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LONDON. — Former English Premier League football defender Taribo West looks unrecognisable after ditching his iconic style to become a pastor in Nigeria, his homeland.
The 47-year-old was a cult figure in the late 1990s and early 2000s, representing Auxerre, Inter Milan, AC Milan and various other teams.
Despite making fewer than 300 professional appearances for club and country, West won the French title, two French cups, UEFA Cup and a Gold medal at the Olympics in 1996.
He also won the hearts of European football fans with his flamboyant hairstyle and helped Derby County survive in the English Premier League during a loan spell in 2000-01.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry even once described West as his toughest “direct” opponent.
Henry said: “Toughest as an indirect opponent? Or just a guy you don’t like to play against? Paul Scholes. For the 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.”
West founded The Storm Miracle Ministries of All Nation in 2014 and claimed to have his first meeting with God after Nigeria’s triumph at the Olympics in 1996. — The Mirror
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