Sunday Rotimi, Rivers United goalkeepers’ coach, has exclusively lamented to Completesports.com his pain of missing the opportunity to make the Super Eagles squad to the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals in Korea/Japan, describing it as the greatest setback of his career.
Rotimi: Injury Cost Me 2002 World Cup Dream
Rotimi told Completesports.com on Wednesday that he had high hopes of making the World Cup squad but was eventually dropped due to injury.
“I look back on it with pain,” Rotimi said emotionally. “Injury came, and I was dropped by coach Festus Adegboye Onigbinde.
“It was a very sad and painful moment. It took me time to overcome it. But that’s life; one has to live with it.”
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“Before then, I was doing well with my club, Dolphins. As a home-based goalkeeper, I was one of the safe hands in the league and had earlier been invited to the U-17 Golden Eaglets camp.
“But unfortunately, I was not included when the final World Cup list was announced,” Rotimi stated.
League Titles Define My Career Legacy — Rotimi
Rotimi, 46, is arguably one of the most successful goalkeepers in the Nigerian league. He won three league titles as a player — two with Dolphins and one with Rivers United — and has also lifted the NPFL title as a goalkeepers’ coach.
“As a goalkeeper, I won three league titles — two with Dolphins and one with Rivers United — and I will always be grateful to God.
“As a coach, I have won the league with Rivers United, making it four titles across my career as a player and coach.I’m happy about that and will always be grateful to God.”
Injuries Struck At Goalie’s Crucial Moments
Rotimi, who earned 12 caps for Nigeria, admitted that injuries were a major setback during his career, especially at critical moments.
“That’s true. It feels bad that most times, at crucial moments, especially ahead of major competitions, injury would occur.
“It makes me feel sad, but then that’s life, and I had to live with it.”
Rotimi: I’ll Support My Children To Play Football
Rotimi emphasised that despite the ups and downs of his career, he would encourage his children to take up football.
“Of course, yes. I will always lend my support and encouragement to any of them who decide to take up sports, football inclusive.
“As we speak now, my son, David, has begun to play football. He plays with a football academy as a midfielder.
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“Whatever level of support or encouragement I can give, I will do,” said Rotimi, who played in the Nigerian league with Plateau United, Enyimba, El-Kanemi Warriors and Sunshine Stars before moving to Israel, where he signed a one-year deal with Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C (2004–2005).
Rotimi also manned the posts for Hapoel Ashkelon FC (2005–2006) before returning to the NPFL to sign for Dolphins (now Rivers United).
He later moved to Mekelle 70 Enderta FC of Ethiopia before rejoining Rivers United, where he called time on his playing career and took up a goalkeepers’ coach role with the Pride of Rivers.
NPFL 2025/2026 Title Hunt With Rivers United
Rivers United are currently top of the 2025/2026 NPFL table, two points ahead of close title rivals, Rangers. Rotimi believes the title race will go down to the wire with only four matches left in the season.
“It’s a very close fight, but I think Rivers United have a slight advantage,” he said.
“The two teams are top sides, have character, and have their sights on the top prize. But I believe Rivers United have a slight advantage,” the soft-spoken goalkeepers’ coach concluded.
By Sab Osuji
1 Comment
The early 2000s indeed threw up some real goalkeeping prospects for Nigeria. Prospects who would go on to do very well for themselves beyond the shores of Nigeria.
Apart from Murphy Akanji and Ndubuisi Egbo, who were back-ups to Ike Shorunmu in the SE at the time, we had the likes of Rotimi Sunday, the one primed to take over from them at the time.
Also in the mix was Chijioke Ejiogu, who burst into national consciousness in the 1999 FA Cup with his giant-killing non-league side FC Arugo. There was also Austine Ejide, then with Gabros International. These 3 were constant invitees to the SE squads for AFCON and World Cup Qualifier camps circa 2001. I can also not forget Greg Etafia, whose sterling performances for the U23s at the Sydney Olympics and Lobi Stars in both the league and CAF CL won him the best GK award in the 2001 season or thereabout.
A certain 16yr old Vincent Enyeama was not even in reckoning at the time. He was probably 3rd or 4th choice at Enyimba behind Dele Aiyenugba and one Anyanwu guy (can’t recall his name), but as fate would have it, the main SE was disbanded 3 months to the World Cup, Late Onigbinde came in to rebuild, and through the help of an NFF top dog, Enyeama surprisingly got called alongside other emerging prospects listed above. I am cock sure even the NFF bigwig then never anticipated Enyeama would make the final 23 for the World Cup, giving the quality and experience stacked in the 5-6 Gks listed in the 55-man preliminary list back then, which also included Ademola Bankole of Crewe Alexandra.
As fate would once again have it, Rotimi got injured days before camp opened, Bankole also got crooked while in camp just before the first warm-up game, while Ejiogu got decamped for allegedly straying out of camp without permission from the no-nonsense Pa Onigbinde. 3 down already……talk of Law of Natural Selection. It still wasn’t looking like Enyeama would make the final list, as the more established and exposed Ejide kept most of the friendlies. Enyeama was only in goal for the final international friendly vs Kenya in Lagos, as well as in a tune-up game against Kashima Antlers FC there in Japan, just before the World Cup………But I guess fate and his efforts had done enough to convince Baba Onigbinde that the 18-year-old was the man to stand between the sticks in Nigeria’s 3 World Cup game in the absence of Ike Shorunmu. The rest as they say is history. Enyeama would thenceforth grow to become arguably the greatest goalkeeper to ever come out of Africa.
While this isn’t about Vincent, it is about the sheer number and quality of GKs we churned out at the time. Vincent and Aiyenugba both won back-to-back CAF CLs with Enyimba and will go on to have outstanding careers in Europe.
Austine Ejide moved to France, but before then was in Tunisia as Etoile du Sahel’s no 1, in a golden generation that the club has not reproduced ever since.
Chijioke Ejoigu shuttled between Israel, North Africa, and the local league, winning multiple FA and league titles and reaching the CAF Cup winners’ cup final with Julius Berger.
Of course, Greg Etafia moved to South Africa to join Soweto giants Moroka Swallows and has remained there to date as GK coach.
And even while these left, there were the likes of John Gaadi at Lobi, Sunday Makama at Julius Berger, and Austin Brown at Dolphins, who still emerged on the local scene to take over from where these talented guys left.
The 2000s were really a great period for the GK section of Nigerian teams. Who do we have now….? GKs who can’t survive the Ethiopian and Tanzanian leagues, and one who was fooled into believing he’s bigger than the South African league.
Dear NFF and NPFL, can we have the 2000s all over again, please….??