Nigerian football legend Segun Odegbami has revealed that he once had the opportunity to join Tottenham Hotspur, but an unexpected decision during his trip to England ended up costing him the chance.
Odegbami, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated footballers, travelled to England after national team coach Kojo Alakija helped arrange an opportunity for him to be assessed by the north London club.
However, instead of turning up for the scheduled trial, the former Shooting Stars star spent the night at the Empire Ballroom.
He was dancing.
Recalling the extraordinary episode on ThePlayzone podcast, Odegbami admitted that he never made it to Tottenham’s training ground.
“I went there for a trial, and I ended up in the Empire Ballroom dancing with ….. and I never went.”
Had the move gone ahead, Odegbami could have become one of the earliest Nigerian players to feature for Tottenham, long before John Chiedozie and other Nigerians later represented the club.
Odegbami’s career remained exceptional
Although the Tottenham opportunity slipped away, Odegbami went on to enjoy an outstanding career with Shooting Stars.
The former forward spent 14 years with the Ibadan-based club and became one of the most recognisable players in Nigerian football.
He was also a key member of the Nigeria side that won the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations and earned considerable recognition on the continent during his peak.
Odegbami recalled his achievements in the African Player of the Year rankings, saying he was among the first Nigerian players to reach the latter stages of the award.
“I was first to be listed in the top ten in Africa. I was the first to be the third-best player in Africa. I was the first to be the second-best in Africa.”
The former Nigeria international believes he could have gone one step further and won the prestigious award in 1984.
Injury ended his African Player of the Year hopes
Odegbami pointed to Shooting Stars’ run in the African Cup of Champions Clubs that year as a major opportunity to strengthen his claim for the individual honour.
He believes victory in the competition could have put him in pole position for the award.
“I should have won the African Best Player award in 1984 if we had won in Lagos the African Cup of Champions Clubs.”
However, his hopes suffered a major blow when he was injured during the semi-final stage.
“In the semifinals, I got injured. I was on course to becoming Africa’s best player.”
Despite that disappointment, Odegbami continued to build an impressive legacy with Shooting Stars.
