Chukwudi: a defenders’ worst nightmare

 Right foot, left foot, heading, pace and upper body strength are the traits of a perfect modern day striker and the 19-year-old footballer Chukwudi Chukwuma has them all in abundance.

Chukwudi is absolutely lethal in the striker’s position but he also tends to drop deep into midfield to see more of the ball and influence play. His career so far is full of laurels and success and the statistics he is racking up season after season only magnifies his talent and ability. It is not an uncommon sight to notice the confused and worrisome faces of defenders when they are up against him. Chukwudi’s efficiency and poise in front of a goal has earned him the reputation of being one of the most feared strikers Goa 

has seen.

Born in the tiny village of Benin in Nigeria Chukwudi moved to Goa with his parents and four siblings in 2006 and joined Don Bosco HS, Panaji. To many onlookers his technical ability on the ball defied his age and he started to shine under the watchful eye of coach Francis Raposo. He went on to represent Don Bosco at the nationals three times and finished top-scorer on every occasion. 

His ability and skills were never in doubt and when matured into the U-17 category he continued to impress as he played even better. He was instrumental in Don Bosco winning the state championship with him being the top-scorer yet again.

In the initial stages Chukwudi received his coaching lessons from his father Clifford Chukwuma, former Sporting Clube de Goa’s coach and current technical director of Sesa Football Academy. 

“Football runs in our family. My father played top level football in Nigeria and I inherited the abilities and skill from him,” says Chukwudi. 

His is highly passionate about football and is in deep love with the game. 

Ask him what would be his alternate career option if not football and he says, “Football is everything to me. I thank almighty for this gift and would never want to change it for anything else.”

After bidding farewell to Don Bosco he went on to join Sesa Goa, one of Goa’s most renowned football academy. Though he joined them as a junior but immediately caught the eye of the management with his exceptional talent and soon earned himself a place in the seniors’ category.

Chukwudi has been pretty consistence with his performance and rarely has his form dipped and seldom he under performed. In last year’s Pro-League campaign he finished as a top goal-scorer with a total of 14 goals and by doing so he also helped Sesa finish 2nd in the standings.

The teenager currently gets trained under the guidance of his father Clifford Chukwuma and ask him about his son’s best abilities and the proud father says, “His finishing. Chukwudi is unstoppable in a one-to-one situation. He is the complete striker who is good on both feet and in the air. He is the key man in our team and can have an influence in every position.”

“Although his talent is a gift he does not take it for granted and always strives to improve,” Clifford adds. 

“Scoring goals has become my habit and one of my most potent strengths is the confidence and belief I have in my abilities,” says a confident Chukwudi. 

Though he has seen success at a very young age but he never got carried away by it as he still finds his feet on the ground. 

“I thank god for everything he has blessed me with and I also thank my father and school coach Francis Raposo for what I am today,” the humbled footballer says.

His father Clifford however shells out a warning to his future opponent saying, “Chukwudi is not yet a finished product. This is just the beginning. He is young and learning with every passing game and you should expect to see lot more from him.”

In the same breath he goes on to say that his younger brother Ndidi Endurance is the next talent in the Chukwuma family and that they should not be surprised to see a similar outcome from him as well.