Ighalo reflects on time at Man United, Osimhen and the GOAT debate
Odion Ighalo looked back on his time at Manchester United and named who he believes is the greatest footballer of all time
Nigeria and former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has been reflecting on his time at the Old Trafford club. The forward got a dream move to United when he signed on loan for the Premier League side in January 2020 thereby becoming the first Nigerian to play for the club.
He only appeared in 12 league games, but he made an impression in the Europa League and FA Cup before COVID-19 cut his contract short.
Despite the club’s rich and trophy-laden history, he did not win any trophies during his time there, but he looks back on his time with pride.
Ighalo has played for a number of clubs throughout his career, but only one truly stood out for him.
“Manchester United gave me the best memories in football,” he said without hesitation on Arisetv.
“It was my dream club and I was able to play for them. United gave me everything. Even if I had played only a minute, it’d still have been a childhood dream come true because I enjoyed my time there.
“And as you know, not everyone’s dream comes to pass but mine came to pass.
“I was born in Ajegunle and I usually use the little money my parents gave me to go and watch them play on TV in viewing centers. Watching Old Trafford on TV and later having the chance to play there is unexplainable.”
Ighalo now plays for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, also mentioned Victor Osimhen, another Nigerian forward who has been on fire this season.
The Napoli striker has been scoring goals in the Italian Serie A for fun, which has piqued the interest of top clubs across Europe, including Manchester United.
He added that playing for a club like Manchester United is different, but he expects Osimhen to handle the pressure of playing for a top club if he eventually leaves Napoli.
“Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world and the atmosphere is different. There’s always the added pressure of winning every game and challenging for every trophy which I believe he’ll be able to soak up because he is still a young boy.”
Cristiano Ronaldo recently moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Ighalo’s rival club Al Nassr. He and Lionel Messi have frequently been involved in the debate over who is the greatest footballer of all time[GOAT], – a debate that will always divide opinions.
When asked to pick a side, Ighalo sat on the fence.
“We’re talking about these two great players who have shared the stage for almost 15 years doing the same thing even till now. For me it is disrespectful to say one is greater or bigger than the other.
“I, being a professional footballer, I’ll say the two are great without picking sides because it going to take a long time for us to witness this kind of rivalry in football again. The two of them are my GOATs
Ighalo concluded that if hadn’t been a footballer he probably would have gone to school and become “something else”.
