People often let players who are on the less flamboyant side of the game slip their mind once their career is over. One such star was Ex-EPL defender-turned-pastor Taribo West.
In a career that began in the early 1990s, the Nigerian represented a host of big European clubs, including both AC and Inter Milan, and because of his tenacity, persistence, and an amalgamation of fine defensive attributes, the deceivingly innocuous hairstyle he carried during his playing days still haunts the memories of many attackers.
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One such forward is Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who has previously reflected on the toughest defenders he had come across when he was still a player and highlighted West as one who is high on the list.
The pair would have come across one another during their time in France. While Henry rose through the ranks to break into AS Monaco's senior team in 1995, playing for the side until 1999, the Nigerian's journey to France was different.
West began his career in his home nation, representing Sharks FC and Julius Berger FC, before moving to AJ Auxerre in 1993, where he spent the next four years. It was during this period that the pair were forced to butt heads, and the former French attacker still holds the defender in high regard.
While the 1998 FIFA World Cup winner may have come up against the toughest defenders world football had to offer, the Frenchman highlighted West as one of the most difficult opponents he came across during his career. Speaking on the CBS UEFA Champions League show during the 2021/22 campaign, the former Arsenal attacker said: "For direct opponent, I would go back in the days – Taribo West. Because [at Auxerre], they did man-marking. He followed you everywhere, even in the dressing room."
The ex-defender, whose attributes made him a great nuisance to the offensive players he would come up against, had a really impressive period in France, winning the league with Auxerre in 1996. It is a memorable triumph for the club and its supporters because it is the only league title they have ever managed to get their hands on. It was also special as it marked a domestic double for Les Diplomates, who had won the Coup de France for only the second time in their history that season.
In 1997, West moved on to Inter Milan, with whom he won the UEFA Europa League (the UEFA Cup as it was known at the time) during his first season in Italy. After 64 appearances, he moved to the other side of the city to join AC Milan, and during his time with the Rossoneri, he had a short loan stint at then-Premier League club Derby County.
Following his spell at the San Siro, the former centre-back joined German side 1.FC Kaiserslautern in 2002.
Between then and 2007, he travelled across the globe to represent various clubs, a list that includes Serbian side FK Partizan Belgrade, Qatar's Al Arabi SC and English side Plymouth Argyle. He also made a return to Nigeria for a short stint at Julius Berger FC before moving to Iran, where he retired while playing for Paykan FC.
His achievements, however, were not only limited to club football, with the stalwart having been part of the Super Eagles side that secured a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, beating Argentina, who achieved a silver medal, and Brazil, who came in third and got bronze. Many consider that side to be among the nation's greatest-ever footballing teams.
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After a career in which he terrorised the hearts, souls, bodies, and minds of attackers, West now spends his days doing the exact opposit, having since become a pastor. He founded a church in Lagos in 2014, where he now serves as a pastor after he "saw God one-on-one", according to The Sun.
He revealed how an encounter with a woman changed the course of his life.
"We were celebrating. In the middle of that, a woman stumbled into me and said: 'Sir, please may I know your name?'
"I said: 'I am Mr No Name'.
"She said: 'May I know where you live?'
"I said: 'I live nowhere.'
"She left with annoyance. In the twinkle of an eye, I just heard an audible voice and it came like a slap.
"It said: 'Switch, turn.'
"I turned.
"It said: 'Look at the woman. Look for her now and call that woman and apologise to her. I said that to you.'
"That can only be a voice from God," West continued. "So I switched, like a Robocop, I start searching for the woman, and when this sister came all the way from America, she told me a lot of prophecies.
"And she told me in the next one or two years; I would open a church.
"All the prophecies she gave me came to pass."
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