Damn! This is embarrassing...

[Gotti]

EII:
His listed birthdate on Wikipedia is March 23, 1988....

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejike_Uzoenyi

[Enugu II]

EII:
His listed birthdate on Wikipedia is March 23, 1988....

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejike_Uzoenyi

Yes, that was the initial date used by him and I believe that date to be accurate or at least close to it. However, shortly before the WC in 2014 he gave an interview where he inferred about this new date of 1992 but I am unable to locate that interview now. Instead, I find that he also used this new date of 1992 at the World Cup and apparently in South Africa. That new date is obviously what is widely referred to as "football age" in Nigeria and just does not jive with his football experience like his debut with the SE under Eguavoen.

[Gotti]

Yes, that was the initial date used by him and I believe that date to be accurate or at least close to it. However, shortly before the WC in 2014 he gave an interview where he inferred about this new date of 1992 but I am unable to locate that interview now. Instead, I find that he also used this new date of 1992 at the World Cup and apparently in South Africa. That new date is obviously what is widely referred to as "football age" in Nigeria and just does not jive with his football experience like his debut with the SE under Eguavoen.

Not holding brief for a Uzoenyi (would not necessarily surprise me if he is older than 30 - or younger), but his listed birthdate for each of the AFCON 2013 and CHAN 2014 squad lists (which I can only presume was sourced from CAF records - albeit I personally have no way of verifying same) on Wikipedia is March 23, 1988. Anyway, guess the reporter used the FIFA records, which is fair enough.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Af ... ons_squads
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Af ... hip_squads

[deanotito]

A deeply sh1t player who can boast that he was once a Nigerian International. Unfortunately, over the years, on many occasions, we have reduced the esteem of our national colors by giving people the opportunity to buy their way into the national team. This man is another reminder of the dark times.

Slow your roll.

He was a good player for Rangers and the best player in the CHAN, so your description of him is very wrong.

Did he deserve to go to the WC ahead of the likes of Mba and Ideye? Certainly not! He was on the deep end of the bench of the 2013 CAN winning squad, but was deservedly in the squad, once Keshi decided to take 6 home based players.

I believe the problem with Ejike was his weight. For someone as tiny/short as he was, he needed to keep the weight down to continue to have the kind of impact he had in Nigeria and the CHAN.

Maybe Keshi was right about the home based players in the 2013 CAN being hungry, because once Ejike chopped up on foreign food a bit, he started looking like the Pillsbury dough-boy.

I'm guessing his problem might have to do more with lifestyle/discipline than ability.

Yep, the Uzoenyi I saw play at CHAN and for the eagles was certainly not the same guy described in the article. He's no hazard, but that boy had talent. I don't know what happened in SA, but I can only say what my eyes saw. He had talent