February 21, (THEWILL) –Â Bartholomew Ogbeche, the ace Nigerian forward, has eclipsed Indian captain, Sunil Chhetri, as the Indian Super League (ISL) top scorer and used the opportunity to reveal that he turned down his club’s initial offer to join.
With a superb performance against Hyderabad FC, veteran striker Chhetri became the first player in the Indian Super League to reach 50 goals. Chhetri and Ogbeche, who also stars for Hyderabad, were both on 49 goals when India’s skipper clinched the race to the half-century mark.
During Hyderabad’s 3-2 victory over Bengaluru over the weekend, Ogbeche, who has been in the ISL for four seasons now, however, eclipsed the Bengaluru captain with a brace.
While the Nigerian striker already has 51 goals in the league, his 16 goals in as many games this season puts him in contention for the Golden Boot.
Ogbeche only scored 50 goals in 73 games, 38 fewer than Chhetri. On the ISL’s weekly podcast, Lets Football Live, Ogbeche admitted that he almost turned down the opportunity to join the league.
“At first I declined to be completely honest. I said no, I was not going to go there,” Ogbeche said.
“However, I had a friend who played in ISL. I spoke to him and did my due diligence. I heard a lot of fantastic things about ISL and gave it a second thought. Offers came back a second time, I said I would think about it. When they came for the third time, I took it more seriously.”
Ogbeche, who is in his fourth ISL season, has played for four different clubs and scored 49 goals in 71 games. In his debut season, he scored 12 goals for NorthEast United, and in 2019-20, he scored 15 goals for Kerala Blasters.
Last season, Ogbeche moved to Mumbai City, where he scored eight goals and helped the team win the ISL championship as well as the League shield. He now leads the league in goals scored with 14 for Hyderabad this season. In retrospect, Ogbeche was confident that joining ISL despite his family’s desires, was the best decision.
As the 37-year-old credited his formative years at the Paris Saint Germain academy for his longevity, he was grateful for his time in India: “Friends and family suggested not to move to India at the time. But I listened to my heart and was convinced that I was making the right choice for my career. It turned out to be a shrewd decision and I am really thankful.
“I feel I am doing the best job in the world. There are millions in the world who would love to do what I am doing. I was very lucky to have played with some of the best players to have ever played the game at the very start of my career.
“Ronaldinho, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Nicolas Anelka took me under their wings like a little brother, and that shaped me both as a footballer and a person.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
