Countdown to 22-23: Nigerian-born Kelechi John has taken the long road to the Central Coast, with some crucial help on the way writes Tom Smithies.
In some ways Kelechi John is all by himself on the Central Coast, but in other ways he couldn’t feel less alone.
A Nigerian-born defender who moved to Portugal and now Gosford to chase his dreams is a long way from home, but feels a step closer to fulfilling those dreams every day.
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It’s the support of his family, and particularly his sister, that has allowed John to thrive overseas, to the degree he has played at Under-23 level for Nigeria and still harbours strong hopes of challenging for a place in Nigeria’s senior national team.
That’s part of the journey that brings him now to the A-Leagues, despite having been linked with clubs in Belgium and Turkey previously, with a remarkable belief in his destiny unfolding, one game at a time.
In simple terms, John moved from Nigerian club Plateau United to Portuguese top-flight side Rio Ave before he had turned 18, and came through their junior teams to captain Rio Ave’s U23 side. In search of senior football he spent three years in the Portuguese second division, at Casa Pia, but wanted “something new for me, you know, like, a new challenge (after) being in one part of the world for so long”.
What could have been a turbulent experience, trading Jos City in Nigeria for the pressure of Portuguese football, was made far easier for John by his sister Christina, his closest sibling, and who he says equipped him with the life skills necessary to make a new life overseas.
But it’s only when he has spoken of that family support for a couple of minutes that you realise he is talking of his sister in the past tense, and why that might be one of the drivers to take every opportunity his footballing life brings along.
“I have the support of my family, they give me the maximum support I need to live up to my potential – mental and physical support from them, and it wasn’t easy because I go to Portugal when I was almost 18 years old,” he said.
“So for the past six years now, I don’t spend time with my family. This is one of the sacrifices we have to make, and I took it full-heartedly to assure my dreams, my career. I will look back and say it was a good choice.
“Many players have a lot of talents (but) they’re not being recognized because the platform is not there. I was one of the lucky ones to be recognized.
“I come from a family of five, I’m the last child, and my immediate eldest sister was like a rock for me. God rest her soul, she passed on now. Most things I knew how to do was (through) her you know, she always supported me and made it possible for me to find it easy to do stuff.
“It wasn’t (so much of) a challenge for me, I will say, because I watch her and she taught me many, many things. Having to do that change (moving overseas), it was challenging because you’re on your own but (it’s easier) when you know what you’re doing, you have that foundation already.
“There are a lot of people that tend to stumble, because the foundation is not there. I had the foundation and I am grateful for that. Ever since then we’re just working on moving forward, my whole concentration was to just be the best player I could be.”
All of which seems to have given John a laudable sense of perspective about football and its place in life that goes way beyond the usual cliches of taking each game as it comes.
“I just wanted to explore my potential, and push myself to my limit and see how far I can go,” he continues. “Because, as footballers, we tend to go places, and when we go places we want to leave a mark, want to leave an imprint of us.
“I want to leave an imprint in the A-League, I want to look back after like, 20 years and say, Yeah, I did a really good job here. I think the Mariners is the best place for me to do that.”
Certainly his displays in pre-season have left Mariners officials comfortable that they have successfully replaced Kye Rowles, and continuing that form in the A-League Men would prove a win-win outcome for player and club. For John that means the possibility of a call-up to the Super Eagles, Nigeria’s senior national team, after the country’s technical director confirmed he is “on our radar” as part of the Nigerian diaspora.
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“I know that in football, everything works by step,” John says. “I’m not rushing because I know it will pan out. But if I was to get called up I know this is where the job starts.
‘When you get recognized by the national team of your country, it is the greatest honour anyone could ever get. So if with hard work I get there, then I know this is where the job starts. When you get recognized by a country then the whole world knows (that) you’re one of ‘them’ (in the national team).
“So I want to be one of them, and I’m working hard every day to to try to be up to (that challenge).”
