Air Martins!
By Ikenwa Nnabuogor
It was just a matter of time before Obafemi Martins would bring his goals, back flips and mouth watering performances back home with the Super Eagles, and he sure did, with time.
Worth the wait was the newest title of the box office smash that Martins came to be with the Super Eagles and leaving with his tails up on calling time, completed a sweet Eagles’ story for the talented fiery front man.
His journey had taken him straight out of Ebiede FC, out of Nigeria to Regianna, modest Italian club, where he was briefly parked before giants Inter Milan pounced on him. The rest, they say, is history.
Churchill Oliseh, super agent and brother to former Super Eagles’ captain Sunday Oliseh had unearthed this rare gem from the hidden rocks of Lagos and ferried him to Europe without thoughts of trying him out on the local scene.
To the super agent, trying out Martins in the local league was a waste of time as he was ripe enough for the Euro markets.
Oliseh had struck a deal with Regianna whilst his younger brother and ex-Eagles’ captain, Sunday, was playing there and opening the line of business with Martins was a deal struck in gold.
Oliseh knew his prodigy wasn’t to be tested okay here on the local scene, he had seen him enough as a non-leaguer for his pet team and only the top was where he wanted him to be.
Martins never disappointed his minder and just six months into his Regianna stay, he leapt to Inter, setting the bar highest for himself.
The Primavera league (youth league) appeared too small for Martins to compete as his incredible skill, speed, burst of goals and a dead left foot were just the recipes the Inter senior team needed. Martins had just been left off the hook. He spent just six months!
It seemed Martins was waiting for the big occasion to grab the headlines and re-write the Italian primavera history, it was as good as it got for the diminutive missile bomber.
One, two, three… Martins’s astronomical rise in stocks was novel, Inter were in for a big cash day for just a kid they got for a few Euros. Days rolled by, Martins, like the old wine, kept tasting better.
Along came his backflips, Inter fans were always waiting for and the Lagos-born star supplied in tons, setting the fashion city on fire.
Champions League exposure meant Martins exported his acrobatics out of Italy and the commentators also enjoyed it.
Leave him a yard or worse still, half a yard, watering was almost going to be Martins’s mouth and dejected was the goalkeepers’ faces, retrieving the balls from the back of net.
Eagles were waiting while Martins was doing his thing and growing in confidence with every passing game and it was just a deal worth the wait as Martins finally agreed to become an Eagle.
Did he not prove the wait was worth it in gold?
Republic of Ireland didn’t know what hit them as he caused more Irish eyes to cry with well taken two goals as Eagles turned them back 2-0 in a friendly in London. Martins never looked back!
Fans loved to see him play, enjoyed his acrobats and wished he scored in all his games for Eagles to see those exciting wheeling he did with his legs.
Games after games, Martins was scaling the high bars he set for himself at Inter and would move on when it was time. He did move on to Newcastle United and made Inter £9million richer. Good business for the Italian side that also got him for nothing from Regianna.
Martins hardly got nothing to prove again at St.James’s Park, he’s got all his sparks well documented and was only at the Magpies to advance his game and his pockets.
Again, the Toon Army fans were treated to sumptuous goal celebrations by the Nigerian acquisition whose goals did nothing to improve their league title aspirations.
By the time Martins left England, he had decorated himself with an FA Cup title he grabbed in the colours of Birmingham City.
China, Spain and US, the MLS followed suit before he was done with the beautiful game.
History will always remember him for the great things he did with many clubs’ and as well as his national team colours.
