Nigerian striker Kennedy Igboananike netted his fourth goal of the season and his 13th overall as a member of the Chicago Fire Wednesday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. After a long day of travel to the East Coast, Chicago-Fire.com caught up with Igboananike Friday to better get to know the man in the No. 77 shirt.
What was your experience playing soccer growing up?
KI: I grew up in the ghetto, so we used to play in the streets with our shoes until we grew up and you start developing into a soccer player and you start to use shoes (laughs) and play more to get better. In ghetto you know that it’s hard, it’s a tough life, you’ve just got to believe that someday you can make it. I remember that day, it was a memorable day for me. At first I didn’t believe it was going to happen but who knows? Dreams come to reality.
When did you learn to backflip the way you do in your goal celebrations?
KI: I used to say to a lot of my friends when growing up, if you don’t know how to do flips, you can’t move around with the group. So you have to learn how to do it. Everyone that comes from my neighborhood, all the guys I roll with know how to do it. I had no choice.
And what’s the significance of wearing No. 77?
KI: Seven was always my number but when I arrived in Chicago I think seven was taken. I decided to add another seven, so now I’m stuck with it.
What do you enjoy most about living in Chicago?
KI: The life, the people, the city. I think now I start developing where I know everything about the city and the people around and start having good friends. It helps me a lot to feel like I belong to the community and feel free to move around and do whatever I want to do. When you’re comfortable in a city, if you’re happy, I think you can perform well.
Is there a reason you aren’t active on social media?
KI: I had some trouble in social media when I was in Sweden and I moved from one team to a rival team. It was like something that had never been done before, it’s like moving from Real Madrid to Barcelona to play. After that I was getting insulting words and stuff like that so I just decided to be myself and be private, I just like to be myself.
WATCH: Igboananike Scores Near-Post at Vancouver
Who is your roommate on the road and why?
KI: It’s David Accam, he’s like my son (laughs). Always. I was with Collin Fernandez in Vancouver and now we drove Collin out so now it’s David. We’ve always been together, live in the same building. It’s going to be hard if I don’t stay with David in the room. I can hang out with everybody but being with him, we’re used to each other so it’s easy. We pray together but other than that we don’t have many traditions on the road.
How did you pass the time on the long flight from Vancouver to Boston? Are you a movie guy?
KI: I’m a sleeping guy (laughs). I need my rest. I hate when the plane starts bumping and shaking in the air so I always love to sleep on flights, I just get my pillow and sleep off the rest.
If you weren’t playing soccer, what would you be doing?
KI: If I’m not playing soccer, I haven’t decided yet but I think at the end of my career I’ll start planning for what to do. For now, I just want to give everything have until when I start knowing it’s time to move on. You can’t live in soccer forever so there must always be a time to hang them up. When the time is getting closer you can think of something but for now I just have to focus on the game. I always dreamed of being a soccer player when I was growing up, it’s what I love to do best. My mom, my family, they would get tired of me (playing) in the street when I was a kid but it came to a point where they knew they couldn’t do anything about it, so they just let me do what I want to do.
Watch Kennedy Igboananike and the Chicago Fire face the New England Revolution Saturday at Gillette Stadium. Pregame coverage on Comcast SportsNet Chicago begins at 6 p.m. CT, followed by kickoff at 6:30 p.m.
