ODION IGHALO has revealed he would often go hungry so he could watch Manchester United on the TV by squirrelling away his lunch money as a kid in Nigeria.
The striker, 31, recalled how he would limit himself to a small lunch everyday in order to have enough money for the weekend game.
Odion Ighalo, left, has revealed he used to save up his lunch money to watch Man Utd on TV as a kidCredit: Instagram
Ighalo would often go hungry as a youngster so he could watch UnitedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Now on the books of United himself, Ighalo has recalled his formative years in Nigeria and the sacrifice he made for his love of the beautiful game.
Ighalo told the Man Utd website: “I grew up in an area where everyone watched Premier League football.
“You either supported Manchester United or Arsenal or Chelsea back then.
“In my house, my brothers, my late sister, they supported Manchester United.
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“When I grew up, my brother started taking me to the viewing centre to watch Manchester United.
“That’s how I fell in love with the team, watching Manchester United playing week in, week out.”
Ighalo went on to reveal he used to save half of his lunch money – often going hungry – for the weekend trip to the viewing centre.
The Nigerian continued: “I had to save money.
“Before you go to school, my mum would leave me some money if I wanted to eat lunch.
“From Monday I was saving my money because I wanted to watch Manchester United.
“Even though I would use part of the money for lunch, I would save some of the money because the weekend is coming.
“Sometimes you would be feeling hungry because you don’t eat properly, but you don’t want to miss the game at the weekend.
“You want to see it yourself. It’s that passion. You start saving money until the weekend.”
But Ighalo admitted it was all worth it when the week was done, adding: “After Friday when school is done, you see everyone get happy.
“They get their Manchester United shirt, their Arsenal shirt; you wash it and dry it.
Odion Ighalo spent £1m on an orphanage in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2017
“Everyone’s getting set for the weekend. It’s like a celebration, like you’re at a party.
“When the game started, sometimes it would be so hot because there was no air conditioning, then you have to take off your shirt and you’re fanning yourself.
“Then after the viewing centre, at the end of the game we’re arguing about the match from the viewing centre to our home.
“Sometimes I cry if Manchester United lose a game. You cry because you come home and see people arguing and saying bad things to you.
“Sometimes I shed tears because you don’t want your team to lose. That’s how crazy it was back then.”
Ighalo has never forgotten his roots and even splashed out to the tune of £1million to build an orphanage in Ijegun, a suburb in northern Lagos, in 2017.
The striker has been limited to just four first-team appearances this season after the summer arrival of Edison Cavani, with two of those run-outs coming in the Carabao Cup.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
