Dad Regrets Not Playing At The World Cup — Odegbami’s Son

Dad Regrets Not Playing At The World Cup — Odegbami’s Son

In this interview, Stephen, one of the sons of Segun Odegbami, talks about his father.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Stephen Odegbami, the fourth child of Segun Odegbami.
How was it like growing up with a famous father like Segun Odegbami?
I never mentioned that I was the son of Segun Odegbami, especially at school, because I was afraid of either being victimised or having too much attention on me. Because I was a very shy person growing up, I wasn’t really interested in the spotlight. I went to an all-boys school, CMS Grammar School, in the 90s. I remember the first day dad came to school with me. He dropped me off and that was the first time I had the first taste of that kind of attraction or spotlight of having a famous parent. Immediately my dad came in, the headmaster welcomed us specially. Students were all peeping from their classrooms and were like, ‘oh, that’s Segun Odegbami’s son.’ The moment he dropped me off, I got the attention from everyone. On the spot, I had many people who wanted to be my school father. Growing up, if I would introduce myself, I would say Stephen. I would only add ‘Odegbami’ when asked of my surname. I won’t deliberately mention it at first because of the attention it attracts.
Would you say your father’s name has opened doors for you?
Yes it did and it still does, though I am not one to take advantage of it. I don’t introduce myself as an Odegbami, except on exceptional cases, when I had to actually introduce myself. This occurred more when I was with my dad at events. His name has opened doors for his children and not just his immediate family, but others too who have benefitted from him.
Asides from being the famous footballer we all know, what kind of father is he?
He is a very caring father. He is very compassionate too. He sticks his neck out for his children and tries to make it as easy as possible for them. He makes up for whatever he lacks with care and support.
Can you recall some fond memories growing up with him?
When we were younger, he always took all of us out to fun places. He is a father who enjoys the closeness of his family and children. He likes us all to have a good relationship. He pushes for it more than anybody else.
How does he spend time with his children?
He had more time to spend with us when we were growing up. Now, we are older and we are all busy doing our own thing. But every time he gets the opportunity to spend time with us, he does. We go on outings and he has several special places, but he regularly goes to the tennis club on the mainland.
In our younger days, he took us there most of the time. Everyone at the club knew us because we always came there. I think he was probably the only one then that came to the club with his children.
Were you disappointed when he said he was retiring from football?
I wasn’t disappointed, even though I was born at the pinnacle of his career. So, I watched more of his tapes than really see him play live. I wasn’t born during the 1980 African Cup of Nations Cup, but I’ve seen footages of him play, even in the 70s.
How did you feel whenever you watched his tapes, especially when Nigeria won the 1980 African Cup of Nations in Lagos?
It’s an experience one can’t really put into words. Many people wish they are in my shoes. It gives me great joy that I have a football hero as a father, one who didn’t just pass through the corridors of football in this country but who made his mark. I feel very proud of him.
Do you know why he is nicknamed ‘Mathematical’?
Yes, I think it was because of his precision on the field of play, and his touchline dribbles. I also know he was nicknamed ‘mathematical’ by the famous radio commentator, Ernest Okonkwo, who made the name popular.
Did he influence his children’s careers?
He is a very liberal person. A lot of us are into the arts. One of my sisters is a professional make-up artist, my brother is into computer and graphics design. I am into sound engineering. He always encouraged us to do what we loved most and that we should be good at it.
Who among his children has passion for football like him?
I used to think that I could have been good at football. I don’t know if it could have been so, if not for that accident I had at a tender age. I think I might have played football. I can’t remember how old I was then, maybe six or seven. But it was just discouraging for me then, because I was in the hospital for about two months. So, I just lost interest. I know that my sisters were good at athletics and sports. I don’t know if they would have taken to football.