Why I'm called 'Mosquito’ – Ibenegbu

By Humphrey Njoku Nigeria B international and Heartland attacking midfielder, Bartholomew Ikechukwu Ibenegbu who was instrumental to the Naze Millionaires’ Federation Cup victory in this interview with SuperSport.com explains that he would rather wait for the Owerri-based team to open talks with him before he commits his future to them. SuperSport.com: Federation Cup success Ibenegbu: Of course, we know this is the only chance we have to come back to the continental competitions. Before the match our governor charged us to go all out to bring the trophy back home and leave the rest to him. So with the challenge, we talked to ourselves that this is what we have to do. We resolved we must go back to the continent and to God be the glory, we came back with the trophy. SuperSport.com: Feeling as a champion. Ibenegbu: I feel so glad not only being a champion but being among the players that have written their names in gold in the history book of Imo state. SuperSport.com: Caf Confederation Cup ticket. Ibenegbu: Our target is to win the trophy. Caf Champions League is bigger than the Confederation Cup. Two years ago we fought hard to ensure we won the cup unfortunately we picked silver. This time round coming to the Confederation Cup, we will charge ourselves, and we will work very hard to see that we bring the trophy back home. SuperSport.com: Future in Heartland. Ibenegbu: I don’t really know for now, let us watch and see, there are four matches remaining in the league, let’s watch and see. If they talk well, fine. I pray I will stay to work for my state. SuperSport.com: Experience in the Super Sand Eagles. Ibenegbu: You know I have been in the beach soccer team for a while now. The last beach soccer competition we went was in 2008, we lost in the quarterfinals. So this one we just came back we charged ourselves we will go beyond the quarterfinals, we worked extra-hard unfortunately, it did not work out. Many people watched our game against Brazil, we really did our best to see we go beyond the normal quarterfinals. Unfortunately, that is football for you, we lost in the quarterfinals to Brazil. SuperSport.com: Inferiority complex against Brazil. Ibenegbu: It was neither complex nor loss of concentration. You know we were playing 8-8 in the normal period but in the second period, our coach alerted us that they are going to give Brazil some form of advantage. See the ninth goal they scored against us, they had a throw-in before we knew it they had taken it and scored us. That really weighed us down and before we know it they scored the last goal. We tried our best to ensure we cross the quarterfinals. SuperSport.com: Super Eagles coach presence at the Federation Cup final. Ibenegbu: I don’t watch anybody nor believe that somebody is watching me whenever I am playing. What I know is that anytime I am going onto the pitch I kneel down and pray to God to help me to perform very well, that was what I exactly did. It was after the match that somebody told me that Siasia was in the stadium. I don’t think it matters, what matters is for me to go in the field and perform well. SuperSport.com: Super Eagles’ dream. Ibenegbu: Of course, it is the dream of every player to play in the senior national team, so my dream is to play for the main Super Eagles team. I have been in the Super Eagles team B, I believe one day God will make it come true. SuperSport.com: Invitation of Ehiosun Ekigho and some league players to the Super Eagles. Ibenegbu: I feel happy for him because he is a very good friend of mine and a good player as well. We played together in the Wafu Cup competition, we went to America together for the Obama Cup challenge, he is a good player. I think it is his time now and very soon I believe my own time will come. SuperSport.com: Governor Rochas Okorocha’s appreciation. Ibenegbu: It will really push us up the more because since I have been playing in the Nigerian league since 2005 I have not won anything extra in the competition. What our governor did for us will charge us to perform better in future competitions. SuperSport.com: Heartland’s position on the league. Ibenegbu: It is very disappointing but that was as a result of distraction we had when the league started. You know when the league started our former management was sacked and a new one recruited and it affected us because the previous management was fighting the new management. It affected us badly; I believe next season we will do well. SuperSport.com: Heartland’s away win drought. Ibenegbu: I don’t think we will end the season without an away win. With what our governor has done for us now, we will go all out to win more points in the four remaining matches. We are no more playing to win the league, we are playing for pride. We are going to make sure we pick at least three points at away. SuperSport.com: Nickname ‘Mosquito’. Ibenegbu: It was because of my stature. It was a name a friend gave me while I was in school at Imo State University. My friend then called ‘Figo,’ took a look at my stature and called me Mosquito. There was a friend of his called ‘Mosquito,’ the guy had the same stature like me, so that was how he started to call me ‘Mosquito’. I protested the name then but they refused to stop calling me ‘Mosquito.’ So I said to myself, what is in a name, so I started to answer it. SuperSport.com: Do you sting your opponents? Ibenegbu: Of course, I sting them with relish.