What Onyekachi Okonkwo regrets about his Orlando Pirates stint
"It was during that season that I played my toughest match during my time at Pirates."
Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Onyekachi Okonkwo is still hurt by the fact that he did not win a major trophy with the Soweto giants during his time at the club.
Onyekachi Okonkwo had two stints with the Buccaneers in the DStv Premiership, from 2005 to 2007 season before leaving to join FC Zurich and later Al-Kharaitiyat SC.
He returned to Orlando Pirates during the 2012/13 season but still failed to help the club win a major trophy.
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“It is quite unfortunate that I did not win a major trophy with Pirates, especially in 2006 when we had a very good side,” Okonkwo told FARPost.
“We came second in the league that season, and we got to the semifinals of the CAF Champions League, but we lost 1-0 to CS Sfaxien.
“It was during that season that I played my toughest match during my time at Pirates when we played against Enyimba, my former club, in the group stages.
“The match at Aba was a fierce one, and we got a draw. It was a very emotional one for me because of my history with Enyimba,”
Okonkwo has lived to rue 2006 when he felt they could have won the DStv Premiership title along with the CAF Champions League.
The 40-year-old is, however, consoled by his achievements at Enyimba, where he helped them win the Nigerian League title and the coveted CAF Champions League.
And it is his sterling efforts at Enyimba that captured the interests of Orlando Pirates.
After hanging his boots, Okonkwo moved to Italy, where he ventured into the real estate business.
“For now, I am focused on my Real Estate company which I am running here from Milan, but I still have plans to get back into football,” he added.
“There is always that desire to get involved in the game, so I definitely will be back.”
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