When Prayer Beats the Transfer Market…
Odion Ighalo’s transfer to Manchester United was more heavenly than earthly, if you ask him. The Nigerian striker, age 35, channeled some divine intervention to get his dream move from Shanghai Shenhua to Old Trafford back in January 2020. With Rashford and Martial benched by injuries and Solskjaer scrambling, Ighalo, previously a Premier League goal-getter for Watford, became the unlikely hero.
Gazing skywards, Ighalo admitted he was up against some serious competition when his agent first spilled the beans. He was told he was the third choice, kind of like being the third wheel on a bicycle. But armed with a prayer or two, and perhaps some reverse psychology on rival clubs, Ighalo’s celestial connection seemed to work wonders. Following a rollercoaster of dangling options, Solskjaer finally chose Ighalo after other deals fell through, leaving our man with blessed goose bumps.
In the end, Ighalo was so keen to live out his teenage dreams in the red of United that he was willing to take a pay cut so massive it would make one’s head spin. From earning big bucks in China to praying for a spot on the United bench, Ighalo’s story proves dreams and a strong Wi-Fi signal to heaven can move mountains, or at least tired transfer lists!
