I was born in Owerri and grew up in the east of Nigeria, in Imo state. You could say I was a 'street boy': we grew up on the street, played on the street, did everything out on the street. It was a difficult life altogether, but that's how we grew up.

When you're growing up, you have your heroes, and you hear about people going off to other countries to play football, but when you're so young, you're not thinking about that. You just play. No referee, no rules.

My dad was a civil servant before he retired, and my mum worked, too. We could not always get three meals in a day; sometimes we'd struggle.

Nwankwo Kanu Quotes