Veteran Nollywood actor Olamide Blessing, popularly known as Baba Esu, shares his lifelong passion for football and his loyalty to Manchester United from his first encounter with the club in 1989 to the miracle of 1999 and the team’s recent resurgence under Michael Carrick, in this interview with The Sports Illuminator monitored by OLAMIDE ABE
We’ve seen you countless times in Nollywood movies, but which football club do you support?
I am not an Arsenal fan, and I will never be an Arsenal fan. I used to argue it with Yemi Solade, whose entire life is about Arsenal, and I showed him statistics of how we are superior. Even if my sibling is playing for Arsenal against United, I will tell them to break his legs. I cannot allow Arsenal to defeat us, no matter what. Even though they will win this league, they will lose the Champions League final. I have told all of them. Manchester United is the number one club in the Premier League, in England, of all clubs. Liverpool too, but Manchester United is my team. I love the team to the extent that I can’t eat when United lose, and I leave set if I want to watch their games, no matter what.
How did that love story begin?
That’s a wonderful question. My interest started in 1989. I was at Jaguar International, a true sports lover. The first time I saw Manchester United play was around 1997 or 1998, but the real beginning was 1989. By SS1 and SS2 in 1991, I was a full Manchester United fan. I bought my first United jersey in 1991, and I have never looked back.
