Obafemi Martins finally moving to Newcastle

[Romario]

He claimed he was 21 a couple of weeks ago. Must have been born on a leap year.

[Benzo-13]

Ah, they finally get someone for the "legendary" No.9 shirt..

 

Had to laugh when Roeder talked about bidding for Klose today after he said Kuyt was slow!

[zimmie4444]

Poor Kid Middle-Aged Man. Don't know what he did to deserve that. Does beg the question of how serious Owen's injury problems actually are though?

[floyd]

is there an open top bus tour of the city being organised for this signing?

 

sure is.

 

[jimmylibel]

Weren't there rumours he was in the same under age teams as Babayaro.

 

Martins has been around forever, there's no way he can be 21.

[sammy knucklz]

53

 

54

[Maldini]

some guy from nigeria or something like that said he was 26

 

 

Weren't there rumours he was in the same under age teams as Babayaro.

 

Martins has been around forever, there's no way he can be 21.

They had his age as 27 on the Nigerian FA site, it was a mistake by the guy who made the site. That's where all this rubbish stemd from believe it or not.

[Gomez]

They had his age as 27 on the Nigerian FA site, it was a mistake by the guy who made the site. That's where all this rubbish stemd from believe it or not.

There has been a history of aome african players being creative with their ages due to no exact records being available. I seem to remember no one really knew Rigobert Song's age.

[McBain]

Pompey nicking him will be very satisfying. Newcastle have taken over from Leeds as the club I love to see suffer indignity after indignity

[Guest Anders Honoré]

11 mio is a ridiculously high fee for such a one-dimensional player.

[Bootle Buck]

The "Comeback Shearer" signs will be out if they don't sign him. It's hard to believe they can't find someone to fit into that "LEGENDARY" No. 9 shirt and be dying to play for such a "BIG" club.

[Maldini]

There has been a history of aome african players being creative with their ages due to no exact records being available. I seem to remember no one really knew Rigobert Song's age.

I don't think many have been proven though, there have been rumours about Song and Kanu, but the only one I can think of that was proven was Roger Milla.

 

Way more Brazilians have been caught out for it.

[jimmylibel]

I don't think many have been proven though, there have been rumours about Song and Kanu, but the only one I can think of that was proven was Roger Milla.

 

Way more Brazilians have been caught out for it.

 

Kanu is clearly in his late 60s. There's no denying it!

[psl]

Kanu is clearly in his late 60s. There's no denying it!

 

Yakubu's only 26 you know. Ahem.

[Rimbeux]

There has been a history of aome african players being creative with their ages due to no exact records being available. I seem to remember no one really knew Rigobert Song's age.

 

 

I don't think many have been proven though, there have been rumours about Song and Kanu, but the only one I can think of that was proven was Roger Milla.

 

Way more Brazilians have been caught out for it.

 

 

True. Perception seems to be that dropping a year or two seems to be as rife as it is with thesps. It is/was mainly an issue with fake passports, and it being easier to gain visas as a U16 than an O16. Martins has been with Inter for a long long time.

[Stevie H]

Weren't there rumours he was in the same under age teams as Babayaro.

 

Martins has been around forever, there's no way he can be 21.

he's been at inter for about five years hasn't he? not having that he's 21, got to be a wind-up.

[Maldini]

He made his debut for Inter at 18, was at Reggiana for a year before that . I never believed the allegations, they just don't make sense. He could be first choice at pretty much any club in Europe outside of the top 10, why would he stay in Nigeria until the age of 23 (which is the age he's supposed to have been when he went to Reggiana)

 

Why would someone turn their back on 5 or 6 years of HUGE wages?

 

I can understand people suspecting that a year or two has been taken off some people's age so they can play youth games etc, but 6 years just doesn't hold up. People just want to believe it because it's a great story.

Edited August 23, 2006 by Maldini

[jimmylibel]

He made his debut for Inter at 18, was at Reggiana for a year before that . I never believed the allegations, they just don't make sense. He could be first choice at pretty much any club in Europe outside of the top 10, why would he stay in Nigeria until the age of 23 (which is the age he's supposed to have been when he went to Reggiana)

 

Why would someone turn their back on 5 or 6 years of HUGE wages?

 

I can understand people suspecting that a year or two has been taken off some people's age so they can play youth games etc, but 6 years just doesn't hold up. People just want to believe it because it's a great story.

 

Could he have just not been spotted until then? Or even been very, very raw?

[Leo No.8]

This presumption that all African players are 10 years older than they say they are is a bit tiresome now.

 

Roger Milla was the one solid example of it, but in general you can tell how old these guys are by the way they play.

 

As players get older, even just into their mid twenties they lose a lot of that natural pace and exuberance they enjoyed in their late teens and early twenties. You only have to have watched Martins play a few times over the last few years to tell he's been a teenager and is now in his early twenties.

 

I personally find it harder to judge the age of black people, their skin doesn't age the way white people's does. It's amazing how many people say Yakubu isn't the age he is, like its obvious he's older or something, I couldn't tell.

 

I'd imagine in general they are all pretty much the age they say they are.

[jimmylibel]

Agree with most of that, but Kanu is still clearly in his late 60s and his playing style only proves this.