In this emotional interview with AJIBADE OLUSESAN, former Super Eagles midfielder, Friday Ekpo, speaks on challenges retired footballers face and calls for better care and support for ex-players while they are still alive

You seem strong enough now to talk about your late teammate, Rufai. How are you handling the loss?

Honestly, it’s still hard to talk about. The news of his passing was such a shock. Rufai was one of those people you never imagined wouldn’t be around.

He was a genuinely good person, the kind that brought laughter wherever he went. Even if you were upset, once he walked in, you’d find yourself smiling.

He loved to talk, to joke, and to make sure everyone felt okay. You could never say, “Rufai is here, I don’t want to be around.” Everyone wanted to be around him. He wasn’t flashy, but he always did what he could to help.

Do you remember any special moments you shared with him, either on or off the pitch?

I remember the first time we met, it was in Ota in the Super Eagles. I remember that during a shooting practice, he was diving right left keeping balls out and when it was my turn, I fired a few balls his way and he started complaining that my shots made him stretch too much, that he didn’t understand how I kicked. We laughed about it later.

Then we met again during my time at Stationary Stores and played a friendly game with the Super Eagles, I scored two goals past him. Since then, we became really close. Whenever we were with the national team, if Rufai wasn’t around, we felt it. And when he was, you knew — he made his presence felt, in a good way

Some people have said ex-internationals should be more open about their struggles, especially with health. Do you agree?

I do agree, but it’s not easy. Most of us keep things to ourselves unless someone really close asks. It’s also on the Federation — when national team games happen, they should invite former players. That way, we reconnect, talk, and check up on one another. In other countries, you see legends like Roberto Carlos attending games.

Here, it’s mostly politicians you see in the stands. Just having ex-players around can go a long way. Sometimes all someone needs is a conversation, not money.

You mentioned that ex-players aren’t often celebrated. What can be done better

Let’s be honest, many ex-internationals are forgotten. Take the Challenge Cup the one they call Federations Cup now, for instance. How many former stars are invited or honoured there? It’s sad.

The Federation should create space for us too. If not for Governor Raji Fashola, who would’ve remembered Teslim Balogun? Look at how many legends have passed, Mudasiru Lawal, Thompson Usiyen, Christian Chukwu, and more. Statues and honours are fine, but what about their families?

Do we support them? Do we even check on them? Immortalising them is not just about monuments, it’s about caring for those they left behind.

What about setting up annual memorials or support schemes for former players and their families?

That’s a great idea. Explayers can even do it themselves. We don’t need a stadium. We can organise e v e n t s yearly to honour legends like Stephen Keshi, Shaibu Amodu, or Sam Okwaraji. And beyond the big names, there are parents of late players still alive and in need.

We need to do more, and not wait until someone dies to show support. Even small efforts, like helping their children get jobs , can go a long way. That’s what truly honours their memory.

Final thoughts on what this loss teaches all of us?

Life is short. We need to be there for each other now, not later. We shouldn’t hide indoors or wait until tragedy strikes. Let’s check in on one another, meet up, laugh, and stay connected.

The Federation can’t do everything, but even the little things matter. And for the rest of us, let’s live in a way that helps those coming after us, not in dependence but with dignity. That’s the true legacy.

You enjoyed your career at home and abroad but you are more remembered for your stints at Abiola Babes and Leventis United….

Yes, it’s one experience I can never forget, the experience I had when I was playing for the defunct Abiola Babes of Abeokuta and Leventis United of Ibadan.

Both clubs established great management teams that later became the envy of others in the country. The two clubs understood players’ psychology. They knew what to do to motivate players to get results.

At both clubs, players got whatever they wanted. We were well motivated at Leventis United and the owner of Abiola Babes had the power to transform the fortunes of the game.

Late Chief MKO Abiola was every player’s man. It was unfortunate he couldn’t live to fulfil his ambition in life. I can remember I won the Highest Goal Scorer Award in 1986 with 11 goals.

In your playing days, you were known more by the sobriquet Zico, how did you come about the name?

Everyone k n o w s Zico to be a very good free-kick taker and a good dribbler also. I tried to emulate him because we have the same playing style and it did not take me much time before I fitted myself into it.

Because of that, my fans started calling me Zico, and that was how the name stuck and I got more encouraged by the day.

Can you share your unforgettable experience as a footballer?

I had so many great moments in my career, the most striking one being what happened at the National Stadium in Lagos in a 1992 African Nations Cup qualifier against the Black Stars of Ghana in 1991.

There was a penalty kick awarded in favour of Nigeria and the late Stephen Keshi, who was assigned by the chief coach to take all penalty kicks, declined to take it and none of my Eagles’ teammates was also ready to do it. I stepped forward, took the kick and the ball went over the bar. I was nailed by Nigerians for missing that spot kick.

I remembered the late Muda Lawal who was at the stadium told the then Nigeria Football Association that I would make amends. I remembered that the boots I wore weren’t my real size. It was given to me by Keshi who brought them from Belgium. The NFA didn’t allow me to wear the one I bought personally from Holland on the ground that it wasn’t Adidas.

So all the passes I made that day were not the best as the boots were slightly oversized. True to Muda Lawal’s predictions, I rose to the occasion in the Super Eagles’ next game which was also a Nations Cup qualifier and scored an important goal. After the game, I became the toast of Nigerian soccer fans across the world.

It was so memorable. Another striking one was being the captain of the Abiola Babes team that won the Challenge Cup title first in the history of Ogun State. Later on, they added more titles.

Why then did you retire from the game early?

I decided to retire when the ovation was loudest. I was not injured; I thought it wise to give younger players a chance to exhibit their talents. I thought that my continued stay on the stage was blocking the younger ones, as I was still the best in my position in all the clubs I played for. And my continued stay would mean deliberate suppression of the up-and coming stars.

After you left, there was Austin Okocha but aren’t you worried the country is not producing such creative midfielders like you again…..

I feel so bad that we don’t have good replacements for some of us who have left the scene. It wasn’t after me and Okocha and some other great players, that Nigeria has not been able to raise good midfielders; there are good ones, but not as exceptional as we were, and that is not something to cheer about.

The coaches must look inward and allow players in the local league and the foreign base to express their skills. The coaches need to be patient with them and gladly correct the flaws they notice in the players’ playing style. If these are done, these boys will be able to exhibit better skills than we exhibited during our time.