BERNARD Okorowanta sits on a blue coloured seat on one of the top tier stands of the Enyimba stadium. It's high above the pitch and a long way from the Naval Barracks in Apapa, Lagos where the midfielder was born.
Wearing tshirt and jeans, he looks at me expectantly. He has been curious for a while, wanting to know what my questions are since I first informed him I wanted an interview. Okorowanta is soft-spoken and would be considered unassuming by many, despite his steady gaze. Speaking with him, you get a sense of someone naturally reticent, but his eyes light up when I ask him to talk about his childhood and how he began his football career.
"It began at Navy Field in the ghetto called Ajegunle (in Lagos), that was where my career began," he says. "It was in that field and in the streets that I started. Man, it wasn't easy. But I think I knew then that I wanted to play football professionally because I was enjoying it. Every opportunity I had, I used it to play football with my friends and my brother [Tarila] who played football also encouraged me."
"My father was a naval officer so I hung out with a lot of kids whose parents were officers and we just did our thing all the time, that was how I began."
From such a humble beginning, Bernard Okorowanta would go on to become a talented playmaker, a classic number 10. With the emphasis on strength and athleticism in modern football, Okorowanta shines as someone who maintains a major component of the game, rhythm.
In contrast with Enyimba's energetic midfielder Sokari Kingsley with pace and power, Okorowanta will try to pass his way through the opposition, an unexpected pass that takes the defence by surprise. He is a team player that helps those around him shine. With an ability to control the rhythm of a game, slowing the tempo as needed, Okorowanta is almost a throw back to football of a bygone era.
His playing career began brightly. After joining Union Bank FC in 2004, then coach of the Nigeria U-20 team Samson Siasia invited him to camp. Okorowanta would go on to win the African U-20 tournament with the team in Benin Republic that year. His performances caught the eyes of Maccabi Tel Aviv and he was invited to join the club's youth team shortly after.
While the move was celebrated, his time in Israel was not. He moved to Turkey a year later but after a season with Sivasspor, returned to Israel to play for Hakoah Amidar, a club in the city of Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv.
His second stint in Israel was cut short by injury but he was invited yet again invited by Siasia who had become coach of the Nigeria U-23 side. Okorowanta eventually made the trip to the 2008 Olympics and it would turn out to be a memorable event for him, one that had a deep impact, so much so that seven years later, that summer in Beijing remains the best part of his football career.
"When I was invited by Coach Samson Siasia to join the U-23 team, I was happy. But I didn't expect to meet legends of the game in China. I met Maradona, Messi and my mentor, Ronaldinho of Brazil. Ronaldinho was such a cool guy. I will never be able to explain how I felt meeting him." Okorowanta had first seen Ronaldinho on TV when the star featured for Brazil in the U-20 Fifa World Youth Championship, Nigeria 99. Even though Ronaldinho had only featured for 67 minutes in Brazil's opening game against Spain - a 2-0 defeat - Okorowanta wanted instantly to play like him, to be like him. "He was a very cool guy, very talented and had a great control of the ball" he remembers. "So when I met him and the others it was a great experience. They were all humble people despite their fame and success and I vowed I would be like that, to give my best on the pitch always and be humble at the same time. Till today, I try to maintain that principle."
Upon the team's return to Nigeria after winning the silver medal, Okorowanta was convinced to sign for Bayelsa United. He won the league with United and made the league's Best 11 that 2009-2010 season.
Then came Enyimba. John Owoeri, another successful U-20 team member had had a successful spell with the club and Okorowanta seemed a perfect replacement for the player. Okorowanta made the switch from Yenagoa to Aba and made an instant impact. But he was not the only player Enyimba snapped up from Bayelsa United that year. A certain Markson Ojobo also made the move to Aba.
Okorowanta and Ojobo were key players of the team that reached the semi-final of the CAF Champions League in 2011. He was however singled out for special praise for his modesty and his exit irked the fans.
"I had a good time then," he recalls. "We almost won the Champions League that year." He would not talk about why he left a season later. "I want to talk about the present and the future, not what happened in the past. I am back here in Enyimba and have a good relationship with my teammates and coaches and that is what is important," he says this with a glint in his eyes, almost as if he enjoys keeping that detail to himself.
Okorowanta would be 28 in December. There are many who argue that 28 is a presage of the decline of players but the Amassoma born footballer says he still has a lot left to offer the six-time league champions.
"Enyimba requested me to join them again because they obviously saw something in me. They asked for my service so clearly I must have something the club wants. I believe that because I have played here before, I can adapt to the pressure here." What pressure, I ask. "The pressure I mean is the pressure of the club wanting to win every trophy. One thing you must know is that Enyimba is the number one club in Nigeria, they are so ambitious and always go for the best, be it players or coaches. So if you are not good, this club won't request for you."
Okorowanta's admission of the pressure of playing for Enyimba has been echoed by many others before him. It's a pressure that has made and broken players but it is easy to see why it would benefit him.
Enyimba's Kadiri Ikhana has a philosophy of passing and movement and this will heavily suit Okorowanta's style. With an aggressive forward like Christian Obiozor running directly at defenders, Okorowanta's vision and passing can provide a powerful arsenal to help destroy the opposition. While he may not offer great cover defensively, he will be deadly if placed in his preferred central midfield role.
Enyimba have the men to stretch defences and provide width but to take teams apart that defend deep and narrow, it needs players like Okorowanta pulling the strings in central areas, just behind the strikers. A premium has been put on endurance, stamina and work rate in football these days and Ikhana must set his teams up to switch styles and compensate for loss of power and speed when the weariness of competing in the tough Nigeria Professional Football League sets in.
"Frankly speaking, I really hope to be league champions with Enyimba this season and then be a part of the team that will change the face of Nigerian football in Africa come next year. It is my dream and I believe the club can achieve it. The fans should expect a lot from us this season," he says, with startling conviction.
The Glo Premier League resumes next Sunday with a reverse fixture of the Matchday 19 tie Enyimba won 1-2. From then on, it would be a brutal fight to the finish as teams compete for the title. With inverted wingers like Daniel Etor, Ezekiel Bassey and Andrew Abalogu, combined with the firepower of Christian Obiozor, Ifeanyi George, Chinonso Okonkwo and a possible Mfon Udoh, Enyimba boast the league most potent strike-force, but how the club uses these players will make the difference between another second place finish and a record 7th league title.
For Okorowanta, the sixth child in a family of seven, he would need all his humility to earn and keep his place in Ikhana's preferred eleven. But humility alone won't be enough. He would need hard work and guile, just like his idol Ronaldinho, to cement his name in Enyimba folklore.
Culled from EnyimbaFC.NET
