A successful marriage, according to Mignon McLaughlin,
requires falling in love many times and always with the same person.
No wonder, Paul Obiefule, Super Eagles' midfielder at the
2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, has crooned that he's still head over
heels in love with the Danish lady he met in 2004. Obiefule practically stole
some lines from the hit song by the British new wave band -Tears for Fears -
'Head over Heels': Something happens
and I'm head over heels; I never find out till I'm head over heels; Something
happens and I'm head over heels, as he spoke about the love of his life.
“You know the Bible tells us that having a good wife is a
blessing from God,” said Obiefule. “At every point in my career, I have been praying to God to give
me my own wife.
“I had to pray very well because I am a very simple,
easy-going person and I won't want any problem with my marriage. I can't
withstand pressures in my matrimonial life and that kept me praying every time
and by the grace of God, I finally got married in 2004.
“I actually met my wife (Omie) when I was then playing
for Viborg in Denmark. Initially, we were just friends, like with every
relationship, but as time went on, we extended it further by injecting love.
“I was charmed by her facial smiles. She wears her smile
always and she is the type that loves to be happy; that really got me attracted
to her. I'm really a lively person and was actually looking for a woman to
complement my happiness and I truly got one by the grace of God.
“She is not a dull person and we try to live a fun-filled
life and I'm so happy with the family that God has given to me,” he explained,
as he shed more light on the flip side of his soccer career which has seen him
spending almost a decade in the Nordics. Excerpts.
THE NORDICS AS
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Norway has been great to my career. I made huge impact in
all the teams I have played for and they treated me specially. It was great for
my career and also a great environment to live in. I'm lucky to have played in
Denmark, Sweden and Norway. I thank God for the entire journey so far. I
enjoyed living in the countries because of the flexibility of life and culture.
Right from Denmark, I have been feeling comfortable in the Scandinavia. That
also influenced my move to Norway because life is somehow easy only if you can
create your own environment. I have been fortunate and I am still enjoying my
career here well; life is also good in Finland because I was able to justify my
contract with the club. I used my experience and my ability to help them at
some points and they really appreciated my contributions. Why I could not stay
longer was because of their offer and they could not afford to strike a deal
beyond the six months, but I was able to maintain my fitness rate. The four
countries have almost the same culture and similar languages but Finland is the
only country that has a different language. But the weather and every other
thing are somehow the same. Yes, there
were speculations that I was going to leave for China but I'm comfortable in
this region, coupled with the fact that I have played here for nine years. I
started raising my family here and I'm comfortable. I am not saying I can't
live outside here, of course it's my career, but it has to take something more
tangible and interesting to be able to move my family from here.
MY WIFE AND I
You know the Bible tells us that having a good wife is a
blessing from God. At every point in my
career, I have been praying to God to give me my own wife. I had to pray very
well because I am a very simple, easy-going person and I won't want any problem
with my marriage. I can't withstand pressures in my matrimonial life and that
kept me praying every time and by the grace of God, I finally got married in
2004.
I actually met my wife (Omie) when I was then playing for
Viborg in Denmark. Initially, we were just friends, like in every relationship,
but as time went on, we extended it further by injecting love. I was charmed by
her facial smiles. She wears her smile always and she is the type that loves to
be happy; that really got me attracted to her. I'm really a lively person and
was actually looking for a woman to complement my happiness and I truly got one
by the grace of God. She is not a dull person and we try to live a fun-filled
life and I'm so happy with the family that God has given to me.
It was after that we moved to Norway together after I
signed for Lyon Oslo. And that is how God has been leading us and I am very
much happy for the one I chose. I am truly blessed with this precious woman
while we have jointly been blessed with two kids - a boy and a girl.
Though my wife is Danish, she loves absolutely everything
about my country. She was so thrilled
the first time she came to Nigeria and the experience was sweet for her. She likes coming to Nigeria and one aspect of
our lives that she likes is our unique culture.
MY FAMILY AND I
My family resides in Denmark and that is why I always
consider my movement because they give me so much joy being around them. They
are one of the reasons I'm still playing in the Scandinavia.
Staying in any of these Scandinavian countries is great
because they are safe countries and you enjoy yourself. I know what I am saying
in terms of security and other social amenities. Even the living standard is
economical compared to some other European cities. Nevertheless, I still have the
ambition of playing outside the Scandinavia but have not been fortunate enough.
To cap it all, I am happy and grateful for the teams I have played for in these
countries.
I travel a lot because of football, as a result, any free
time I have, I try to spend it with my family.
Of course, marriage has brought so much to my career. It
has brought a lot of things to my career when we talk about being focussed,
love and happiness. I have been exposed to some important things in life and it
really shows in my mentality because I always feel great being a family man.
As I said before, football has to do with a lot of
travelling, that means I leave my family often but thank God, I have a wife who
knows the nature of my job. She loves football and has been very understanding.
But I don't joke with my free time with my family, I try to spend every free
time I have with my family because football is taking me away from them so
much.
Being in a good a marriage makes it easier for me to
concentrate and knowing that I have a family that I can always look forward to
seeing. And what is always on my mind is to make them happy with good
performances. I handle the opposite sex with respect and show them my identity
of marriage by telling them I have a family that I love, and I think that has
been working well for me. I have no reason to have any attachment with the
opposite sex when I go for club assignment. I just concentrate on my football.
I am blessed with two sweet kids. My first kid is a four-year-old girl, her
name is Olivia Adaobi, and the second one is a two-year-old boy, his name is
Elliot Ikechukwu Obiefule.
Of course, they recognise me as a footballer; they watch
me play almost every game from when they were little babies till now.
ON PLANS FOR KIDS
My plan for my kids is to give them good education so
that they can d be responsible for whatever they choose to do. I don't have any
personal profession for any of them. I just want them to follow their own
dreams and support them in whatever they have passion for. But I would be
happier if my boy will play soccer as well because football runs in our family
and he already knows that.
On being called 'The Don'
My friends call me 'the don' maybe because of my
experience and long stay in this region. I am a sociable guy, I love seeing
people around me and I love hanging out with friends.
ON BEST DESIGNING
OUTFITS
I love Dolce & Gabbana and that's what I wear mostly
all the time. I like other designers but he's my favourite. I spend my money
wisely on that because of the smartness and fitness of the cloth. I think that
is the emerging cloths in my wardrobe. I'm not complete without a Panama fez
cap, but it's must be a D&G.
ON FAVOURITE FOOD
I can eat rice and plantain three times a day; I just
love it, and it's a direct meal.
On favourite car
I love Volkswagen. I have Volkswagen jeep and Golf cars.
It's a convenient wheel for every sports guy.
On relaxation
Spending time with family and friends, watching movies
and having some quite time for myself.
Culled from The Nation
