Former Nigeria international Jonathan Akpoborie has revealed that he once turned down an offer from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich during his playing career.
Akpoborie, who featured for Hansa Rostock, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg during his time in the Bundesliga said on the Play Zone Podcast that personal responsibility and the need for stability influenced his decision.
“When I had that opportunity to go to Stuttgart, I had an offer from Bayern Munich, but I turned it down,” the 57-year-old said.
“Not necessarily that my family depended on me, I have a lot of educated people in my family. But I had that responsibility that I have to take care of everybody, and in taking care of everybody, you have to be stable.”
Golden Eaglets And Flying Eagles
Akpoborie was part of Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets team that won the first edition of the FIFA U-16 Championship in 1985, scoring in the final against the then West Germany.
Two years later, he featured for the Flying Eagles at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile.
Super Eagles Career
At the senior level, he was selected for the 1992 and 2000 Africa Cup of Nations where he won bronze and silver respectively. His first Super Eagles appearance was in a 1992 Africa Cup of Nations Third-place match against Cameroon, which the Super Eagles won 2-1.
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He scored his first goal for the Super Eagles against Mexico at the 1995 U.S. Cup on 24 June 1995. He got his second goal – a 48th-minute equalizer – in a 1–1 draw with Kenya in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 12 January 1997.
Dropped From Super Eagles 1998 World Cup Squad
Akpoborie was surprisingly dropped from the Super Eagles squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup by Bora Milutinović, in spite of the fact that he played in five of the six qualifying matches and was the joint second top scorer in the 1997-98 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup tournament.
He was also one of the two Nigerian footballers to play in a European Cup final that year (1998), the other being Inter Milan defender Taribo West, who was red-carded in the 1998 UEFA Cup Final, less than a month to the World Cup in France.
Super Eagles Return
In 1999, Dutch manager Thijs Libregts recalled him to the Super Eagles in a 2000 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Senegal. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, with Akpoborie scoring his third international goal.
Also, Akpoborie featured in a number of games ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and in the first round of the qualification he scored his fourth goal in Nigeria’s 4–0 win over Eritrea in Lagos.
