Theophilus Afelokhai, one of the most decorated goalkeepers in NPFL history, has revealed that a single gruelling training session was all it took to steer his 17 year old son Precious away from goalkeeping and towards a career as an attacker.
The 38 year old Delta State-born goalkeeper, who won seven NPFL titles across spells with Kano Pillars, Enyimba and Rivers United, spoke to FootballInNigeria.com.ng from his base in Kaduna, where he is currently a free agent following the expiry of his two-year contract with Rivers United. Afelokhai described how his son’s admiration for his career had repeatedly drawn Precious back to goalkeeping despite his father’s objections, and how he eventually settled the matter in one afternoon on the training pitch.
“My son, Precious, wanted to be a goalkeeper, but I kept discouraging him,” Afelokhai said. “I told him time after time that he was better off as an outfield player, but he kept looking at my successes in goalkeeping as encouragement. Most times when I’m not around, he would take my gloves and go out for training as a goalkeeper.” The veteran keeper explained that he eventually took Precious through a serious, strenuous session himself, and from that day forward the teenager moved to playing as an attacker.
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Why the Striker Role Made More Financial Sense
Afelokhai’s reasoning for steering his son away from goalkeeping was blunt and rooted in his own experience at the top of the domestic game. He recalled that even as a goalkeeper he had been the highest paid player in Nigeria at various points in his career, earning a monthly salary of N2 million at both Kano Pillars and Rivers United. His salary at Enyimba started at N800,000 and was later increased to N1 million alongside performance bonuses.
“Even as a goalkeeper, I was the highest-paid player in Nigeria. Not only when I was at Kano Pillars as captain, but also while I was at Enyimba and Rivers United,” Afelokhai said. “So, you can ask yourself how much I would have made if I were a striker and in that form during that period.” The keeper added, only half in jest, that he would have been like Cristiano Ronaldo had he played up front and channelled the same form into a position the market values more generously. Fans wanting to follow Sunday’s decisive NPFL fixtures can use the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code for an enhanced opening offer on Nigerian league action.
Seven Titles and a Career Built on Penalty Saves
Afelokhai looked back on a career that made him one of the defining figures in the NPFL’s modern era. His four titles with Kano Pillars, two with Enyimba and one with Rivers United gave him a league championship haul he believes is unmatched by any goalkeeper or outfield player in the league’s recent history. He was equally proud of his record from the penalty spot, though he admitted the precise number of spot kicks he stopped was too large to count with confidence.
“I can’t put a finger on the actual number of penalty kicks I stopped during my days in the league, continental games and the President Federation Cup. It’s too many for me to recollect, but I know that across competitions, I rank as possibly the goalkeeper with the highest number of penalty saves,” he said. The veteran had just returned to Nigeria from the United Arab Emirates, where he participated in an invitational tournament, ahead of speaking with FootballInNigeria.com.ng.
Afelokhai Praises Historic NPFL 2025-26 Season
Much of Afelokhai’s conversation focused on the 2025-26 NPFL campaign, which concludes this Sunday, May 24 the same day the English Premier League season ends. He described the alignment as something that had never happened before in the domestic league’s history and credited NPFL chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye with the structural work that made it possible.
“Elegbeleye’s NPFL Board put service before personal gains. That’s the reason we had this kind of success that we never had before. He ensured the game moved forward,” Afelokhai said. He noted that this season had seen officiating improve by roughly 70 per cent compared to previous campaigns, no fewer than 44 matches won by away teams, and matchday incidents resolved more promptly than the league had managed in the past. He added that controversies had been reduced to a minimum, pointing to the handling of the Kun Khalifat fixture dispute as an example of how dialogue and human logic had been applied where previous administrations might have acted unilaterally. Fans who want to back Rangers, Rivers United or either side in the CAF Confederation Cup race can find the Bet9ja withdrawal guide page for a smooth betting experience before Sunday’s games.
With Rangers International needing a win over Ikorodu City to clinch the title, Rivers United sitting one point behind and Ikorodu City and 3SC both chasing a third-place finish and a CAF Confederation Cup berth, Afelokhai was effusive about the drama the final day promises. “Whoever wins at the end would have done so on merit and would be a good ambassador for the country in next year’s CAF Champions League,” he said, before adding a warning that whoever succeeds Elegbeleye in charge of the league must not allow standards to slip.
📌 Did You Know?
- Theophilus Afelokhai’s seven NPFL titles, spread across Kano Pillars, Enyimba and Rivers United, make him one of the most decorated Nigerian domestic footballers of any position in the league’s modern era.
- Kano Pillars, where Afelokhai won four of his seven league titles, are one of the most successful clubs in NPFL history and have won the league championship six times in total, making them the second most decorated side in the competition behind Enyimba.
- Enyimba, where Afelokhai won two titles, are the most successful club in Nigerian league history with nine NPFL championships. They are also the only Nigerian club to win back-to-back CAF Champions League titles, achieving the feat in 2003 and 2004.
- The 2025-26 NPFL season is the first in the competition’s history to end on the same day as the English Premier League final day, a milestone Afelokhai described as a major sign of progress under chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye’s administration.
- Rangers International, who sit top of the NPFL standings going into the final day, are chasing their first league title since 1984. A championship for the Enugu club would represent one of the longest title droughts ended in African domestic football history.
- The Kun Khalifat dispute mentioned by Afelokhai referred to an incident mid-season where the Owerri-based club sought a fixture adjustment. The NPFL’s resolution of the matter through dialogue was widely praised as an example of improved governance under the current administration.
- Precious Afelokhai, Theophilus’s son, is 17 years old and now plays as an attacker. If he follows his father’s trajectory through the NPFL youth system, he would be entering the professional game at around the same age Theophilus first attracted serious attention from top clubs.
