Little Dynamo:Defenders pay heavily when they underrate me - Mamuda Isa
- Details
- Category: Sports
- Written by David Ngobua
- Hits: 533
Short in stature, but tall in skills, Jigawa Golden Stars’ vice-captain and most influential player Mamuda Isa Liman is not more than four feet high. The ‘Little Dynamo’ spoke to SHOT! at the just concluded National League Super Cup in Bauchi and said defenders who underrate him because of his small size usually pay dearly for their mistake. Excerpts...
Could you introduce yourself?My names are Mamuda Isa Liman from Kano Municipal of Kano State. I was born in 1990. I started playing football fully after my secondary education in 2001. But like any other child, I used to play football in my neighbourhood even before I started going to school. I played in Shell Cup for Rumfa College and I represented the school in 2000 in Italy after that year’s Shell Cup competition.
Which clubs did you play for before joining Jigawa Golden Stars?
I played for clubs like Buffaloes in Kano. When the club became FC Abuja, I moved with it to Abuja before joining Jigawa Golden Stars in 2006. So I joined Jigawa in 2006. I was with the club in the Premier and even when we were relegated, I stayed with the club.
Now the club has gained promotion back to the Premier League. How happy are you?
I am feeling really happy because every player wants to play in the Premier League. Premier League is not new to some of us because it was there that we got relegated. We have quality players now more than the last time we were relegated. We are experienced players who can hold our own against any club.
Are you sure Jigawa would not be relegated again at the end of next season?
I am not thinking about relegation again because we have all the players and our coaches are highly experienced. Our Technical Adviser, Abdul Pele is a highly experienced coach. He even coached at the national level. He was one of Coach Siasia’s assistants in 2005 when the Flying Eagles played in the finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Holland. I have confidence in his ability to guide us.
Does the club enjoy sufficient support from the Jigawa State government? If no, what do you want the government to do now that the club has returned to the Premier League?
The government is doing its best for us but we really need more encouragement now that we are going to face more and higher challenges. I am talking about moral and financial support. I am calling on our fans to give us the necessary encouragement by coming out to cheer us when we are playing. The government can motivate us by paying our sign on fees and salaries as and when due. This would ginger us to put in our best.
You are one of the smallest, if not the smallest player in the NPL. How do you cope with taller and bigger opponents?
(Laughs) I cope because I have a strong mind and I depend largely on my brain. I have dribbling skills and whenever I come face to face with such strong and big opponents, I used tactics to get them out of my way. While most of them depend on force to collect the ball from me, I depend on my innate techniques to outwit them. I do anything I want to do with the ball because I have the mind. Football is not played by size and that is why players like Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, and Fabregas are among the world’s best players. I have my own secrets when it comes to dealing with big defenders.
So you mean no defender has ever bullied you?
Most of them take pleasure is just kicking me about but I don’t fear them. They do so because those who underrate me pay heavily for their mistake. There was this match in the 2008 season against Wikki Tourists of Bauchi. They had a defender called Tukura. He kept kicking me until I got injured and was pulled out. Most times defenders kick me because they feel I am full of tricks. I don’t blame them because they know that if they allow me I would wreak havoc. One thing they fail to know is that I am never afraid of anybody who is a human being like me. We all have two legs each and I don’t know why I should be afraid of any opponent. Kicking me does not deter me from playing my own game.
You sound very confident. Do you still need referees protection?
I am not afraid of anybody but that is not to say I do not need protection from some of the bullies in the league. I am not a super human being. Some of them leave the ball to go after me. In such situations, I feel the referees should be alive to their responsibilities by protecting me.
You have been very consistent playing for Jigawa Golden Stars. Have you ever been invited to any of the national teams?
No and I don’t know why. Like you say I have been very consistent but no national team coach has deemed it necessary to give me a chance. I am still hoping that one day; I will get a call up to the national team. I am waiting on Allah. One day, someone will see me.
What is your best match so far?
My best match so far is the one against Lobi Stars in Makurdi in 2008. I will not forget the match in a hurry. After the match, Makurdi fans besieged our bus just to take a closer look at me. They were shocked that I was just a young boy.
Which coach gave you the breakthrough in your career?
I am indebted to many coaches but I owe my break through to coach Tunde Disu who gave me the chance to prove myself in the Premier League. I will not forget him in a hurry because he believed in me despite my stature. He made me believe in myself. He never looked at my size but what is inside me.
Articles
Little Dynamo:Defenders pay heavily when they underrate me - Mamuda Isa
Category: Sports Written by David Ngobua Hits: 533
Short in stature, but tall in skills, Jigawa Golden Stars’ vice-captain and most influential player Mamuda Isa Liman is not more than four feet high. The ‘Little Dynamo’ spoke to SHOT! at the just concluded National League Super Cup in Bauchi and said defenders who underrate him because of his small size usually pay dearly for their mistake. Excerpts...
Could you introduce yourself?My names are Mamuda Isa Liman from Kano Municipal of Kano State. I was born in 1990. I started playing football fully after my secondary education in 2001. But like any other child, I used to play football in my neighbourhood even before I started going to school. I played in Shell Cup for Rumfa College and I represented the school in 2000 in Italy after that year’s Shell Cup competition.
Which clubs did you play for before joining Jigawa Golden Stars?
I played for clubs like Buffaloes in Kano. When the club became FC Abuja, I moved with it to Abuja before joining Jigawa Golden Stars in 2006. So I joined Jigawa in 2006. I was with the club in the Premier and even when we were relegated, I stayed with the club.
Now the club has gained promotion back to the Premier League. How happy are you?
I am feeling really happy because every player wants to play in the Premier League. Premier League is not new to some of us because it was there that we got relegated. We have quality players now more than the last time we were relegated. We are experienced players who can hold our own against any club.
Are you sure Jigawa would not be relegated again at the end of next season?
I am not thinking about relegation again because we have all the players and our coaches are highly experienced. Our Technical Adviser, Abdul Pele is a highly experienced coach. He even coached at the national level. He was one of Coach Siasia’s assistants in 2005 when the Flying Eagles played in the finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Holland. I have confidence in his ability to guide us.
Does the club enjoy sufficient support from the Jigawa State government? If no, what do you want the government to do now that the club has returned to the Premier League?
The government is doing its best for us but we really need more encouragement now that we are going to face more and higher challenges. I am talking about moral and financial support. I am calling on our fans to give us the necessary encouragement by coming out to cheer us when we are playing. The government can motivate us by paying our sign on fees and salaries as and when due. This would ginger us to put in our best.
You are one of the smallest, if not the smallest player in the NPL. How do you cope with taller and bigger opponents?
(Laughs) I cope because I have a strong mind and I depend largely on my brain. I have dribbling skills and whenever I come face to face with such strong and big opponents, I used tactics to get them out of my way. While most of them depend on force to collect the ball from me, I depend on my innate techniques to outwit them. I do anything I want to do with the ball because I have the mind. Football is not played by size and that is why players like Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, and Fabregas are among the world’s best players. I have my own secrets when it comes to dealing with big defenders.
So you mean no defender has ever bullied you?
Most of them take pleasure is just kicking me about but I don’t fear them. They do so because those who underrate me pay heavily for their mistake. There was this match in the 2008 season against Wikki Tourists of Bauchi. They had a defender called Tukura. He kept kicking me until I got injured and was pulled out. Most times defenders kick me because they feel I am full of tricks. I don’t blame them because they know that if they allow me I would wreak havoc. One thing they fail to know is that I am never afraid of anybody who is a human being like me. We all have two legs each and I don’t know why I should be afraid of any opponent. Kicking me does not deter me from playing my own game.
You sound very confident. Do you still need referees protection?
I am not afraid of anybody but that is not to say I do not need protection from some of the bullies in the league. I am not a super human being. Some of them leave the ball to go after me. In such situations, I feel the referees should be alive to their responsibilities by protecting me.
You have been very consistent playing for Jigawa Golden Stars. Have you ever been invited to any of the national teams?
No and I don’t know why. Like you say I have been very consistent but no national team coach has deemed it necessary to give me a chance. I am still hoping that one day; I will get a call up to the national team. I am waiting on Allah. One day, someone will see me.
What is your best match so far?
My best match so far is the one against Lobi Stars in Makurdi in 2008. I will not forget the match in a hurry. After the match, Makurdi fans besieged our bus just to take a closer look at me. They were shocked that I was just a young boy.
Which coach gave you the breakthrough in your career?
I am indebted to many coaches but I owe my break through to coach Tunde Disu who gave me the chance to prove myself in the Premier League. I will not forget him in a hurry because he believed in me despite my stature. He made me believe in myself. He never looked at my size but what is inside me.