{"id":888504,"date":"2026-01-28T23:17:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T05:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/28\/ex-golden-eaglets-star-looking-to-follow-igoh-ogbus-footsteps-in-the-czech-league\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T23:17:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T05:17:28","slug":"ex-golden-eaglets-star-looking-to-follow-igoh-ogbus-footsteps-in-the-czech-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/28\/ex-golden-eaglets-star-looking-to-follow-igoh-ogbus-footsteps-in-the-czech-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Golden Eaglets star looking to follow Igoh Ogbu\u2019s footsteps in the Czech league"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Samson Tijani during the Admiral Bundesliga Qualification group match between Cashpoint SCR Altach and RZ Pellets WAC at the Cashpoint Arena in Altach. [Photo Credit\/ Imago].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dukla Praha and Nigeria<\/a> central midfielder Samson Okikiola Tijani is looking to follow in the steps of other Super Eagles stars who have trodden the Czech league, Soccernet.ng reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter Olayinka and Igoh Ogbu have played in the 1. Liga, while playing for the Nigerian National team, and\u00a0Rafiu Durosinmi just joined Serie A side Pisa from Viktoria Plze\u0148<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tijani joined RB Salzburg from his Nigerian club Collins Edwards in 2020 and was tipped to be the next big thing after the FIFA U-17 World Cup a year prior, where he captained the Golden Eaglets.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Samson Tijani captains Nigeria’s U-17 team at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. [Photo Credit\/ Imago].<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get Our Sports News First \u2013\u00a0Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Soccer Samson Tijani looks to emulate Igoh Ogbu<\/h2>\n

The 23-year-old has looked back on his struggles during his time with Salzburg in Austria, faulting injuries for the setback in his development.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI see it as part of life and part of my journey as a footballer. At Salzburg, I wasn\u2019t really able to show my full quality,\u201d the ex-FDC Vista said in an interview with Flashscore<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to give excuses, but the truth is that injury played a big role.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Davide Frattesi and Samson Tijani battle for the ball in Inter Milan’s clash against RB Salzburg. [Photo Credit\/ Imago].<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cGetting injured slowed me down at a crucial time, and in a club like Salzburg, there is very little room to wait.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a place where young talents are constantly developing and being promoted, whether to the first team or the second team.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompetition is intense, and if you are out for a while, others quickly step in and take their chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is simply how the club operates, and they have to keep moving forward. I believe that is what happened in my case.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I don\u2019t want to hide behind that experience or use it as a reason for not succeeding there. Football, like life, comes with setbacks and challenges, and not every chapter goes the way you hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat matters most is learning from it, staying strong mentally, and continuing to work hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly believe everything happens for a reason, and that experience has helped shape me into a better and stronger player,\u201d Tijani said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Thomas Mueller and Samson Tijani tussle for the ball in the UCL match between Salzburg FC and Bayern M\u00fcnchen. [Photo Credit\/ Imago].<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During his spell with Salzburg, he spent time on loan with several clubs, such as TSV Hartberg, FC Liefering, Wolfsberger AC, Fredrikstad, before eventually joining Dukla Praha on a free deal last summer.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the versatile midfielder mentioned the league is underrated by many, but hopes to follow in the level of success attained by household Nigerian names like Igoh Ogbu and Peter Olayinka.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBefore joining the Czech league, I didn\u2019t know much about it. From the outside, many people think it\u2019s just an average league and don\u2019t really pay attention to it,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when you look at how Czech clubs perform in European competitions, you realise that it is far from easy and deserves a lot more respect.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing in was challenging at first because it is a different ball game. The league is very intense and competitive, and it took time to adjust to the style and tempo. However, with time, things have settled well for me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Francis Uzoho, Paul Onuachu, Ryan Alebiosu, Calvin Bassey, Raphael Onyedika, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Igoh Ogbu, Samuel Chukwueze, and Bruno Onyemaechi during the AFCON match between Uganda and the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Photo by Segun OgunfeyitimixImago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cThe Czech League has already proven to be a good platform for Nigerian players to grow and succeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeter Olayinka played in the league and made a strong name for himself. Currently, players like David Moses and Igoh Ogbu are doing well at Slavia Prague.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me personally, seeing Igoh represent Nigeria at the recent Africa Cup of Nations while playing in the Czech League is a huge source of motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows that playing here does not limit your chances at the highest level. If he can achieve that with the Super Eagles, it becomes a challenge and inspiration for the rest of us,\u201d Tijani concluded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Samson Tijani WAC and Lukas Fadinger Altach. Photo Credit: ImagoxOliverxLerch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tijani has played 15 of Dukla Praha’s 19 league games, starting ten, but without any goal contribution so far.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Adefolahan Guerreiro” src=”https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f64d35abfd960f4a5a400c4bb517f7f0be6c48b655560fbdd37e59d9fc9ca58?s=80&d=mm&r=g” height=”80″ width=”80″ loading=”lazy” decoding=”async”>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tAdefolahan Guerreiro\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tAdefolahan is a multilingual sports journalist and football writer whose work spans outlets like Soccernet Nigeria, Pure Football UK, and Royalsportz. <\/p>\n

With a sharp eye for detail and a background in college sports, he tells the African football story with depth, flair, and global perspective.<\/p>\n

Fluent in English, Spanish, and German, he brings a cross-cultural voice to his coverage, blending insight with accessibility for readers around the world.
\nHis portfolio includes interviews with top Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, Sikiru Alimi, Sodiq Ismaila, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.<\/p>\n

A devoted Borussia Dortmund fan, Adefolahan thrives on the emotion and rhythm of the beautiful game. Away from work, he\u2019s a sci-fi enthusiast and series lover who enjoys exploring how sport, storytelling, and culture collide.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Adefolahan Guerreiro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Samson Tijani during the Admiral Bundesliga Qualification group match between Cashpoint SCR Altach and RZ Pellets WAC at the Cashpoint Arena in Altach. [Photo Credit\/ Imago]. Dukla Praha and Nigeria central midfielder Samson Okikiola Tijani is looking to follow in the steps of other Super Eagles stars who have trodden the Czech league, Soccernet.ng […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":888505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122669,137621,2005],"tags":[122668,137620],"class_list":{"0":"post-888504","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eaglets","8":"category-ex-golden","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-eaglets","11":"tag-ex-golden"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=888504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/888505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=888504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=888504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=888504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}