Joe Aribo has admitted that he was always a shy player and feared he might not be good enough to make it at the top level.
From a youngster at Staines Town F.C. in the English lower divisions, the midfielder has transformed into a key player for both club and country over the last couple of years.
Aribo played a total of 70 games in the 2021/22 season which was the most of any player on the planet. He made 57 of those appearances for Rangers and another 13 for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
“Funnily enough I was always this shy player with doubts in my own ability,” Aribo said in an interview with BBC Sport Africa.
The 25-year-old revealed that having the ‘right people’ around him has helped him gain self-belief. He continued:
“But now I have self-belief, because I have the right people around me to give me that confidence to say ‘yes, you’re the man that’s going to take on the game and change the game’.
“Some people like to take centre stage in everything they do in life, but I prefer to stay in the background and let others talk about my performance on the pitch.
“I must say I am no longer the player I was after going through that phase [of self-doubt]. I am grateful to the manager for the trust, and my team-mates for believing in me and supporting me.”
Quizzed on his future, the former Charlton Athletic player said: “With all that stuff I don’t really read into it and I just focus on my football, because you can’t have distractions as it won’t allow you to play the best and be the best that you want to be. Which is obviously what I want to be every time I play. I just want to be focused and ready to go.”
