Former Nigerian international, Etim Esin, has opened up about the controversy that cut short his football career in Belgium, admitting that some of his decisions at the time played a major role in his downfall.
Speaking in an interview with sports presenter Charles Anazodo, Esin said he wished he had listened to the late Super Eagles captain, Stephen Keshi, whose advice he ignored.
According to him, Keshi had urged him to live a more disciplined life, a warning he now believes could have saved him from trouble.
“Had it been I calmed down like Keshi advised me, ‘Get a woman, Etim, your life will be more stable’, I think a lot of things I didn’t do then, I would have avoided. I learned a lesson from that,” he said.
Esin also spoke about his lifestyle while playing in Belgium, admitting he was partying heavily and involved with multiple women, while behaving as though he was still in Nigeria.
“That was the more reason I got involved with this issue, because I was living as if I’m in Nigeria, not knowing that some things I could get away with here, I couldn’t get away with there,” he explained.
Addressing the allegation that trailed him at the time, Esin maintained that the girl involved was his girlfriend, adding that he was unaware she was underage.
“She was 16, and I never knew. When you see them, they look mature. I wasn’t aware. If I were aware, she wouldn’t have come,” he said.
He further admitted that his own statement at the time worked against him, noting that acknowledging the relationship complicated his defence.
“My lawyer even argued that I shouldn’t have accepted it. Because had I known, I would have just said I didn’t know or hadn’t slept with her. That was where I nailed myself again,” he added.
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