The name Chrisantus Macauley might be anonymous to football loving fans who started following the globular leather not long ago but If you’re an African, you don’t need to be a crazy football fanatic to know this name.
Aside Ghana’s Nii Odartey Lamptey, another African player whose name is synonymous to football failure is Chrisantus Macauley. As at now, how this two players promised a lot at a tender age but ended up delivering little defies human logic and is embedded in the football subject of mystery .
It was Friday, August 19, 2007 at the Gwang-Yang Stadium in South Korea, before 8,500 fans, Scottish referee Craig Thompson blew his whistle as the Super Eaglets of Nigeria took on European giants France in the first Group D game of the Under 17 World Cup. It took just fifteen minutes for the six feet Nigerian striker by name Chrisantus Macauley to announce his presence as he went past the French defenders to place a ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Joris Delle for the opener.
That goal was what Macauley needed to build up his confidence at the world stage after initial struggles in his career back home.
Born in Abuja on August 20, 1990, Macauley played for local club Hearts of Abuja before being spotted by Super Eaglet coach Yemi Tella during one of his scouting exercises. Initially, the other members of the technical team were not convinced about the striker but Tella saw something different in him and built him to become a goal machine.
In Nigeria’s second Group game against Japan, Chrisantus netted a brace and also set up another as they dispatched the Asians by three goals to nothing. He was awarded the man of the match and continued his impeccable form in the final Group game against Haiti where he netted in the 5th and 60th minute in the 4-1 win. The budding talent finished the Group stage with five goals, two assists and two MVP awards.
Macauley failed to find the net in the round of 16 game against Columbia in which his side won by two goals to one but bounced back in the quarter finals scoring the second goal in the for Nigeria in the 45th minute when they beat Argentina 2-0 at the Jeju Stadium.
The striker netted his seventh goal of the tournament in the 3-1 win over Germany in the semi finals as the West African side went all the way to the finals in which they defeated Spain 3-0 on penalties to win the trophy.
Macauley won the golden boot and also the silver ball as the second best player in the over all competition. The then 16-year-old attacker’s life changed completely becoming the cynosure of all the big clubs in Europe. Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, Bayer Munich, Real Madrid and others all were after his signature but he moved to Hamburg with the aim to hone his talent.
It was a nightmare for Macauley as he failed to make an impact at Hamburg and was officially shipped off after six years.
”What I went through at Hamburg was crazy, six years, 10 different coaches. I was always close to the first team but as it is in football, most managers have what they want, so every new manager always comes with special demands” He told Owngoalnigeria.com recently.
”I know people will always compare my career growth to that of Toni Kroos at Real Madrid, but if it wasn’t for coach Jupp Heynckes who gave him his breakthrough at Bayern Munich because he spent three years at the club, who knows as just like me, he also had four different spells away from the first team”.
Despite his talent, Macauley has virtually become a wanderer in Europe moving from one club to another, he has featured for Karlsruher, Frankfurt, Las Palmas, Real Murcia and Reus in Spain, AEK Athens and Lamia in Greece, Sivasspor in Turkey as well as Finnish outfit HJK.
“Can you imagine clubs asking me to come for trials as if I have not played for clubs before,” A frustrated Macauley told VG after parting ways with HJK in January this year just six months after joining them.
At 29, Macauley signed for Spanish third-tier side UD Conquense on February 16, 2019 as a free agent and he has made five appearances so far without finding the net.
By now, Macauley should have been leading the attack of the Super Eagles due to the enormous potential he showed as a teenager but unfortunately he is still struggling even in a lower division.
Football is unpredictable and it is evident to say Macauley’s career literally ended before it begun. He shone once and that was 2007 in Korea.
