PETER ODEMWINGIE: I sang Enrique Iglesias at my initiation... Only for about 30 seconds but Nicky Maynard managed to papp the video!

PUBLISHED: 02:30 EST, 15 November 2013 | UPDATED: 02:30 EST, 15 November 2013


Peter Odemwingie

Peter Odemwingie is the Nigerian international who plays for Cardiff City. Odemwingie was brought up in Russia but opted to play for Nigeria as his father was born there. The striker came to England in 2010 when West Brom signed him from Lokomotiv Moscow. He scored over 30 goals in more than 60 appearances for the Baggies. He moved to Cardiff in the summer when the newly promoted club paid £2.25million for him in the summer. In his debut Footballers’ Football Column Odemwingie writes about Cardiff’s win in the south Wales derby and praises the job done by manager Malky Mackay. Before you read his column, check out his video below…

 

I feel very happy right now. I have been through quite a lot this year and so far my time at Cardiff has felt like a new start.

The derby was incredible. The atmosphere and noise was amazing – they are the games you love playing. You could feel how important the game was during the build up at the training ground. Everyone was up for that game.

In the dressing room beforehand, looking at the guys, you could see how important it was. You meet fans around the city and they always mentioned this game - for us to win was wonderful. I'll never forget the noise when the goal went in and at the end when the referee blew the whistle.

I played in big derbies before. For West Brom, playing against Aston Villa and Birmingham was always big, but the Wolves games were always huge. This game was like that. Every tackle gets the crowd going crazy, every run.

Home sweet home: Peter Odemwingie is enjoying his new life in Wales

Home sweet home: Peter Odemwingie is enjoying his new life in Wales

   

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Thankfully there was no trouble – it was just a great atmosphere. I remember a game I went to in Nigeria, my first ever game as a spectator, and there was a little riot. I was about five years old and there was tear gas and stuff. Wow. Thankfully this was just a great atmosphere between the fans and a game both clubs wanted to win.

After some of the stuff that has been said about the club recently it was just great to go out there and get a result and make everyone happy again.

I have not been out much since, but people have been waving at me when I've been in my car. On Monday, I was at a PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) meeting and there was a fan there in a Cardiff shirt. I asked why he was wearing a Cardiff shirt to work and he said it was because Swansea boys work there! It means a lot to people here.

After the game everyone at the club was very happy. It was a really joyful moment. We felt we had achieved something. The main goal is still to stay up but it was a special result and now we feel a bit safer.

For me, it has been great at Cardiff. I scored my first goal at the Cardiff City Stadium against Newcastle a few weeks ago and it felt really good to hear the crowd calling my name again.

I am still settling into the city. Since we moved to Cardiff, to a place called Penarth, we have not fully got ourselves set up. I don’t have any internet and the television is not set up. It’s actually been quite nice, just relaxing with my wife and our son.

My mum came over from Russia and she stayed with us for a week – she actually said ‘don’t sort the TV, just relax with your family’. It has just been a really nice time, being around my family and talking about stuff, focussing on football.

I love challenges. I always have. Maybe that is why I have played in so many countries. Coming to Cardiff was a challenge. After what happened at West Brom I want to remind people that I am a football player. And at Cardiff we have a big challenge to stay in the Premier League. It is a hard, hard league. We need to show to people who doubt us that we can stay in it. People say we will go down. It is our fight to show they are wrong.

For that reason there is a great energy here. I cannot tell you fully how great that is. It is nice to come to work every day with people who have something to prove, who want to get better.

New surroundings: Odemwingie is getting used to life at Cardiff

New surroundings: Odemwingie is getting used to life at Cardiff

Here, there are no players who just sit around and are comfortable. This is like West Brom in my first season there – a real energy. For me, it is a pure joy to be around.

Here, they have pictures around the place with the Championship trophy from last season. People have had success and they tasted it and want more. I hope success doesn’t change things for these players in three or four years’ time. People can change with success. They shouldn’t. It is great to have that hunger, it makes our job so much better.

There is some real talent in the squad. The other players tell me that the fans will like Andreas Cornelius - the lads tell me he has a great left foot and is very mobile for such a big guy. Gary Medel is a very good new signing as well. He is a very serious character and has a body like a bull – he can go in hard.

Battle for pride: Swansea's Andrew Taylor tackles Odemwingie in the south Wales derby

Battle for pride: Swansea's Andrew Taylor tackles Odemwingie in the south Wales derby

Derby delight: Odemwingie celebrates Steven Caulker's winner against Swansea

Derby delight: Odemwingie celebrates Steven Caulker's winner against Swansea

One of the Argentinians at West Brom, Claudio Yacob, knew him from playing against him in Latin America. He was joking: 'He is loco, look at his eyes'. But he is a very good guy. We haven't seen any of that wild side in him yet – he just looks a very good player and a good character as well. On his initiation, he was standing on a chair singing and dancing as well. I like him.

There has been some negative stuff reported about the club recently but I do not want to talk about that. As players we have been as focused as ever. We concentrate only on what we have to do, which is performing on the pitch.

We all support Malky Mackay. He has been a great manager for this football club and he has shown great confidence in me. I have felt welcomed ever since I got to the club.

Full backing: Odemwingie says Malky MacKay has the full backing of all the Cardiff players

Full backing: Odemwingie says Malky MacKay has the full backing of all the Cardiff players

Gary Medel
Andreas Cornelius

New boys: Odemwingie is impressed with fellow new signings Gary Medel and Andreas Cornelius

The fans here have been great for me. A few times in the warm-up the Cardiff fans have given me banter about West Brom and what happened at QPR. I found it funny and liked it – it shows they have accepted me. They have sung my name and that is very special for me.

The lads here are brilliant. Nicky Maynard has been very good with me, he makes me laugh. On our first away trip I sang Enrique Iglesias for the boys as it is tradition to do a song. I think I only managed about 30 seconds but Nicky still did a paparazzi job and got on video. I think he put it on the club website as well.

Song time: Odemwingie sang an Enrique Iglesias song as part of his initiation at Cardiff

Song time: Odemwingie sang an Enrique Iglesias song as part of his initiation at Cardiff

New career: Nicky Maynard took photos of Odemwingie's initiation

New career: Nicky Maynard took photos of Odemwingie's initiation

The local area is stunning. We are very happy where we live and we have been going out with our two dogs. The other day we ended up in this beautiful, huge park and by the time we got back to the gates we had been locked in. It was a long walk home, but everything is very attractive here.

I have already bought a full Cardiff kit for my son. He is only nine months old, but he likes his kit. This is probably the happiest I have been as a person. In the time I was on the side at West Brom I really got to know my wife more and we are very happy. Coming to Cardiff has given me football again. It is going well and I hope it stays that way.

 

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Comments (6)

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From an Albion fan, I'm still gutted at what happened with the QPR saga and would've wished you didn't do it. There were reasons and misunderstandings, but the fans also made playing unbearable. I will always remember the good times and the reason you were one of the crowd's favourite players. Glad to see you smiling again and enjoy the football, hopefully the crowd won't lay into you too much at The Hawthorns.

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He has been awesome for us (Cardiff) since he signed. "DO DO DO PETER ODEMWINGIE"

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Who cares, not a person to be respected or read about unless he's scoring goals

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He made one mistake, I,m pretty sure we have all done that. His time at Cardiff shows he is a decent player and a good person.

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Why are we reading about Odemwingie's life story? This guy is nothing but a potentially dangerous loose cannon- that was why he was dropped by Nigerian boss Stephen Keshi!

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If you don't know what to say ,shot your trap fool.

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