1958---David Okoroji’s talent was never in doubt. He was a talent defender who played fullback, central defense, and halfback. His arrival to the national team was a surprise because in the late 1940s and 1950s most of the internationals came from Lagos clubs that dominated Nigerian soccer at the time. This is similar to the modern day when most of Nigeria’s internationals are playing for professional clubs in Europe. Thus, many analysts of those days expected David’s career at little known Kaduna to count against him as only a handful of players came from the regions.
In spite of the long odds, David arrived from Kaduna and promptly made his debut against Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1954. He played all game and was to do so in all of his nine appearances for the national team. Those nine appearances are few by modern standards but in those days Nigeria only played a few games each year and thus Okoroji’s six-year career with the national team is a much better barometer of the type of player that he was.
David’s play was often do-or-die and it is to his attitude that throughout his six-year career he lost only one game against the then dreaded Gold Coast and even then, the loss came during the twilight of his national career. He faced the Gold Coast six times and was resolute in all those appearances against a feared rival.
