AFC Bournemouth
Half a dozen games into the new season and Nnamdi Ofoborh has already been busy breaking through landmarks, taking the ups in a fledgling career that has already been peppered by soaring highs and crushing lows.
Ofoborh arrived in Dorset a shy and introverted 16-year-old fresh from tasting rejection with Millwall and two years before that with Tottenham, evolving over the last four campaigns into a player relishing every opportunity he’s earned.
Having captained the youth team to historical FA Youth Cup progress, he next progressed to leading the under-21s and regularly training with the first-team squad.
Primarily a central midfielder, Ofoborh spent last season out on loan with Wycombe, helping the Chairboys to a high league watermark and starting at Wembley in the play-off final win to secure Championship promotion.
Happening alongside his career progress, he has also been faced with tragic personal circumstances, including two friends passing away at young ages.
However, maintaining his personal momentum on the pitch, this season Ofoborh has started twice in the Carabao Cup and most recently made his league debut in the win over Coventry.
The Lewisham-raised 20-year-old spoke candidly with afcb.co.uk on his boundary-pushing start to 2020/21, enacting his personal Palace revenge and why he’s unlikely to answer to the name Nathan.
What were your feelings when the club was relegated, disappointed I’m sure but perhaps also that it opened the door for you a little bit as well?
At the time I wasn’t really thinking about how I fitted into the team, it was more about how upset I was about the situation, a bit angry because I think I could have played at that level and not being able to hurt a lot.
Also, not playing my part to help in any way after the restart hurt the most, but that gave me more fuel to come back more aggressive with my objectives for this season.
Your competitive Cherries debut came in the Carabao Cup match with Crystal Palace, who you have history with…
It was a bit personal for me because I went to Crystal Palace twice on trial, when I was 14 I went and they wouldn’t even let me train with the main group.
Then I went there at 16 and the goalkeeper coach sent me home before the session in front of everybody and told me I wasn’t good enough.
I came on a Tuesday and it was all a mess, they didn’t know I was coming. They let me train then I came back the following Thursday.
Everyone was putting on their boots and the coach told me to go to see the goalkeeper coach, I got there and he wasn’t even looking at me, still coaching the goalkeepers. He said there was nothing to offer me, I wasn’t good enough.
I was 15, I didn’t say anything but it was embarrassing. I had to walk back, take my boots off, put my trainers back on and leave before the session even started. He could have told me after the session, and those kinds of situations don’t leave you.
You can’t let those things hold you back though. I used them for extra motivation before kick-off, going out on the pitch and going against their main boys.
And how did you feel you got on in the game?
Just to see my name, I was ready for it and I think my performance showed that. The team was announced on the morning of the game and it was a bit of a shock, I’ve only been on the bench before.
It was a very sweet moment to show that I’d come this far and to get the win in the end.
You’ve been here for four years and you’ve changed so much. Can you compare the 16-year-old who arrived here to the first-team player you are now?
When I first came I was a man of few words. I came on trial and sat on the minibus and I don’t think I even said hello to anybody. I came here strictly for business and was tired of always hearing ‘no’.
When I got here and settled down I was a little shy, I didn’t want to upset people or get in trouble so I stayed by myself, that was before I knew what sort of club it was.
Coming away from home at 16, the only family I knew was my family so realising that the club itself was a family was probably the deciding factor in realising how close the boys and all the coaches were.
I remember asking you back then where the name Nnamdi comes from, you mentioned your grandad but were too shy to answer properly…
My name comes from my mum’s dad passing away just before my birth. He was really excited to see me, my mum is the youngest of… many! I’ll have to get back to you, but she’s the youngest of 15 or 16 children.
I believe my grandad passed away four days before I was born so Nnamdi means ‘My father lives on’.
My real name (Nathan, Nnamdi is a middle name) is a little secret only for people who have seen my passport. My mum’s side always call me Nnamdi but some on my dad’s side still call me Nathan.
Apparently, and I don’t know how true this is, when they were registering me for nursery school the teacher asked my name and my parents said ‘Nathan’ but the teacher, who had taught all my cousins, said ‘Nah, there are too many Nathans already’.
Pretty much since then everyone’s called me Nnamdi – if you call me Nathan I probably won’t turn around!
After Palace was Man City. One of the best teams in the world, playing against some world-class players and with Pep Guardiola watching from the sidelines…
It was a bit crazy, I only found out I was starting when I was in the hotel before the game. I don’t like to tell people, I didn’t tell my mum, I held onto the information.
I wasn’t nervous, I was thinking ‘this is where I want to be’, it was as confident as I’ve been for a game. I was thinking that I belong at these kind of stadiums, playing with these types of players and I’m going to have show this to people.
I looked at their line up and saw some big names on there. I saw Mahrez, Rodri, Torres, players I’ve watched in the Champions League when I was growing up. You want to play against the best teams and to be out there with them was a breath of fresh air, it allowed me to be free and feel more confident.
And Pep Guardiola as well. I don’t remember looking at him or seeing him the entire time, I was so zoned and so focused.
Playing out of position in defence, how hard was it to make your mark not even in your natural role?
Since I’ve been training with the first team, especially when I first came up, I had to fill in everywhere. I’d play right-back, left midfield, wherever.
I like to study the game so when I play centre-half it’s not my position but I don’t feel out of place. I don’t see it as a problem so it didn’t change me, if you let it change you that’s when your performance starts to sink.
I felt I did alright, a couple of my passes could have been better. I know people will say I’m young and I did a good job but I felt I could have done a bit better.
In midfield there are people to the left, the right, in front and behind, your head’s always on the swivel and you’ve got to be on the move, whereas at centre-half everything’s in front of you, so when I’m on the ball there I’m relaxed, I have the situation under control, I can put my shoulders back.
I felt confident enough on the ball to pick my passes, when we were under pressure I still had to do what I have to do. Looking up the pitch I could see everything, see everyone move and I felt comfortable.
After the game I saw you and Jaidon Anthony had a job on to get some shirts…
Well, you know you’ll have some pictures to remember it but swapping shirts with the best players is what you want to do – and when you’re playing City you’re spoilt for choice!
Playing against Raheem Sterling was a big thing for me with everything he’s done and been through, and he was playing on my side.
After the game I didn’t really want to speak, I was more upset that we lost; I didn’t care that it was City, I wanted to win. But we gestured to swap shirts and then I kind of left it.
It’s a funny story, Lys (Mousset) got me a Mahrez shirt two years ago when Jaidon and I were living together in digs. Jaidon asked me to get his shirt before the game and I said I’d try, Lys helped me out… but then once I got it I had to say I couldn’t give it to him, I had to have it!
So, after the City game I went to Mahrez, explained that Jaidon was his biggest fan but that he didn’t come on, I pointed him out on the bench and we got it sorted in the tunnel.
Then Sterling was waiting with his shirt, he said he wanted mine too which came as a shock to me for Sterling to ask for my shirt.
Next a league debut against Coventry, is that even bigger than away at City?
Playing in the cup is one thing, but to be involved in a league game was a special moment, especially for my family. Something I’ve been working hard towards for as long as I can remember. I felt I deserved it and that this is only the beginning.
It was a tough week, I lost my aunt on the night of the Man City game but didn’t know that until afterwards, so I dedicated the league debut to her.
If you know me, everything’s about ups and downs but I feel it was a week everyone could be proud of and give the family light in a time of darkness.
It’s something that I can tick off the list for this season but I’ve still got a lot more I want to tick off, we’ll see how many I do by the end of the season.
