“It wasn’t easy” – Former Super Eagles star reflects on ‘high pressure’ Premier League stint

Former Nigeria international striker Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins has opened up on his three-year stint at Premier League club Newcastle United, revealing that the weight of expectations on his shoulders wasn’t an easy one to bear, Footynaija.com reports.

Martins signed for Newcastle United for a handsome fee of £10 million in the summer of 2006 following a controversial exit from Serie A giants Inter Milan. When he arrived Tyneside, the then-Nigeria international received the No. 9 shirt—previously worn by club legend and Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer.

He went on to spend three seasons with the Magpies but persistent injury problems restricted his output for the club to just 35 goals in 144 appearances. Following Newcastle’s relegation from England’s top-flight division after the 2008/2009 season, Martins eventually left for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.

What Obafemi Martins said

Reflecting on his time at Tyneside in a recent interview with Football Fans Tribe, the 40-year-old former striker admitted that it wasn’t the easiest, in part owing to the pressure of arriving as a replacement for one of the most prolific goalscorers the Premier League has ever seen.

“Leaving Inter Milan to go to Newcastle United, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task and I remember my first game I got injured,” Martins said. “Back then, as a striker, if you didn’t score in two or three games, you already start feeling sad. 

“It wasn’t easy at all playing as the No.9. I took Shearer’s No.9 shirt, so the pressure alone is high. They wanted me to be the next Shearer, to score more goals. But I did my part and I moved on. You are the one wearing the jersey, the shirt doesn’t wear you.”

After leaving Newcastle United, Martins went on to play for seven different clubs with Wolfsburg, Birmingham City and Levante, some of the more notable ones. He boasts a total of 201 career goals in 530 appearances for club and country and remains one of the best attacking talents Nigeria has ever produced.