I convinced Keshi, didn’t bribe to play at 2014 W’Cup – Babatunde

Nigerian midfielder, Michael Babatunde, reflects on his football career and making a name for himself at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in this interview with ABIODUN ADEWALE

You became popular among Nigerian football followers during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but not much has been heard about you afterwards. What have you been up to with football?

I have never stopped playing football since then and I’ve been to different parts of the world, doing what I love doing most. I would say it hasn’t been easy but God has been good to me, especially in my career. I recently won a title in Uzbekistan with Mash’al Mubarek FC, helping the team gain promotion to the first division as well. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world and a lot of great players don’t make it to that level, but look at me, it was the 2014 World Cup that announced me to Nigerians. I thank God for Keshi, who was the one coach who believed in me and gave me the chance at the 2014 World Cup and I proved myself too. It’s not easy to represent the country, talk of playing at the World Cup. It was a lifetime dream that came true for me.

So, how did you begin your career?

My dad was a goalkeeper but he was not a professional. He used to have a team he played for and he would take me to their training. I would say my love started from there and I became multi-talented in sports. I represented my school in the Principal’s Cup, ran for my school and also played table tennis but football is the one that gave me the most sense of fulfilment. I started at Great Olympic and I joined the Water Football Academy. I started my career professionally with Heartland in the NPFL before I moved to Ukraine and played for three clubs; Kryvbas, Volyn Lutsk and Dnipro. Then I played for the two biggest teams in Morocco; Raja Casablanca and Wydad. I have also played in Qatar before moving to Laci in Albania and now in Uzbekistan.

Before joining Heartland in 2010, I tried playing for the U-17 and U-20 teams but it didn’t work until coach Samson Siasia gave me a chance with the U-23 team. I remember scoring against Guatemala in Egypt. Keshi then saw me at the U-23 training and invited me to the Super Eagles before the World Cup in Brazil. I was part of the World Cup and the Confederation Cup.

Why didn’t you make the U-17 and U-20 teams?

I was at Water Football Academy then and my agent Nureni Makanjuola took me to the camp. But I was dropped because I didn’t have a club. I felt very bad because I knew I was better than some of the players in that squad but that’s the way football can be. The coach called me and said, “you’re a very talented player but you’re in an academy”. But I was doing well. My first invite was under the likes of coach Abimbola, Monday Odigie and Henry Nwosu. After that, my manager took me to the U-20 camp again but I was dropped again for the same reason. But in all of these, Makanjuola would always encourage me. He even told me I would play with Messi and that came to pass. A few days after that failure, we also went to the home-based Super Eagles camp in Abuja and I was asked which club I was playing for. Then one defender, Ike ThankGod was surprised I was that good and without a club. He called the Heartland president for me and I was signed by the club. I was signed to replace Stanley Okoro then. From Heartland, my story changed.

How did you handle the pressure and surprise of joining a good squad that had won the AFCON in 2013 for the World Cup in 2014?

When my manager told me that I would get a national team invitation, I was a bit surprised. I was in Ukraine then. Nobody knew my club then, I was just doing my thing. So, I believe coach Keshi knew I could add something to the squad and I always believed in myself too.

You didn’t play the first game against Iran but you were a revelation in the game against Bosnia and Argentina, how did you fight for the shirt?

After the first game against Iran, everyone was not happy. I watched the game again and noted things that I could have done differently if I had been in that game because I used to play No.10 at my club side then. So, I went straight to coach Keshi’s room and told him I could slot into the midfield and offer something different as a playmaker. I said, ‘Big boss, I can play this position’. I told Keshi to play me in the next game but he was sceptical. He said he took a risk by bringing me to the World Cup, saying people have said he took money. So, I also said that if he didn’t believe in me, he wouldn’t take me to Brazil so he should give me the chance to prove myself. I remember he said, ‘Babatunde, I don’t want to put you under pressure’. I went to the assistant, coach Vale and he promised to speak with Keshi and in training, I was played in that position. Everyone was surprised by my performance in training. I scored goals and did a lot of things. Mikel Obi had to call me and say, ‘Babatunde, you’re very quick, I believe you can do it’. That made me happy and I thought I could even do more. That was how I got into the starting lineup and I played all my life in that game. After the game, the likes of Enyeama, Mikel and Osaze called me again to encourage me.

The injury against Argentina marked the end of your tournament, how bad was that incident?

I remember Onazi played a shot, I was trying to dodge it but it hit my arm and I broke my arm as a result. I was crying because I wanted to continue the game but it was impossible. I was already involved in our first goal, providing the assist for Ahmed Musa. I felt bad that my tournament was over, but I took solace in the fact that I made a big impact in the two games I played. Injuries are part of football. It was a shot but it turned out to be a bad injury. Thank God for life. Sometimes, when you are playing football, your blood system and every organ are fully active, so if a ball hits you in that situation with that kind of force, it tends to cause such damage. That’s why you see players having concussions too.

You didn’t get any chance again in the Super Eagles after the World Cup what happened?

I had a lot of offers after the World Cup. Stoke City, Sunderland and all the clubs wanted me to start pre-season but I was injured, so we couldn’t do any deal.  The injury held me down for six months and things just changed. So I went back to my club in Ukraine for rehabilitation. I would say the injury cost me another chance in the national team and other deals.

With your short time in the national team, do you have regrets about not returning?

I don’t regret anything. I would have loved to win a title with Nigeria but I’ve played at the biggest level for Nigeria which is the World Cup. George Weah was the best player in the world in 1995 but he doesn’t have a World Cup appearance. The national team is soldier go, soldier come barrack remains. My advice for younger players is to give their 100 per cent when they have the chance.

You were recently decorated by your club in Uzbekistan. How did you transform them to get such an honour?

Football in Uzbekistan is good. Playing there was a challenge because I’ve been in Africa and Europe and I made my name by helping the club. I didn’t expect they would honour me like that, so I am happy. It’s the second time in my life that I felt like a king. I know they won’t forget me; they have my mural there already. I don’t know if I will play there next season because I have offers. I still want to explore another country and conquer another challenge. I see myself as someone who came from nothing to something.

Just like Ahmed Musa, Shehu Abdullahi and Brown Ideye, do you also fancy the possibility of returning to the NPFL shortly?

If you watch all Brazilian players, they go back to their country to end their careers. I would be happy to do that as well after my sojourn abroad. It would be special and will boost the image of the league. I started my career at Heartland, so If I wasn’t to come back, maybe a team in Lagos.