I made my international debut against Romania on May 25, 1994. It was a friendly international. It had always been my dream to play for Nigeria and I had actually been in the Super Eagles squad from 1992 before the African Cup of Nations in Senegal but I was only able to play in selected friendly games that cannot count as Grade A matches. I was always in training with the Eagles and was always a part of the team. I was really very young then, so you can imagine it was a really great feeling when I eventually made my international debut as all my dream was to play regularly for the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the top level.

PLAYING ON FIVE CONTINENTS

I played on five continents, won the Dutch League and Cup with Ajax, scoring in the European Cup and most of my career was at Amsterdam in Holland. In the last two years I said listen, this is the time to see and explore the rest of the World, so that I can be a complete player. When I am advising the young ones after my soccer career, there will be no territory untouched. I already knew Europe, so let me try Asia, let me explore the Gulf, let me know everywhere and that’s why my last two years I was in Turkey, I was in Saudi Arabia. My last point was in China and I was supposed to go to the United States but I said no need, I am happy now, the adventure is over now.

NIGHTMARE IN SAUDI ARABIA

I joined El-Ittihad with Bebeto of Brazil. The team had also Titi Camara and other class players but it was a very funny, interesting adventure I had in Saudi Arabia. We came in with a German coach. He brought me and Bebeto, we started winning, three wins in a row and we were on top, I think what happened next after can only happen in Arabian countries. You win three matches comfortably in a row and you are on top of the table and one night they sacked the coach and we were all surprised, they brought another one who is a Brazilian, that’s Jose Oscar Bernadi, who they believe knows everything about football, whom they believe knows more than any other person.

But the moment he came in he started changing things, what he was telling me and Bebeto was another story entirely from what he was telling the club officials. So, they wanted to change my position to the right back, at that time I was at the peak of my career. I was even about stopping football and you are telling me to go and play from the right back position, and I told them, well, I am dropping my contract, I left them, I walked out of them. The position I was playing before the new coach came was support striker, which I was playing very well perfectly together with Bebeto and I loved that, so when I became a big player I always chose what I want and when I don’t get it I moved on, so I dropped the contract even with the huge amount of money. I left it and was gone.

IAN RUSH NICKNAME

The nickname Ian Rush was given to me in Holland because of my speed, my skill as well as my intentions of moving for goals all the time. My speed is really natural, and I cannot say where it comes from. Sometimes I laugh when I run with the ball because its my moment then to take on any defender in the world.

DAY I DESTROYED SOUTH AFRICA

I was impossible to stop on that day. I was flying simply put, I scored two goals and I was playing from the unfamiliar left wing position. As a coach you always look at the other team, capitalise on their mistakes and their bad positioning, so I think that was what Johannes Bonfrere did in that semi-final game against South Africa. He watched South Africa, saw how they play and saw behind the loopholes and realised a player who can hold the ball and have pace and speed can always give them problems, maybe that was why he brought me in. A natural right winger to the left wing.

When he told me I was going to play from the left wing we had a big quarrel and I said please don’t put me on the left wing. He said you must stay at the left wing, that he does not have a player who can play from the left on that day, that I should go there and give him the result he desires. It’s you so you must play. I was devastated, I went to his assistant late Stephen Keshi, may his soul rest in peace, who told me in very clear terms that he cannot do anything about it as the coach has taken his decision so I had no choice but to go and play from the left. The night before the game I could not sleep. I put my mind to it because you are going to play in Lagos and whenever I put on that Nigeria jersey, I never wanted to be at fault, I always wanted to be at my best, always wanted to give the best, so I was thinking, oh my God what will Nigerians be thinking about me if I don’t play well, even though they know it’s my wrong position. God willing, it turned out to be my best ever game for Nigeria and I was really proud and happy.

LEFT OUT OF FINAL STARTING 11

Well, it’s really tactical switch again, I think Austin Okocha didn’t play in the semi-final against South-Africa because of card problems and in the final Bonfrere changed his mind that maybe the Cameroonians will put all their minds and concentrations on me because of my semi-final performance. I thought if he had fielded me it would have been an opportunity for the other players to penetrate but only Bonfrere can answer that question. I later came on for George Finidi but it was not quite the same situation. (Nigeria lost the match to Cameroon on penalties).

WHY I STAYED HUMBLE FOREVER

Maybe that is me, it’s easy for me to stay humble, even when I was playing, wherever I go people rush to me, I attend to them, in my house is filled with people, in the streets whoever knows me knows the kind of person I am. I don’t even think it’s a good thing for me to be saying who I am, let people say who I am, not me saying it. I am just humble, but I don’t know, it’s just nature, I am just soft minded. As a professional when you reach the stage of a superstar you can always take that, even now that we are retired, some will let us be at peace but they also show their respect to you, some will greet you some will point at you, but you get used to it and just be yourself.

MEDIA FRENZY OVER MY MARRIAGE

I knew there would be lots of media frenzy concerning my marriage. I knew and I saw it coming because it was in 2000, we were all at the peak of our careers and whatever we do the media will always jump at it. We just do what we had to do. It was memories we can’t forget. By the way my wife, Rabah, is Daniel Amokachi’s wife’s sister so I met her through Daniel and his wife Nadia. That’s how I got to know her and when I saw her she could not even speak English, she spoke only French and Arabic then and we lost contact. I only showed her that I like her and I spoke with the sister and after one year she got back to me because she had now learnt English.

BRINGING QUALITY FOOTBALLS TO NIGERIA

I once had a million dollar deal to bring quality footballs to Nigeria. That was around 2004. I was then in China when I met some people from Thailand and I brought the people down to Nigeria to see how hard the ground is so they can make samples of the ball for me. I was about bringing the balls down here and do other things but then at that point I was about stopping football and many things came in. I had to think about what I was going to do in retirement and eventually I didn’t bring the balls but it’s still one of the things I plan to do soon.

REHABILITATING STREET KIDS

After my career, I was more into management in Holland which I learnt a lot from. When I came to Nigeria sometimes you have to help the kids in one way or another and I brought this project to Sokoto state as well as Taraba state which I discussed with the governors. It’s going to be a very great thing. Most of the kids now are not thinking of how to grow gradually. They are just thinking about going to Europe only without cutting their teeth in Nigeria. They are just like, who is going to take me to Europe? Wihh this kind of project you can say it’s sort of sports rehabilitation project where you can tell the governor you want 100 or 150 kids whom I will rehabilitate, show them the importance of football and life after football and rehabilitate them in many ways.

DIEGO MARADONA IS BEST EVER

Diego Amando Maradona to me will always be the number one player in football history. Pele is a good player in his own rights. If you look at the generations Pele and Maradona are two completely different kinds of players, and if you see what Maradona did at the 1986 World Cup you could see his overall impact as he decided the games. Yes! Pele was Pele but he also had giants like Jarzinho, Garrincha, Carlos Alberto and Tostao around him throughout and he was simply special but not a one-man army that Maradona, was especially at the Mexico 1986. He was simply unstoppable and singlehandedly gave Argentina the FIFA World Cup of 1986, Maradona was simply the single hero in every game he played.

BEST EVER WORLD CUP GAME

The best ever World Cup game I watched growing up was the 1982 FIFA World Cup cracker between Brazil and Italy. It’s simple unforgettable because as at that time Nigeria had never gone to the World Cup and most Nigerians always lined up behind the yellow jerseys of Brazil but I am sure that all the people who lined up that day behind Brazil were shocked at the end as they were not prepared for the fact that Brazil would lose or would not be winners that year. It’s a game one can never forget forever, a true classic. (Italy won 3-2, Paolo Rossi grabbing a hat-trick).