It is impossible to list Nigeria’s top 10 goalkeepers of all time without a mention of his name. He is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers that have ever played in Nigeria’s football league and represented the country at the national level.
ke Shorunmu
From the defunct Concord Football Club (FC) to Stationery Stores FC, both of Lagos and the darling team of Ibadan, Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) to Basel FC in Switzerland and Besiktas FC of Turkey, among others, current Super Eagles goalkeepers’ trainer, Ike Shorunmu, really knows where the shoe pinches when it comes to standing between the sticks.
Looking back at his playing days, Shorunmu confessed that goalkeeping is very difficult, but is quick to add that a goalkeeper must be very alert to succeed.
He said: “You have to be really stable to be a good goalkeeper. Reflexes can come, depending also on the kind of coach you have; but you need to have the confidence.
“Your ball handling must be very good and you have to be someone that can absorb pressure, because if you cannot, you can’t get anywhere.”
He cited what happened to Super Eagles third choice goalkeeper, Chigozie Agbim, at the last African Nations Championship (CHAN) held in South Africa early this year and said Agbim needs to be praised than cursed for his determination to continue till the end of CHAN.
“What happened to Agbim could have happened to any goalkeeper. It happens to a lot of great goalkeepers like Peter Schmiechel, Jens Lehman, Oliver Kahn, David Seaman, to mention a few.
“As a goalkeeper, you need to have the charisma and confidence to man the post and withstand any pressure. If you cannot, then you can’t stay long,” he said.
He, therefore, called on young and up-and-coming goalkeepers to be focused, determined and have confidence to excel in their chosen profession.
Ike Anobi, as he was fondly called during his days with Stationery Stores FC of Lagos, recalled one of his memorable moments with the Super Eagles and picked Nigeria’s match against Argentina in the Korea/Japan 2002 FIFA World Cup played on June 2, 2002 at the Ibaraki Stadium, Kashima.
He gave praises to Argentine player, Gabriel Batistuta, who made the difference in the match by scoring the only goal of the encounter.
He said: “It was a match I will never forget in my life. A very tough match. After the match, I got lots of calls, appreciation from my followers and till today, that’s the match. At club level, there were lots of matches.”
On Nigeria’s chances at the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup, Shorunmu called for caution, especially in the matches against Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
He said: “Believe me, we will find it more difficult with Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina than Argentina because people feel oh, Argentina, we know them.
“But what of Bosnia and Iran that we don’t know? A team that you don’t know is more dangerous than the one you know. We try to concentrate on Iran and Bosnia, ensure we win the matches and then take on Argentina in the last group match.
“Most importantly, we need to be focused with our team and then determination comes in before the zeal to excel.”
He therefore called on Nigerians, especially football lovers, to pray for the success of the team in Brazil.
“We want to go there and do our best and leave the rest. We don’t want to get there and put ourselves under unnecessary pressure, but we are going there to make Nigerians proud.
“Fine, we know what we want from our hearts and the hearts of Nigerians. What we want to speak out for us is our game and, Insha Allah, things will work the way we want them to work, and with the prayers and support of Nigerians, we will go far in the Mundial,” he said.
Shorunmu’s fact file
• Shorunmu was born in Lagos on October 16, 1967.
• After a few years in Nigeria, he moved to play in Switzerland, and made his mark there.
• He was bought by Turkish club, Beşiktaş J.K. in 1999 for $2.4 million – but the club released him with the thought that he spent too much time with the national team.
• He later played for other Swiss and Turkish clubs like FC Zurich, Basel, Lucene, Samsunspor and Juventus Zurich.
• He was brought into the Nigerian national team by Coach Clemens Westerhof in 1992. He eventually became the first-choice goalkeeper of the national team for some time, and played at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
• Was goalkeeper coach for the national team between 2005 and 2007 as well as for Enyimba FC between 2007 and 2010.
• In 2010, he left Enyimba and was hired in the same capacity for Heartland FC.
• He came back as the national team goalkeeper coach in 2011.
