Nigerian Super Eagles legend, Daniel Amokachi popularly known as ‘The Bull’ for his aggressive playing style, made a lot of money and became the first Nigerian footballer to own a private jet in the late 1990s, but was forced to sell it as his career drew to a close in the early 2000s.
According to ‘Legit.ng‘ in an interview with Brila FM, ‘Dan The Bull’ made a revealing explanation that the overwhelming cost of maintaining the jet made him sell it, as he admitted he could have lost it if he had decided to keep using it.
“All I need to do was have my name on the airline and at any point, I can call the aircraft to pick me to anywhere in the world,” he said.
“Just to fly over a country to get clearance is money, to take care of it is money, to leave it overnight is money.
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“Believe me, everything about me is the grace of God because if it wasn’t His grace, I’ll stay without a dime. If I had left the plane, it would have been seized at the end of the day.
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“I gave it back to them; the company that sold it when I realised I couldn’t continue in the year 2000/01, and through a clean negotiation, and everybody was happy.”
Amokachi was arguably one of the most successful Nigerian footballers in the 1990s.
He played for top clubs in Europe, including Club Brugge, Everton and Besiktas, before retiring.
He left the Ranchers Bees football club of Kaduna to join Club Brugge in 1990.
Daniel Amokachi playing for Nigeria at the 1998 World Cup in France. Photo by Romeo Gacad/AFP. Source: Getty Images
He spent four years at the Belgian club before moving to the Premier League with Everton in 1994, and spent only two seasons at the Merseyside club.
Quoting ‘Daily Monitor’, ‘Legit.ng’ wrote he was the first player to score in the old format of the UEFA Champions League in 1992, helping Brugge beat CSKA Moscow 1-0.
The highlight of his time at Everton was winning the 1995 FA Cup. He scored twice in the semi-final after substituting himself in against Tottenham Hotspur, defying manager Joe Doyle.
When Amokachi left England in 1996 to Turkey with Besiktas, it marked the end of his playing career after leaving the club in 2000, despite attempting to play for other clubs.
He signed contracts or had trials at 1860 Munich, Tranmere Rovers, US Creteil, Colorado Rapids and in the UAE, but his recurring injuries would not allow him to perform optimally; forcing him into early retirement.
