Best Ogedegbe is best remembered for displacing towering Emma Okala as Green Eagles lifted their First Africa Nations Cup in 1980. Perhaps a few remember that the Shooting Stars keeper once played for the national team as a striker.
It was in 1983 in far away South Korea. The Eagles were at the President’s Cup and in one of tne matches, could barely raise 11 fit players. Ogedegbe, who had kept goal in earlier matches had to be drafted to the forward line and second choice Etta Egbe manned the posts.
The Nigerian team was not the best that could be raised and it included Nnamdi Nwokocha (Camel) who returned from the United States after a five year sojourn. He was the most dangerous striker in Nigeria in 1978 and in that year’s Challenge Cup loss to Insurance had to be given injections to make the grand finale. Camel was captain of the Christ the King College (CKC) Onitsha team that won the World’s Secondary Schools Cup in Dublin, 1977.
Ogedegbe was the first Eagles goalie to play as a striker outside the country. However, there was Mensah, an ex- St. Gregory’s College, Lagos academical who also played and manned the post for Nigeria. When St. Greg’s hosted CKC on August 10, 1940, Mensah played while James Lee guarded the post.
While Herbert Allogoa tormented the homers, Mensah troubled the Osha lads who ran away with victory in the two- game thriller. Later in his career, Mensah became national team goalkeeper having played as a striker in his more active years.
Locally, we have had keepers who could play good football. Okala started as a striker until his school’s Games Master, C.. N.O Ugbaka, unimpressed with the boy in goal asked if anyone could take his place. Emma Okala volunteered and from that training session became a keeper.
Christian Obi is on record as having played in tne Premier League for Julius Berger as a goalie and also striker. His younger brother, Emeka,was in goal for Enugu Rangers around that period. The senior Obi won silver as a reserve with the Eagles at Algiers’ 90 and bronze with the Flying Eagles at the USSR’85 FIFA U-20 championships.
Gbenga Moses, who today works with telecoms giants Globacom also played good soccer even as a goal tender.. Popularly known as Snake, he sojourned in the East with Iwuanyanwu National and the Mid-West with Insurance. Haruna Wahab had once played for the Owerri side while Edward Ansah remained keeper in a game the former was actually supposed to be the reserve goalie.
Outside our shores, there is no forgetting Jose Luis Chilavert, the Paraguayan skipper and keeper who scored 50 goals, eight of tnem for his country through free kicks and penalty.Rene Higuita of Colombia was eccentric until Roger Milla cured him with goals at the Italia ’90 World Cup. El Loco was lucky he did not get the Escobar treatment back home.
Jorge Campos of Mexico initially payed as a striker. In 1988, he scored 14 goals for Pumas.That one is best known as the keeper with jersey of many colours. Sao Paolo safe hands, Rogerio Ceni, hit 100 goals in his professional career.
There are also cases of players becoming emergency goalies. Port Harcourt fans witnessed it when the Eagles trounced Ghana Black Stars in their last Korea /Japan 2002 qualifier. The Ghanaian captain, turned keeper when his goalie was sent off by the referee. He could not save the penalty that followed. Galatasaray player, Felipo Melo, did better.He saved a penalty for the Turkish club.
Ogedegbe was a real cup winner. Shooting Stars coach, Alan Hawkes, chose him ahead of Zion Ogunfehinmi when the club won the Winners Cup in 1976. In 1980, Bestila benched Okala.And as a true sportman, he said: “Okala is better than Best”. Humility at its best. Okala would also admit that perhaps Best was at his best. Both were room mates and Okala was like a coach to his rival.
Give it to Bestsitos. Between 1973 and 1979, Okala was the best.He was voted Africa’s number one keeper in 1978. Where Peter Fregene, Eyo Essien, Joe Erico, Agwo Nnaji, Ahamefula Umelo failed, Ogedegbe excelled. It was not easy to dethrone the great Emmanuel Oguejiofor Okala.
Best sidelined Ogunfehinmi. Eagles handlers overlooked Rasaki Fadare from Water Corporation, Ibadan. They took no notice of Jos Mighty Jets’ Goddy Ebomuche. None of them fancied Edmund Quarcupone of Sharks. Best was their best. And he put in his best until death called on September 28, 2009.
