Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, has revealed that he started his football career as a striker and that he won every title in all the divisions of the Nigerian league.
Nwabali made this disclosure while speaking in an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS after President Bola Tinubu hosted the Super Eagles to a warm reception at the presidential villa in Abuja.
On his wonderful performances in comparison to bigger African goalkeepers such as Andre Onana of Cameroon and Manchester United, Nwabali said he knows that football is all about starting from somewhere.
“I did not find myself in a big club or even in a nice place when I started my football career,” he said.
“I was not born as a goalkeeper to be honest. But talking about football in general, I passed through different stages in the Nigerian league before I traveled out.
“This is because it is just one year and a few months since I left Nigeria to join Chippa United of South Africa.
“I played in the whole divisions in the Nigerian football league and I also won the whole league titles.”
By destiny, it is safe to say that the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire was a tournament made for Nwabali.
He came into the national team in an unusual circumstance and ensured that every inch of faith invested in him was repaid.
Nwabali was an answer to the prayers of many Nigerian football fans, who had no trust in Francis Uzoho, who had put them through years of horrific show.
Certainly, the Chippa United goalie deserves his flowers for quenching the fears of everyone about how good he could be in his first-ever tournament for Nigeria.
Though the predominant 3-4-3 and 5-4-1 formations adopted by Jose Peseiro at the tournament created a wall of Gibraltar in front of him, he proved severally that he is going to be a reliable shot-stopper for the Eagles, in years to come.
The former Lobi Star goalkeeper conceded only one goal during the group stage of the competition, and three more from the round of 16 to the final.
The 27-year-old joined Go Round FC where he started his career as a striker, before later securing a move to Enyimba in 2020, followed by joining Lobi, Katsina United and Chippa United in 2022.
