Ukranian Football Betting: The man who hated the cold

European Leagues / Jonathan Wilson / 16 July 2009 / Leave a Comment

On the eve of his return to Shaktar Donetsk, Jonathan Wilson talks us through the life and times of Nigerian international Julius Agahowa, from his days as a fleet-footed promising youngster to a sulking and demoralised hater of winters...

I remember quite clearly the first time I took notice of Julius Aghahowa; it was in an African Cup of Nations quarter-final between Nigeria and Senegal in 2000. He came off the bench to equalise with four minutes remaining, then nicked the winner in extra-time. He was lightning fast, a seemingly deadly finisher and he played with a joy that manifested itself in his multiple somersault celebrations.

I remember quite clearly the first time I met Aghahowa. It was in Poltava in November 2001, in Viktor Prokopenko's last game as manager of Shakhtar Donetsk. Aghahowa had moved from the Tunisian side Esperance to Shakhtar earlier that year for what was then a Ukrainian
record fee, and had scored seven goals in his first eight games, becoming a great favourite of the fans.

By the winter, though, the magic had worn off, and he was ineffectual as Shakhtar drew 1-1 against weak opposition, surrendering the league leadership. Battered by brief flurries of snow, the small clutch of away fans set fire to seats and booed the man who four months earlier
had been their hero. I'd arranged to interview Aghahowa after the game but, clearly upset and swaddled in several thick anoraks, he brushed past me in the corridor outside the changing-room, muttering "not now" over his shoulder.

I remember quite clearly the moment at which I realised it had all come to an end for him at Shakhtar. It was in July 2004, and I was getting a lift back from their training ground to my hotel with a senior club director. "And how's Julius doing?" I asked. The director rolled his eyes, snorted, and changed the subject.

And I remember quite clearly the moment at which I realised that he was nothing like the player he had been. It was in January 2008, in an FA Cup third round tie at Sunderland. He came off the bench shortly before half-time for Wigan, and jogged about desultorily, the pace of old apparently gone, the sense of delight certainly evaporated.

And yet now he's back at Shakhtar, talking about "new beginnings" and "fulfilling ambitions I was not able to achieve last time". If the talk is to be believed, a season in Turkey in which he started 23 games for Kayserispor - eight more than he has managed before in a
single season - has rejuvenated him. He is still only 27 and, while the pace is not quite so devastating as it once was, it is said that he has revised his game, become a more complete player.

One obvious problem remains - one about which he spoke movingly when I did finally track him down in Mali at the African Cup of Nations in 2002. "Towards the end of the autumn season, it was the first time that I had played in the winter," he said. "It was very, very cold for
me, and I had some injuries, especially with my toes. How can you play when you cannot feel your toes? The cold was a big disadvantage for me."

Climate change has not yet made Ukraine anything but very, very cold in the winter, but in truth that was only ever part of the problem. The bigger issue was that Aghahowa, the first time round, was never that committed to Shakhtar. "They didn't want me to do any tests or anything," he said. "They just saw me and gave me an offer, and because I was desperate to leave Africa and go to Europe, I accepted it. I knew it would be a stepping-stone for me. I had in mind that I needed to start to get used to the European system. I didn't know how different east and west are in Europe."

He didn't bother to learn the language or integrate, and when a move west didn't materialize - thanks in part to the slump in the transfer market around 2001-2 - he sulked. This time, he is going in with his eyes open. He could make his second debut for the club when the season
begins at home to Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih on Saturday [Shakhtar 1.17 to win], and this time he knows this is probably going to be as good as it gets.