Two brothers: Suleiman and Aliyu Ibrahim are fast manifesting the traits of the football maestro of our time, popularly called, in the early eighties, as “Mathematical Segun Odegbami.” He was so called because of his mastery of the game and particularly, his smooth ball control, which almost always resulted in impossible goals.
Suleiman, 18 and Aliyu, 15, have already conquered Ebira land, the Kogi Central Senatorial area; subdued Kogi State and are set to go national as well as international.
The brothers, who play for AL- Bayan, a local Football Club in Okene, Kogi State, recently led the club to win the Kogi State BESS Championship Cup competition and were so rewarded. The team played its semi final with Idah football team, from Kogi East, where Suleiman scored a goal and Aliyu pepped up the second goal to send Idah team to sleep and moved to the final.
At the final, Aliyu and Suleiman put smile on the face of their Club, AL-Bayan FC, by thrashing their opponent from Lokoja, the state capital, with a goal each at penalty shootouts, after 90 minutes goaless sweat. Aliyu emerged The Man-Of-The-Match while Suleiman went home with Best-Player-Of-The-Tournament.
The two started their football playing at tender ages, and gradually grew to be one of the best footballers in the area within which they practice the trade.
Often seen by people encountering them at first time as “twin,” Suleiman and Aliyu have the ability to dribble their ways into the net, with little effort.
While Aliyu play mainly on mid-field wing, Suleiman play on right wing attack, with jersey numbers 8 and 7 respectively.
They stormed Abuja over the last week looking for a strong Football Club to register with, determining to use it to climb the ladder to the zenith of their chosen trade.
Asked what is his ambition, Suleiman said: “my ambition is to be a professional footballer, like great Nigerian footballers such as JJ Okocha, Ahmed Musa of Russian Premier League, Victor Moses of the same Russian Premier League. And to play in bigger Clubs at international level, like Arsenal, Barcelona, etc.”
For Aliyu too, he said: “my ambition is to become a professional footballer and wish to be part of the Nigerian national team as soon as possible. My Nigerian model as a mid fielder is Alex Iwobi. I also desire to play for international football Club, like Chelsea, Dortmund, etc.
All said, Suleiman and Aliyu have been striving through practices each passing day, to improve their playing prowess by seeking inspiration from legendary footballers who have left a lasting mark on the sport.
As 18-year-old and 15-year-old footballers with immense potentials, Suleiman and Aliyu are set to make a significant impact on the global football stage.
With their technical abilities, tactical intelligence and unwavering determination, they have all the qualities required to become future footballing sensations. Football enthusiasts and experts are lurking around, eagerly seeking for their bubbling promising professional acumen with the round leather game. They are imbued with youthful stamina, calculative brains while on the pitch and hunger to be on top soon in their chosen career.
Their father, Malam Ibrahim Ovansa Usman, a lecturer at the Federal College of Education (FCE), Okene in Kogi State, has been supportive of his sons’ vaulting ambition, having been assured by them, that they are in the football playing world for good.
