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A Kidnap Victim’s Turnaround Tale

By newswatchngr.com 06/09/2011 23:12:00

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Choice Aisien, now a successful man in Germany, attributes his accomplishments to a shift in focus from soccer to business

He left Nigeria for Germany as a promising young footballer in 2001, with high hopes of making a name for himself in the round leather game. But things didn’t quite work out for Choice Aisien, as he neither lasted long in the game nor achieve global fame like some of his contemporaries.

Aisien, however, didn’t allow such disappointment to overwhelm him. He simply chose to hang his boots and opt for another source of livelihood. He chose to become a businessman, indulging in import and export business, and also acting as a soccer scout. Two years after, Aisien is feeling happy for the decision he took, as it proves that there’s life after football. Looking relaxed that evening at a social gathering in Frankfurt, Germany, Aisien took Newswatch down memory lane on how he landed in Germany 10 years ago to begin life as a professional footballer.

His love for soccer manifested in Benin City, where, like many boys, the youngster was to be found on the streets playing football. He later graduated to playing for some youth clubs in the ancient town before finally travelling to Germany to join the youth club of Eintracht Frankfurt in 2001. As a youth player for Eintracht Frankfurt, Aisien participated in a youth tournament where, according to him, he gave a good account of himself. “There was a game we played against Celtic Glasgow of Scotland. I won the man of the match award and scored a goal against Celtic, so, I got invitation to go to Celtic,” he said.

But his move to Celtic only happened after the player had joined Offenbach Kickers in the second division in 2004. He played for Offenbach for one year and only decided to move to Celtic when it dawned on him that Offenbach Kickers’ management were not keen to keep him.

His contract at Celtic Glasgow, he said, was one of the best he ever had in his soccer career. “It was good and perfect and was a really big time club and I enjoyed it.” Although he never represented Nigeria at any international competition, Aisien said he was initially a member of the national U-20 team that later participated in the World Youth Championship in Holland, in 2005. But he didn’t make the final list that travelled for the tournament.

Having returned to Germany, from Scotland, Aisien did some trials with some teams in the first and second divisions but “didn’t make the teams.” He then ended up with a third division club but was unable to get regular playtime. Looking back at that period, Aisien admits that he “was not in form.” That informed his decision to return to Nigeria to team up with a club in the country. Enyimba appealed to him more, and so Aisien headed for Aba, to join Enyimba. This was after he had spoken to Austin Eguavoen, the then Enyimba coach, who agreed to have him in the team.

But what the young man thought would be a pleasurable time in Nigeria was rubbished by a kidnapping incident involving him. This was in the 2008/2009 season and at the height of the kidnapping saga in that commercial nerve centre of Abia State.

“I was kidnapped and taken away. They took me to a place called Isiala Ngwa. They said I should bring N100 million. I told them I didn’t have money to give. They also asked me about my car and I denied I was not the owner of the car.” The player was in danger of losing his life but luck was on his side. “I thank God for everything, I didn’t have to pay anything to secure my freedom,” beamed Aisien. “They left me there, and in the morning, I found my way out of the place.”

The footballer was rattled though and so decided to return back to Germany. But rather than bother about where next to pitch his tent in football, he decided to become a soccer agent and a businessman.

He said it was easy for him to make the switch from player to businessman because of the investments he had. One of them was the education he acquired, even as a footballer in Germany. While playing in Germany, Aisien said he went back to school, and one of the things he learnt was the German language. He said he also paid his taxes as a Germany-based footballer and that explains why he now gets some support from the German government now that he no longer plays football. Drawing from his own experience, Aisien wants young footballers to look beyond football even when they are active in the sport: “If you didn’t have the opportunity to go to school, try and learn some other skill. A time will come when you will no longer be in the same form you used to be and it will be difficult for you to get a contract.”