By Toby Prince
Rewind
Just a month ago, Wolverhampton Wanderers keeper, Carl Onora Ikeme, spoke of his international ambitions and how he wished to represent Nigeria, his fatherland.
“My dad was born there and a lot of my family are still in Nigeria, so it would mean something to myself and my whole family,” he said.
Fast-forward
Carl Ikeme was enjoying an afternoon nap when his phone began buzzing away. Waking from his slumber, the 29-year-old glanced over to see an unfamiliar number. That unknown caller ID would mark the start of an unexpected adventure at African Cup of Nations this month.
@carl_Ikeme wrote on Twitter: “Very excited to be involved in my first Nigeria squad!! Thank you for all your kind messages and support.”
Reacting to his invitation, an astonished Ikeme further told BBC Sports “I thought it was a joke.”
The player’s wish has finally been granted in less than a month, what a miracle. He was named among coach Sunday Oliseh’s 18-man foreign pros to execute the AFCON 2017 qualifier against Tanzania in Dar es Salam on September 5.
An unpopular name in his native homeland, the question on the lips of football fans in Nigeria and beyond is, who exactly is Ikeme?
Background
Carl Ikeme was born in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England in 1986 to a Nigerian father of the Igbo tribe of South-Eastern Nigeria.
Ikeme progressed through the Wolverhampton Wanderers academy and made the first team squad in their 2003-04 Premier League season.
Early days
Due to his age, he lacked experience and needed to go out on loan in search of first team football. He had spells on loan at League Two sides Accrington Stanley and Stockport Country in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
Professional career
After two successive loan spells away from the club, Ikeme finally returned to Wolves and got his breakthrough immediately. He made his debut for his beloved Wolves the following season in a 5-1 win over Chester City in the League Cup on August 23, 2005.
Injuries and a dip in form saw the Nigerian fall down the pecking order and had further loan spells at Charlton, QPR, Leicester City, Middlesbrough and Doncaster Rovers.
He returned to Wolves in the 2012-13 championship season and has never looked back ever since.
Why now?
About eight years ago, a relatively unknown 20-year-old goalie was included in Berti Vogts first 37-man provisional squad, alongside Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor, who later chose England instead.
As it is the case with many Anglo-Nigerians, a young and naïve Ikeme was still uncertain about his international future.
A dicey situation, Ikeme wasn’t particularly sure about his interest in Nigeria during his early days and saw the country as a backup, that is, if his England dreams stalls.
“I’ve not gone one way or the other. The Nigeria thing came up a few years ago and so everyone has associated me with Nigeria, but I’ve not decided on anything. It’s just a case of waiting and seeing how my career goes really. I’ll just see where I end up,” Ikeme told Sunday Mercury in 2013.
On his England dream he said:
“It seems like a long way off for me at the minute. Obviously with football you never kno. Things can change in an instant, but it is not something I have really thought about”
What does Ikeme bring to the table?
With over 10 years of top-notch football action across English three elite divisions, Ikeme brings the much needed experience, exposure and competition to already established number one, Vincent Enyeama.
Going forward
Ikeme is still young for a goalkeeper, at just 29, he still has a lot to offer Nigerian football. Maybe not the best in the world or in the class of Enyeama, but looking at the goal-keeping dilemma in the absence of Enyeama, the addition of the Wolves man is a welcome development.
