A few Nigerian footballers have had their identities altered due to clerical or adminsitrative errors and last weekend, when Chidera Ejuke scored his first goal of the season against Real Valladolid, the commentators shouted his name with excitement.
Yet, for some who have followed his journey, the way they called his name likely brought back memories of a mistake that altered his football identity.
The Sevilla winger didn’t always go by ‘Ejuke’—his birth name is actually Ejike, a name commonly associated with Nigerians from the Eastern part of the country.
However, during a grassroots competition before his selection for Nigeria’s U17 national team in 2015, a clerical error led to his name being misspelt as ‘Ejuke’ instead of ‘Ejike.’
The mistake was repeated on his official documents, and ever since, the player has carried the name throughout his career.
Nigerian footballers with altered names
Chidera Ejuke is not the only Nigerian whose name was changed by a simple error that stuck. Here are four other Nigerian footballers who experienced similar situations:
John Mikel Obi
Perhaps the most famous case of a name alteration due to a clerical error is that of former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi. Born Michael Nchukwube Obi, the Jos-born talent was a prodigy, destined to represent Nigeria on the international stage.
His first major break came when he was called up to Nigeria’s U17 team in 2002/2003 as preparations began for the FIFA U17 World Cup in Finland.
During the registration process, a mistake transformed ‘Michael’ into ‘Mikel’ on official documents.
The error was never corrected, and Mikel adopted the name as his own, much like Brazilian players who adopt monikers for their jerseys.
Thus, ‘Mikel Obi’ became the name he wore with pride throughout his illustrious career, which included winning the UEFA Champions League and captaining Nigeria to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ambrose Vanzekin
Ambrose Vanzekin’s name change happened under similar circumstances. Born Ambrose Uanzekin, the goalkeeper was part of the same Golden Eaglets class of 2003 as Mikel Obi.
When it came time to process documents for the tournament, a clerical error replaced the ‘U’ in his surname with a ‘V,’ resulting in the name ‘Vanzekin.’
Rather than contest the error, the player embraced it.
He went on to represent Nigeria at the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2005 and was part of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Despite the misspelling, Vanzekin went with the new version of his name becoming synonymous with his time in football.
Sylvester Igboun
Although less known compared to others on this list, Sylvester Igboun also experienced a name alteration early in his career.
Born Sylvester Emeka Igbonu in Lagos, the forward showed immense potential during his youth.
However, a misspelling of his surname during registration for a grassroots tournament led to the name ‘Igboun’ appearing on his official documents, and it followed him throughout his career.
Despite this, Igboun’s talent shone through.
He had successful stints at FC Midtjylland in Denmark and Dynamo Moscow in Russia.
The name ‘Igboun’ remained with him as he earned six caps for Nigeria and continued his professional career in Europe.
Ezekiel Henty
Ezekiel Henty was once hailed as one of the next big talents in Nigerian football after his move to AC Milan’s youth academy in 2012.
However, the forward’s surname was not originally ‘Henty.’
Born Ezekiel Henry, an error during documentation changed the ‘R’ in Henry to a ‘T,’ giving him the name he has carried throughout his career.
Like the others, Henty embraced the new spelling. He went on to play for several clubs across Europe, including Spezia, Olimpija Ljubljana, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Slovan Bratislava.
Now 31, Henty continues his career at Maccabi Bnei Reineh in Israel, where he plays under the name that was born from a simple clerical mistake.
