Ejiogu: Dreadful penalties stopper

Born 26 years ago, Chijioke Ejioke, fondly called ‘Arugo monkey’ by his admirers, started his football career with a little known Arugo FC, and his way to stardom in the Nigerian league commenced when he was between the goal posts for the small team in the 1999 FA Cup tournament.

The team’s outstanding performance was mainly attributed to Ejiogu’s brilliant performance, stopping many goal bond shots with elastic agility. The way he jumped to catch ball in the air made fans nickname him ‘Arugo Monkey, the name which has stuck to him ever since.

No sooner had that year’s FA Cup came to an end than Arugo monkey was told he had spent enough time with the small club and it was time he joined a bigger club, where his goalkeeping prowess would be better appreciated by the Nigerian football fans.

 Although, many clubs were falling on one another in their bid to get his signature, the young monkey from Arugo FC decided to sign a professional football contract with Julius Berger FC of Lagos.

At Julius Berger, Ejiogu was renowned for his excellent reflex, which endeared him to his coaches and teaming fans. Not only was he a solid rock between strikers and the back of the net, Arugo Monkey was a threat to penalties takers. He stopped quite a number of penalties during his time at Julius Berger.

Stopping penalties has made him more popular in the Nigerian league than any other goalkeeper. To some followers of the Nigerian league, stopping penalties is fun to Ejiogu, while to others who believe in superstition, the Imo State-born monkey uses some fetish power to catch penalties.

While at Julius Berger FC, he kept the goal for the Bridge boys in two continental championships. In 2001, although his team crashed out in the group stage of CAF Champions Cup, he gave a good account of himself. Two years later, he propelled his team to the final of Winners Cup through some scintillating goalkeeping.

Although one of Ejiogu’s superlative performances, as far as penalties stopping is concerned, came in the Enyimba’s match against Congo’s Vita FC, where he saved three penalties, his best moment came while he was at Dolphin FC. He won the 2007 FA Cup for the Port Harcourt-based outfit by stopping four penalties in the penalties shootouts of the year’s final.

The match, which was played at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, ended in a tie, after 120 minutes. And when the penalty shootout started, Ejiogu left everybody in the stadium spellbound when he stopped four of the Rangers’ kicks, giving his club the trophy.

Against Vita FC of Congo in a Confederation Cup played last Sunday, Ejiogu’s brilliance won the match for the Aba side. When the match became stalemated at 3-3 after regulation time, Arugo Monkey was called upon to man the goal post, and he did not disappoint his fans. Ejiogu was again at his penalty-saving best as Enyimba stormed back to overturn a three-goal deficit against Vita FC and snatched a ticket to the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup.

“I saw the penalty shootout coming and I knew I would definitely stop some of our opponent’s kicks. When we scored our last penalty and it was time for our opponent to play theirs, I told myself that it was over for Vita.

“So, when their last player spotting jersey number 12 walked towards me, I saw his move, then I concentrated on where the ball would go and I wasted no time in stopping the ball,” Ejiogu proudly said after the match.

To Arugo Monkey, the ability to save penalties is a talent which was spotted in him while in secondary school. Having understood the talent, the Imo State-born goalkeeper set his eyes on making it as a goalkeeper, no wonder he had to stop schooling at secondary school level.

“The love for stopping goals made me stopped my education at the secondary school level. I told myself that if I pursue the career very well, I would definitely make it; and here we are today,” Ejiogu said.

 Unlike most parents, Ejiogu’s parents wanted him to make a career in profession football, preferring to see their son wear the gloves. “But today, they are very much proud of me as I have risen from being an amateur goalkeeper to one of the best in the local league.”

Asked if there is something special that he does to stop penalties, which others do not do, Ejiogu replied: “I don’t do any special training to catch penalties; saving penalties comes naturally for me. It is fun to do it. I just set my eyes on the ball and try to go in its direction when it is finally kicked. It is something I enjoy doing and I hope to keep doing for as long as I can still play football,” Chijoke told a reporter.

Ejiogu’s goalkeeping dexterity has not gone unnoticed by the Super Eagles handler as he was at a time invited to the Super Eagle for a friendly match in London.

Those who follow the Globacom Premier League very well have continued to wonder why the Enyimba’s goal keeper has often been snubbed by successive Super Eagles’ handlers. To them, Arugo Monkey has paid his due enough and deserves to be invited to vie for Eagles number 1 shirt.

But, according to Ejiogu, he will continue to work very hard until it will be very difficult for the national team coaches not to look his side for Super Eagles assignment.

“I will continue to work hard and look forward to the time that I will be called upon to represent my country as a goalkeeper. Whenever the time comes, I will not disappoint my fans and Nigerian fans across the globe,” Arugo Monkey promised.