Speaking to The Nation Sports & Style recently, the Lazio FC midfield
maestro reflected on his career and life in the ancient city and noted that he’s
enjoying every bit of life in the ‘beautiful city’.
Hear him:
“When I got to Lazio I was put in Team B, so I had to work very hard in
training and on the pitch to achieve lots of strength and stability in the
team. I was desperate for success and everybody in the team knew. I was quite
young at that time and knew that to command regular shirt would be tough. I knew
the only way to achieve my dream of first team shirt was to be committed and
dedicated. So when I got the opportunity I was able to justify the first team
shirt. I was born to play and be great. I love the club and the cosy life in
Lazio. The city is also beautiful. The fans and the management of the club are
fantastic and I have never regretted my life in the team because I am already
living my dream.”
Onazi, for many that do not know him too well, is a
‘promised child’.
Until recently when he became a household name being
sought by Eagles handler, Stephen Keshi, to hold his midfield alongside Mikel
Obi, Onazi was a youngster in the colours of My People FC; a youth team put
together by televangelist TB Joshua.
While Onazi was a key player in Nigeria’s recent
Africa Cup of Nations’ victory, this was not the first time that the 20-year-old
has been brought to public attention. In fact, few players have been raised and
developed with such expectation and anticipation as Onazi. His progress has
long been a subtle narrative for Nigerians.
Onazi and his compatriot, Sani Emmanuel, were
selected for the Nigerian U17 team before long and soon earned moves to Europe,
and to Italian giants, Lazio.
Since the transfer, Onazi has flourished, and at the
time of writing this piece has taken his game to the national level. Onazi, who
has identified Chelsea as an ideal future home, speaks on other issues.
Excerpts:
Flying
high with Eagles
I will like to say I have been so fortunate to
maintain my regularity in the national team. It was not that I am perfect in
commanding regular shirts but I think God has been so helpful to me not only in
Super Eagles but in my career generally. I came into the national team with
passion and visions and I thank God my dreams are perfectly coming through.
Patience
in career
My career generally has something to do with time. I
endured a lot with prayer and determination to get to this level of my career.
It took me lots of patience because I have believed in God’s time, which is the
best. During my endurance, I tried as much to learn a lot of things in the game
and also held my determination to be a better player. So I would like to say, the
awaited time of God is paving ways to my success at the moment.
Afcon
glory
I was born to be a champion. I will forever be a
living champion because I have been ordained to live, conquer and be
successful. I went to South Africa with a huge confidence. But I never
disclosed it to anybody. The game of football is about one philosophy; you must
not doubt your mind, the moment you doubt your faith, it will definitely shake off.
I went to the tournament with big faith of winning. Even when critics started kicking
against the team, my faith was intact. I had that belief that Eagles would
conquer in South Africa and it became stronger when we beat Cote’d’ Ivoire. I
see the Ivoirians as the tournament’s main threat to the Super Eagles and we
handled the game well. That was when our critics started believing that we
could go all the way to win the trophy.
God-made
When you work in God’s directions and obey his
commandment, you are bound for greatness. I am God-made because I dedicate
everything I have to him because he has been wonderful to me at every point of
my career. The first thing I do on waking up is to praise his name before any
other thing. And I always see that effect in my daily activities because I have
put him before anything.
Making
waves in Lazio
When I got to Lazio I was put in Team B, so I had to
work very hard in training and on the pitch to achieve lots of strength and
stability in the team. I was desperate for success and everybody in the team
knew that. I was quite young at that time and knew that to command a regular
shirt would be tough. I knew the only way to achieve my dream of first team shirt
was to be committed and dedicated. So when I got the opportunity I was able to
justify the first team shirt.
I was born to play and be great. I love the club and
the cosy life in Lazio. The city is also beautiful. The fans and the management
of the club are fantastic and I have never regretted my life in the team
because I am already living my dream.
Onazi,
the midfielder
I improve with every action tasted in Lazio and that
is the magic of my game. I work hard to play better than my last game. I don’t
believe I can’t do anything my mates are doing. I think it is a general thing in
a footballer’s career; the more you play, the better you become intelligently.
Consistency has really paid off for me because I find joy mostly on the pitch
especially when I am doing my job well. However, I am not yet there because there
are many great footballers in the world today, that is why I am not resting on
my oars. I am taking my game higher, higher and higher every day. As a
midfielder, you must be dynamic in your style of play and let your team mates
feel your impact either in defending or offence; so I am putting lots of
creativity into my games.
Positivity
I love living a positive life even in the world of
negativity. I am always positive.
Off
the pitch
I play snooker to unwind. I can never get tired of
it. It is another great game that I love with a passion. I play the game well and
my teammates know I’m really good at it. 
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