Rags to riches: Unforgettable fairytales of footballers

Life, they say, is a journey with a lot of unfolding mysteries, to some a pleasant one and some others the opposite.

Little wonder Guglielmo Marconi once said, “The mystery of life is certainly the most persistent problem ever placed before the thought of man…”

In the face of the prevailing economic crunch, some weak-minded individuals would quickly think there is no hope of tomorrow because of the challenges of today, but that is a fallacy.

The fairy tales of some notable footballers who moved from rags to riches are evidence that with focus and hard work, success is inevitable.

Some years ago, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha sold oranges in the streets of Enugu to help his mother meet family food demands.

However, as it is said, that is in the past, as the Nigerian football legend is now a multi-million.

Okocha started playing football on the streets of Enugu before fortunes smiled on him through his football skills.

“As far as I can remember, we used to play with anything, with any round thing we could find, and whenever we managed to get hold of a ball, that was a bonus! I mean it was amazing!”

In 1990, Okocha went on holiday to West Germany, the country that had just won the 1990 FIFA World Cup, so he could watch a German league football.

A year later, he joined FC Saarbrücken. He stayed there for two seasons before moving to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he destroyed Oliver Kahn. The rest, as they say, is now history.

Today, Jay-Jay Okocha is living in affluence, a man, who was once in slum.

Victor Osimhen, the last child of seven siblings, lost his mother, while his father lost his job, leaving him and his siblings in the dark world of uncertainty.

His early childhood experience was faced with insecurity, poverty, and the recurrent fear of eviction by the government.

As a teenager, Osimhen found himself in a situation no child would pray for. His family could only afford one of the many makeshift houses around the popular Olusosun rubbish dump, which was declared illegal by the Lagos State government then because of the noticeable environmental risks from the emission of thick smoke, foul smell, and routine fire outbreaks.

Besides, the location was a hideout for criminals, who concealed dangerous weapons and hard drugs inside the massive garbage.

To make ends meet, Osimhen used to chase after vehicles selling sachet water, popularly known as ‘pure water’ then.

He sold sachet water on the ever-busy Lagos roads but kept an eye on football, playing the game on streets in his neighbourhood, as well as joining the youth side Ultimate Strikers Academy.

Just like his never-say-die attitude on the pitch, he didn’t give up.