Former Super Eagles defender Taribo West has opened up about the life-altering moment that led him to abandon professional football for full-time ministry, Footynaija.com reports.
The former Inter Milan centre-back, who featured for top clubs in France, Italy, England and Germany, shocked many when he became a pastor shortly after retiring from football.
He now leads Shelter In The Storm Miracle Ministries of All Nation, a ministry based in Lagos with a mission to reach the lost and offer hope through the gospel.
Many know him as a fearless defender who won Olympic gold for Nigeria in 1996 and played at two FIFA World Cup tournaments. But according to the ex-international, his switch was not just a personal decision, it was prompted by a divine encounter.
In a report by Legit.ng, Taribo recalled the moment that changed everything.
“Why would I switch from being a footballer to becoming a pastor? I saw God one-on-one. That’s where my transition started; From the field to the pulpit.”
He narrated how it happened during a celebration when a woman approached him and asked his name.
“I said, ‘I am Mr No name.’ She asked where I lived, I said, ‘I live nowhere.’ She left in annoyance,” he said.
“In the twinkle of an eye, I just heard an audible voice… it came like a slap. It said: ‘Switch, turn.’ It said: ‘Look at the woman. Call that woman and apologise to her. I said that to you.’ That can only be a voice from God.”
The woman, whom he later found, told him he would open a church within two years.
“All the prophecies she gave me came to pass,” he added.
Taribo West earned 42 caps for Nigeria between 1994 and 2005, representing the Super Eagles at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups.
He played alongside legends like Ronaldo de Lima at Inter Milan, and his club career also included spells at Auxerre, AC Milan, Derby County, and Kaiserslautern.
He started professionally with Obanta United in 1989, and later had domestic stints at Enugu Rangers and Julius Berger, before moving to Europe in 1993.
Taribo won multiple domestic titles and retired from football in 2007. Soon after, he dedicated his life to ministry work.
In an interview with The Guardian, he once admitted that his spiritual journey started in Italy after his “sister” prayed for him in his apartment. His ministry now reaches people in Nigeria and Liberia, where he continues to preach and carry out outreach missions.