Former Super Eagles striker Daniel Amokachi has revealed that he drove a Porsche at 17 before going bankrupt at 27. He shared the account in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES about his early football career.
Amokachi joined Club Brugge in Belgium as a teenager and quickly enjoyed the rewards of professional football. “This is a boy who came off the street. He was living a life. At the age of 17, he was driving a Porsche. The only player in Belgium driving a Porsche at my age,” he said.
Football also opened opportunities in modelling, where Amokachi met international celebrities. “At that age, I was modelling and meeting all the superstars in the world. I don’t even know them, but at that age, it’s life. It’s just life that you see,” he said.
A decade later, Amokachi said he had gone bankrupt. “If I tell you that I was grounded, I’m lying. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to life in football. I’ve gone bankrupt in my life,” he said.
His father had invested part of his earnings while he was still playing. “Why I stayed afloat is because of the investment my dad made for me, not me,” Amokachi said.
The investments included property that Amokachi could sell when he needed money. He cited one property valued at about N500 million. “That’s what kept me back. You understand? That’s the grace that I was talking about. Things that I didn’t do, but my dad did,” he said.
After Club Brugge, Amokachi played for Everton and Beşiktaş. He won the 1995 FA Cup with Everton and helped Nigeria win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and the 1996 Olympic football gold medal.
His experience has also informed his advice to younger footballers. In earlier comments reported by Brila, Amokachi urged Super Eagles players to invest while they were still earning from football.
After retiring, Amokachi continued to receive modelling and endorsement offers. “I’m an old man, but I’m a sexy old man,” he said, adding that brands still approach him to promote their products.
Amokachi also became emotional while discussing Stephen Keshi, whom he met at 17 in Belgium. “When I signed for Club Brugge, he was already the first Nigerian that went to Belgium, and he nurtured me, has made me who Daniel Amokachi is, as a player and as a human being and as a coach,” he said.
