So many people harbour the dream of becoming a footballer from a young age but never get to realise it. That however was not the case or Ifeanyi Ike Samuel.
Born into a family of seven children as the fourth child, Ifeanyi was going to be different from the rest.
He knew from an early age he had the talent for football and began to embrace it with the likes of Nigeria Premier Football League and Enyimba legend (NPFL) legend Onyekachi Okonkwo his role model while Chelsea and Bayern Munich icons Michael Essien and Michael Ballack were his African and international inspirations respectively.
One thing that stood out for these players were their versatility which Ifeanyi was capable of as either a defender or midfielder. He started his career at youth level with AMAC FC Abuja between 2000 and 20005 before making his senior break with NPFL side El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri between 2006 and 2008.
Ifeanyi was one of the stars of the NPFL at this point and was honoured with a call-up to the Nigeria national team for the qualifiers for the first-ever edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN), with the Super Eagles reaching the final round before losing 3-2 to fierce West African rivals Ghana.
After four years in the Nigerian top flight Ifeanyi Ike Samuel, moved to India where he played for six different teams: Kolkata police FC, Railway FC, Eastern railway FC, BNR FC, Mohammedan Sporting Club and Bhawanipore FC, all between 2010 and 2015.
During his time in India, he was the MVP of the season with Kolkata Police in 2010 while he won the second division title with Bhawanipore FC in 2015.
Now retired at the age of 36, Ifeanyi is currently into the export business of shoes and clothing for men.
He is however looking to continue in the football profession as a coach and looks up to successful Portuguese tactician Jose Mourinho as his role model.
The football dream is still alive for Ifeanyi Ike Samuel and only continues to shine brightly, creating more opportunities and possibilities to make impact both on and off the pitch.
