It is not hyping to say that Nigeria is blessed with lots of talented footballers

These players are spread across the nooks and crannies of the country.

The football agents or managers always make it their duties to fish out these raw talents, nurture them and expose them to higher levels of the game they will be derive fame and riches.

But what do these agents go through to find the players and move them to an advanced level in their careers?

Are they always getting it right in their discoveries? Do they always get the required plaudits for doing this?

One of the top brass in management of footballers in Nigeria, Mr Attai Emmanuel Udia disclosed that its like any other ways of life where you meet the good and bad side of it at some points.

Mr Udia who is the Chief Scout Manager of Players Sports Management, the company that manages top Nigerian players including Odion Ighalo, Aaron Samuel, Chidera Ejuke among others make this known on Monday while featuring as guest on a popular Sports Platform on WhatsApp called ‘Family United by Football’ FUBF.

He explained the challenges of transferring Nigerian footballers to advanced countries which was connected to attitudes of clubs and of course the players.

“One of the challenges I would say, not for me (as agent) its for the player(s), probably some players, not in all clubs and I’m not saying all Nigerian league players are bad, but some are somehow difficult.

“Most teams in Nigerian Premier League are professionally good, but some teams are unnecessarily difficult.

“One thing people need to understand, I mean Nigerian clubs, is that there are some countries where the player go and progress, its next step for them, its not all about tye money.

“Some clubs when you tell them a club from Scandinavian, Europe is looking for their players and you tell them this is the plan, and the club see this will be good for the player at the long run, they will reject it.

“We don’t just scout players, if you look at our history, from Odion Ighalo, Aaron Samuel. When our players go to Scandinavian leagues, either Norway, Sweden, Denmark or Belgium, we follow them on their careers and monitor their progresses, we don’t just look at the money at first.
Anything does well, money will always come, but you have to do the job well at first.

“So we don’t look at the money we look at the progress of the player. If you look at the Ighalo, from Norway, Udinese (Italy), Granada (Spain) and everything, you will see that it was a process. Look at him today. He’s in Manchester United.

“If you look at other players how they progressed, like Fred Friday, Chidera Ejuke who are doing so well. So we want to see that the players progress before they make the big move.

“So when you meet with some clubs and tell them, this club is where the player will progress or use to move to the next level for their careers to go far and this is what they can offer, a lot of clubs will tell you no. (There is a club in Iran, Kazakhstan that wants to pay me 500,000 Euros.) Then they collect this money and sometimes the player look that the money is very good too and the player goes there. He leaves the future that was good, that will make him progress and after one year or two, the player is back.
“There are a lots of players that I don’t want to mention their names that nobody hears about them again, who went that way, came back and nothing.

“So, the clubs make the process difficult, some of them will make things difficult for you. They will say its about money because they have to pay this and that and if not you should forget about it.
What about the guy’s career? And these clubs have a budget, they will tell you this is how far they can do, they will rather send them to Iran, Kazakhstan where they will pay them big money.

“There are some countries young players shouldn’t go, people need to understand these things, and club administrators need to understand as well. They should look at the player as their own child.

“Many of these clubs have frustrated players’ careers. They will force some players to come back because what they offer is small that they have better offers for them, till today some of them are still playing in the premier league.

“Some clubs can be really annoying. They are not helping the development of the game. There are some clubs who had done this to many players, the players come back and they couldn’t withstand the frustration and they never have that chance again.

“Then you have some clubs who are okay. They know that its for the benefits of the players and at the end of the day when the player is doing very well, everybody smiles. Some clubs are not really helping and some are really helping.

“Some players too, of course, you could have players who will make you think twice (about the job). There are some players where you go and pick them from a remote area and will tell ‘manager its because of you I ate rice today’ and you will be like is he just trying to impress me, and sometimes you find out some of them have not seen 2000 in two months.
And then you pick that player, you treat him like you friend, like a brother, you give him money, do everything, recommend them, become good players and all of a sudden when you try to advise that player that this is next step you should be taking, that player says no! what are you telling me, I won’t listen to you. Before you know it, he switches agent. He doesn’t pick your call anymore or change his number, and then to make himself feel good, he start to say so many things about you, and you will be ‘is it the same player who was saying I’m loyal? And when he listen to one lie from agent who tells him i will take you to one club, before you know he switches and forget about everything you did for them and their family.

“So sometimes you look at these and say, can human being be like this? But you are also encouraged with some really good ones too, so every business has its ups and downs you know.

“When you meet some players you’ll be like the devil must be one of these guys, but sometimes you’ll meet some good ones as well.

“Its just how it is. When you meet the bad ones you will say oh, its one of them when you meet the good ones, you appreciate them.

“Over the years, I’ve come to understand that, everything in life have the good and the bad side.
Some of our players (clients), we are like brothers. I visit their families, I sleep in their houses, I enjoy the relationship. So when I see the ones that betray your trust, you just let them be, let life go on. Sometimes many of them realise it they come back, and some never have the opportunity to do so.

“So, I will just say, yes, you’ll have some players that will make you consider, but at the long run you still have lots of good ones. So you have to continue doing what you’re doing,” Udia said.

The Super Agent also believed that the Nigerian domestic league have enough players that can play for the Super Eagles noting that will rest on the team’s scouts to monitor and recommend them for the coaches.

“You have very good players in the NPFL, I have gone round, I have watched the Nigerian Premier League and I can tell you categorically that you have players in NPFL that are good enough for the Super Eagles.

“But, that is the job of the scouts to do, by going round and see which player fits into the coach’s plans.

“Generally, I will say yes. I feel and I know that there are good players in Nigeria Premier League that are good enough for the Super Eagles.

  Attai Emmanuel Udia, NPFL, Odion Ighalo