Not known for his outspoken nature, Nigeria international Alex Iwobi has become a force to reckon with in the Everton setup for his doggedness and resilience and a Nigerian historian and lawyer, Nze Ed Emeka Keazor, in his recent post on Twitter revealed the midfielder’s father, Chuka Iwobi, had the same characteristics during his early days as a footballer in the mid 1980s.
The historian, while sharing a picture of a young Iwobi and his father, said ‘Mehallah’, as Iwobi’s dad was fondly called back then, was one of the toughest and most skillful midfielders during their days as students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
“Perspectives – when young people see this pic, they see Alex Iwobi and his elderly dad.”
“I, on the other hand see the mighty Chuka ‘Mehallah’ Iwobi, one of the most rugged and skilful midfielders at UNN, where we were both contemporaries in the early to mid 80s – and his son. Life,” he wrote.
However, he also said that Iwobi’s parents were supportive of his development as a player and how well they groomed him to become a professional footballer.
“I’ll add that his father and mother were super-supportive. You don’t just appear from nowhere and play professional football. Someone for years, was taking him to children and youth team games, buying kits, encouraging and managing before he even had a chance of getting noticed.”
Iwobi senior was a decent player in his days but he never got to play for Nigeria. He was an attacking midfielder for the now defunct Vasco da Gama of Enugu.
Chuka was nicknamed ‘Mehallah’ after an Egyptian club, who dumped the great Enugu Rangers out of a continental competition in the 1980s.
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