Super Falcons and Atasehir Belediyesi of Turkey defender Onome Ebi,
was heralded as one of the most exciting defensive prospects in the Turkish
Female top league. She has duly delivered on that promise both for the national
team and at club level, and is now regarded as one of the most competent and
reliable defender in the female Turkish league according to analyst. Apart from
her tiny stature, the unflappable Atasehir Belediyesi is quick, strong and
dominant in the air.
To be a consistent dominant in a league like Turkey, you
must possess a key stature of Emmanuel Emenike who shunned like millions of
stars in the country but the case was not for Onome who translated her name as
“My Own”. She grabs headlines at her first season in the league leading
Atasehir Belediyesi to title glory as the captain of the team.
The 29 year old has almost everything except big stature.
Strong in the tackle and commanding in the air, the former Bayelsa Queens in
the Nigerian Championship was outstanding in the 2010 African Women Championship
as the Falcons won the title. In this in-depth exclusive interview, she
revealed the quality of her man, her next dream in the Super Falcons, and other
great issues...
You have been in
Turkey for almost five years. How have you been able to cope with life in the
country?
It’s been nice for me because I always stayed focus with
what I came here to do. I am really enjoying myself both off and on the pitch.
I enjoy the culture and every moment as well.
You have played in
Sweden with Djurgårdens IF in Sweden's Damallsvenskan in 2010. It seems Turkey
is more glorious to you than Swedish league?
I enjoyed myself in Sweden as well. Sweden is a nice
country and a wonderful place to play soccer as a lady, they have the facilities
to train and equip you to good shapes, but I must confess to you that Turkey
has brought more glory to my career and I enjoyed the country mostly because of
the weather and a better contract. Another factor is that Sweden is tough in
soccer while Turkey is just coming up in female soccer and they are really
doing wonderfully well in terms of facilities. Sweden is a pro side while
Turkey is an armature side. I have been able to justify my contract with the
club and that is why they loved seeing me at every point in time.
You must have been
a rich female player with your lucrative contract offer with the club…
I am neither rich nor poor but I am very contented with
what I am earning for now. And God is really blessing my needs. God has not
made me to lack anything as far as I am concern and I must confess to you that
it’s great playing in the league.
In your first
trophy in Turkey, you captained the team to glory and played in UEFA Champions
League as a dream. What else did you dream to achieve more with the club?
There are lots of things I still dream with my club, I
still want us to win the titles for many years and also to win the UEFA
Champions league. I have so many dreams for years to come and also to be one of
the best players in the UEFA categories and I believe it is achievable. Leading
my team to glory was a wonderful day for me which I will never forget in my
life. I was giving the chance and became a great honour for me and my career
and that is why I said Turkey is home of blessings for me.
You have played at
three female senior World cup, one Olympics games, and an Africa Women
Championships. How will you count your blessings in the national team?
Hmmm, with sincerity National team has been so great for
me. It has really helped at club level. I always have good memories of the
national assignment and I wish my dreams for the team will come true soon.
There are lots of great times in the team, right from the camping to
tournament, I always enjoy the activities at the camping and the motivation of
the Nigeria football Federation over the recent years and that is why we have
never the country down in terms of female glory. I will say this is my peak in
the national team, I have just started and I would love to take the team to the
finals of the world cup that is my dream.
But you girls
couldn’t prove much of your strengths at the last edition of AWC in South
Africa. Were you disappointed?
It’s not only me but the entire team, but I believe we
will prove better in the next coming edition. We want to rule Africa for years
despite the fact that there are no underdogs in Africa again but we will put
smiles in the faces of Nigerians again. We are the giants of Africa and we
still remain for good.
In Turkey, which
lovely place did you like to visit for shopping or relaxation off the match
days?
There are lovely places in Turkey to go for shopping but
I prefer Istanbul, the most visited and enjoyable city and that is my city
where my club is. People came from other countries to shop in Istanbul being
the central of Turkey and it’s really fun here.
How did you cope
with language in the country?
It was big factor when I first came in, it made life so
miserable for me because I don’t understand the language but with time and the
mission of coming to play and achieve results, I had no choice than to learn
the language, though I’m still learning it. I think I can understand some
training languages and others but it’s really difficult.
How far have u
been learning the language now?
I have stayed in Turkey going to five years now, then, I
wasn’t interested on learning the language because I never intend staying for
long but now I am learning so fast because there is future here for me.
Why did you not
plan to stay long in turkey before now?
Yeah! Like I earlier said the league is armature and I
never thought they could meet up my request, but to my surprise they did and
that is why I sealed up my mind to continue and it been a great one for me now.
I have been wishing to play the UEFA champions league someday and at last I did
here in Turkey with my club, what I was looking for as a player I found it here
in Turkey.
That means playing
in Turkey has been the best in your career?
I will say yes for now.
How did you relax
off the pitch?
I will say it sometimes boring because I just stay at
home close to my laptop, I do hang out with friends and mostly shopping take my
time a lot too.
And it seems you
mostly spend time on facebook…
Not really but I have most of my fans in here so I just
come to reply them and post update. And remember social networks have made life
easy for boring moment. You can easily log into your account and share some
post and feelings. But I am not addicted to it at any circumstances.
What is your best
moment in the National team?
(whaoo) That was when we won the African Women
Championship in 2010 and that happened to be my first international trophy and
it was a great honour.
Obviously, you
must have been in a relationship. Can you reveal the lucky man to us?
I am still single…
You mean there is
room for proposal?
Hmmmmm... I am single so when I come across love I go for
it.
What is your ideal
man?
A hard working person with self respect and God fearing.
Of which
profession?
Profession does not matter but love
Even a footballer?
It does not matter if love takes me there and it real,
why not? What I want is good home. I am having good soccer career what will it
take me to have a good marital home and that is why I am taking my time and I
will not regret it of course.
What is your plan
like after soccer retirement?
I still want to further my education and hopefully going
to study Sports administration and become one of administrator in Nigeria. I
love sport, I love what I am doing and I think going into administration is an
ideal thing for me and that is what I want after my retirement.
That means you
have an eye in Nigeria Football Federation seat in the future?
Why not? It is my vision and it will really work well for
me having play the game to the highest level and I am seeing everything that is
happening now, learning one or two things from different administration, then I
can use their own knowledge to manipulate my own get it. They are really doing
well at the NFF, things have really changed for good both for male and female and
that is why we are seeing results and I will like to be there and contribute my
own knowledge into it then.
Did you think the
Nigerian Football Federation have been so fair to the falcons team in terms of
match bonus and gifts?
As far as I am concern, they are trying their best, they
raised our match bonus at the last AWC and I believe they can always get better
in doing well for the female football. I understand what you are saying due to
the money jamboree for the Super Eagles for wining their third Nations Cup in
19 years but I will still like them to do more and justify the country’s proud
in them. I believe that NFF will surely get us close in terms of the match
bonus in the future.
What is the
meaning of your name ‘ONOME’
My adorable name means ‘my own.’ So I want my own
husband, my own life and my own success.
Unlike male
footballers, female footballers do not like exotic cars. What can kind of car
is yours?
Like you said, I am not a car freak person. I don’t have
eyes for exotic cars but I love range rover and unfortunately I don’t drive in
Turkey. I drive in Nigeria when occasion demands but I love Range Rover.
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