Nigerians are fighters
Two months ago, this publication had the privilege of getting a behind-the-scenes look at the advertisement that is currently being aired on worldwide television of the new adidas Predator boot. Two of three locally-based players, Thabiso Monyane and Olisa Ndah, were selected to debut the boot, which is worn by the likes of Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham and Liverpool’s mainstay Trent Alexander-Arnold. Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver managed to speak to Orlando Pirates centreback Ndah, who unfortunately could not don his new tools at the 2 02 3 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, as injury meant he could not feature for the Nigerian national team. Considering the Super Eagles faced off with Bafana Bafana in the semifinals, it would have been quite an interesting battle between him and Mzansi’s attackers, whom he faces on a weekly basis in the DStv Premiership. In this interview, the dreadlocked star talks about his meteoric rise since touching down in the southernmost tip of the continent, the elite mentality boasted by players from his country, and more…
Delmain Faver: Olisah, it must be a really big honour that you are one of three locally-based players that were selected to debut the new adidas Predator boots. Could you give us your thoughts on the boot, which is now being seen all over the world?
Olisa Ndah: I’ll say I was excited, you see. Yeah… and I really like how the boot, it’s really nice. The other one was heavy, but this is a bit lighter, and I like the texture. And yeah, there’s a lot of details on it, so I’m really happy.
DF: When you are selecting a boot as a player, which elements are you looking for? Because sometimes the ones that look good are not maybe the most comfortable, but at times the most comfortable ones don’t look the part.
ON:
So, I look for comfort and then weight. I like this one, yeah. I’m very comfortable in it and I think the most important thing is the comfort, first of all, because you can’t be playing with your feet hurting and stuff like that. So, yeah, firstly, for me it is always comfort first, then I check the weight, then I train with them and I see how I feel in them. I think the colours are beautiful, something different from what they (adidas) have been doing before, and I think this boot, anyone can wear it because it’s very comfortable. Apart from that, if you are, like, a low-key kind of player and you don’t like flashy things, you can also wear the boot because it’s light and it’s comfortable for everyone.
DF: Now, as a ball-playing centreback, how important is your boot choice? It’s often said that you can’t work without the proper tools…
ON:
It’s very important because it determines how you are going to play because if the boot is bad, you are going to be struggling and you won’t be really focused on the game. But with a boot like this, I think you would be very comfortable and you can play exactly how you wanna play. You are not worried. I’m very glad and I’m very happy about the comfort there.
DF: Switching over to your time in South Africa, take us through how you got here because prior to you coming to South Africa, you had been playing in the Nigerian Premier League with Akwa United.
ON:
I think it’s been a wonderful journey because I’ve had good and bad experiences. I’m just grateful to God because He has brought me so far. I think I played in our league, the Premier League, for, like, three to four years and when I arrived here, I had wonderful coaches around me who helped me. You know, they guided me through everything from the beginning and when I got a chance, I had to prove a point.
DF: Like you said, there were some good stuff, and we reckon some bad stuff too as the journey of a footballer is never an easy one. Can you share some of the biggest challenges you had to face in getting to where you are?
ON:
I would say from Nigeria there’s a lot players and it’s very difficult to, like, play for the national team because there’s a lot of wonderful players. It’s not easy to get selected to play in our Premiership. It’s very difficult to play there. So, there were times I had to go for trials and stuff, and for me personally, I thought I did good, but I wasn’t selected and stuff like that. Most times you get frustrated, but I had to stay positive because I had good support from my family and my close ones. So, it made things easier for me. Also, like, injuries… I think that’s one of the biggest problems that we have as footballers.
DF: Well, now we are in a space where we speak so much about mental health in football. We wanna ask you, how important is it to have a strong mentality, especially when the injuries come, like you say, when the game-time starts drying up and all those challenges arise?
ON:
I think it’s very important because it also has to do with people you have around you. I think when you have the right people around you, you would be more focused. Like, I’ll use myself as an example. When I was injured, I was more focused on recovering. I was more focused on getting better, you know. Yeah, I was frustrated because it took a while, but I had to stay positive because it was something beyond my control. Speaking of my family, my dad, he used to play, you know. So, he really, like, talks to me every day. He keeps me straight and makes me
always think positive.
So, yeah, I had to work really hard, and when I came back and had an opportunity, I was glad I took it.
DF: Does it then make it even more difficult that you are so far away from your family and are in Johannesburg all by yourself?
ON:
Yeah, it does make it difficult because you only talk on the phone. I don’t really have family here and it’s quite difficult sometimes. Most times you miss home and stuff, but you know you are here for work. So, yeah, you can only speak to them on the phone, you will be having troubles and you need to, like, speak to someone and communicate. I’m very comfortable speaking with my family – my dad, my mom and my brother. So, yeah, maybe it’s easier for me in that sense.
DF: You spoke about how difficult it is to play in the Nigerian Premier League, how many players there are over there and how difficult it is to get into the national team. Is that level of competition the reason why Nigerian players seek greener pastures in South Africa?
ON:
Yeah, because from home you have, like, a very healthy competition. You know, it makes you stay focused and strong. At home, you might be very good, but when you look at someone that’s playing (in) your position and he is better, it makes you push. It pushes you a lot and it makes you stay focused and it gives you that edge, like, you know you have to stay strong no matter the situation. Yeah, like you said, the legends came here and they fought. You have to fight. Nigerians are fighters, you know. You have to always fight for your spot. You have to fight for it. So, yeah, we have that mentality.
DF: When you get into the Super Eagles set-up, you are surrounded by all of these superstars like Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze. Tell us what it’s like playing alongside these players.
ON:
Yeah, the atmosphere is nice because the guys are really nice and some of them are my friends from way back. So, yeah, they made it very easy for me and I felt very comfortable. I only have Taiwo Awoniyi, I’ve known him for long, (Victor) Osimhen… and they were my roommates in the U23s. So, we have a very good relationship and they make the camp very fun.