Ex-Super Eagles striker Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins has opened up on the reasons he has a long football career.
Martins burst onto the scene with Inter Milan and went on the play for several clubs in Europe and the United States.
The former Newcastle United forward revealed the reason during his interview with Brila FM Radio in Lagos.
” I was lucky to have played that long because I thought my career would have ended at Newcastle around 2007 and 2008 when I have a problem with my tibia.
“I still have to play forcefully with the same leg and I was lucky to have gotten a move to Germany, yet in Germany I could not play well because the injury slow me down a lot.
“Those times that seemed that I slow down and it was all due to injury and people did not understand what was really going on as to why I had a sharp drop in form.
“They were convinced that an already gotten old even when my career was just starting to pick but I don’t respond to social media.
“I realised how it bad was when I moved to Russia and when I went on loan to Birmingham City after I played in the final, I went to see a doctor.
The doctor told me that if I had not checked it sooner my leg could have broken and I have it operated.
“I spent 2 years on the sideline before my shin healed and then I started to get fit before I move to Levante and Seattle Sounders and then to China where I started to enjoy football again.
“I later had a problem with the other knee a stress fracture and I had to get it operated on again then after the surgery, I decided to slow down and not aggravate it.
“Even then I still played away from the pitch like kick about for fun with the boys and that was why I quit professionally”, he narrated.
