I Don’t Like Arsenal – Adekunle Gold
Highlife musician, songwriter and graphic designer, Adekunle Kosoko, popularly known as Adekunle Gold, shares his football passion, memorable moments, love for Super Eagles and Manchester United in this interview with JOHNNY EDWARD.
Did you ever take part in any sports growing up?
Yes I did. I played football and did other sports like table tennis, but as a boy, football was the main sport, in fact, the main thing. I started following football from childhood, and that made me love the Super Eagles so much. I played football with so much passion but at some point, I chose a career path that I loved more, which is music.
Was it a difficult decision for you to take?
As a young child it wasn’t, but several factors led me to music. Firstly, it was obvious that I had the talent in music more than in football and the path to success was glaring for me to follow.
With the kind of money players receive and the transfer fees they command now, do you regret not playing football?
Absolutely not. Musicians do command huge fees as well and I think it’s more of satisfaction that matters.
What fond memories do you have about the Super Eagles?
The 1994 World Cup in the US was the most memorable experience I had as a young boy growing up. I recall I stayed up late secretly to watch the Eagles World Cup opening game against Bulgaria and I was happy I did. The late Rashidi Yekini scored a goal that I emulated each time I played football with my friends. It was when Yekini scored that my folks knew I was awake and they couldn’t beat me because it was past my bedtime. But it was painful to see the Eagles lose in the manner they did against Italy in the second round. However, we showed we could be rated alongside the rest of the big teams in world football with our performances in our first World Cup outing. Another one was the 1998 World Cup in France. I had high hopes that we would go past our previous feat of reaching the second round, but after winning the first two games, we lost the remaining two games and crashed out at the same stage we reached at the 1994 edition. The defeat to Denmark was crushing and the fact that they used a header to beat Taribo West and score was so annoying to me because he was the best defender in the Eagles at that time.
Which football club do you support?
I’m a Manchester United fan and I don’t care about Arsenal fans. So deep is the rivalry for me.
But both team’s in recent times have not done well and have also failed to justify their big spendings?
Yes, but I think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs time to build his team from the scratch. We can see that he has spent hugely this summer on Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan Bissaka. They need time to settle in before the team can become a force to reckon with again. We saw how Jurgen Klopp rebranded Liverpool with the players he signed in three years.
What do you make of the current Super Eagles squad?
They are a good side that needs more time together and a bit of luck.
