Get Guardian on GoogleTwo new books capture the memorable remarks, colourful expressions and personalities that have helped define the country’s football culture
Football history is usually told through goals, trophies, famous players and landmark victories. But Nigerian author and sports journalist Victor Akhidenor believes another part of the story deserves equal attention: the things people in the game have said.
His two newly published books, Journalists are like Mosquitoes: Nigeria Football’s Finest Quotes & Notes and If You Put 11 Herbalists on the Field…: Quotes and Notes from Nigerian Football, seek to preserve that often-overlooked dimension of the country’s football heritage.
Published on Monday, November 2, 2026, by Abuja-based Books & Journals Hub, the Nigerian editions let readers revisit the expressions, observations, and memorable comments that have accompanied Nigerian football across generations.
The books are particularly relevant to a football culture in which the post-match interview can sometimes become as memorable as the match itself.
A coach’s explanation for a defeat, an administrator’s defence of a controversial decision, a player’s assessment of his performance or a journalist’s exchange with a football personality can become part of the game’s collective memory.
Some statements reveal tactical thinking. Others expose institutional attitudes. Some are unintentionally hilarious.
Together, they provide an unusual record of the people and circumstances behind Nigerian football.
“Football has a memory beyond its statistics. Sometimes, a quotation tells you more about a particular period, personality or controversy than a match report. I wanted to preserve some of those moments before they disappear into newspaper archives and fading memories,” Akhidenor explains.
The project dates back more than a decade. On April 23, 2014, TheCable published a selection of the material in an article titled The Game in Quotes. The publication introduced readers to the forthcoming two-in-one book project and featured observations from prominent figures in Nigerian football.
One of the featured remarks came from former Super Eagles coach Clemens Westerhof, who observed that football was about spectators and their expectations of attacking play and goals.
Another memorable expression, also associated with Westerhof, was his description of journalists as mosquitoes.
That remark eventually became the title of one of Akhidenor’s books.
The second title, If You Put 11 Herbalists on the Field…, reflects the distinctive language and colourful explanations that have become part of Nigerian football folklore.
For Akhidenor, the books are not simply collections of amusing statements.
“They are also historical documents. Football culture is created by people, and language is one of the ways we understand their personalities, relationships, ambitions and frustrations. I hope readers will find themselves laughing at some quotations and thinking much more deeply about others,” he says.
Akhidenor has worked in sports journalism since 2011, including editorial roles at TheCable, FC Naija and Sports Nigeria. He received the 2015 Diamond Award for Media Excellence in Sports Reporting.
He is also the author of other literary works, including Football Memories, Our Daily Mask and Papa Goose Rhyme.
Both new titles are available on Amazon for international readers. Copies of the Nigerian editions can be purchased locally through www.unpopularpele.com.
Published by Books & Journals Hub, the books offer football lovers, researchers, journalists and students of Nigerian sporting history an entertaining way to explore the words that have helped shape the national game.
