Christian Obodo: Ex-Nigeria star still pained by World Cup 2006 miss

By Olu Dare

Former Nigeria midfielder Christian Obodo is still pained by the country’s failure to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup staged in Germany.

The Super Eagles lost the ticket to Angola – who picked their maiden slot on away-goal rule.

Ultimately, that failure prevented the former Udinese star the chance of playing at the global football showpiece during an illustrious career.

In a recent interview, the player nicknamed ‘bundle of skills’ explained how his failure to play at the World Cup almost marred his career.

“Missing the World Cup is the worst thing that can happen to any player,” Obodo told Pulse Sports.

“It was not just about representing a big country like Nigeria, which I am proud to be from, but all of Europe was looking forward to (seeing) how a player like Christian Obodo would do at the World Cup as well.

“At that time, 18 different clubs were looking at me in Europe. When we understood we were not going to the World Cup, it was like our careers were over. It was my saddest moment.”

He went a step further saying that Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the competition was not only the fault of coaches or players but everyone involved.

“We all made mistakes. When you fail to qualify for the World Cup, it’s not going to be [the fault of] the coach, it’s not going to be the players, or just the management at all. Definitely, something has gone very wrong,” he added.

“Sometimes, I sit with some of my boys, they say the players are wrong, the tactics are different. When we win, everyone takes the glory, but when we lose we start pointing fingers. But the truth is everybody was involved. That’s my own opinion. ”