Football is often not played in the pristine stadiums of this country, but it is the rock, sand, and dust carpeted ground beneath the moving feet of many players in the narrow streets of Nigeria. With a football at the soles of their feet, their little toes seem unstoppable.

Welcome to Nigeria– one of the most populous countries in the world where football is more than just a sport. It is their life; peek into Nigeria’s Sports Obsession: Football.

In the cities of Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Benin, and countless others, football is not merely a game. Football is a mix of spirit, excitement, and pride. The country has given many ambitious eyes their football heroes, whom they claim to be when they step into imaginary stadiums surrounded by roars of spectators and chants of their hero’s names.

Nobody knows when this love story turned into an obsession, but this palpable spirit running through the veins and streets of this country has produced many name-worthy African Football players. Be it Mudashiru Lawal, Rashidi Yekini, Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Vincent Enyeama, or Joseph Yobo; these players have given many a reason to make football a chant in their hearts.

If we dive into the History of Football in Nigeria, the passion for football has always been unwavering in the country. Football was first introduced in Nigeria when it made itself a British Colony in the early 20th century. And nearly five decades later, football started resonating with the city people and became the national sport and transformed into a money-making industry for the developing country.

For now, more than 100 million Nigerians are football fans and active football consumers. Football is also considered a source of pride and a voice for people of color in Nigeria. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the first to use football as a way to voice out his aggression against oppression. He was rejected to compete in a track-and-field tournament and was denied joining a tennis club, merely due to his ethnic origin.

Nigerian National Football Team keeps up the pace to maintain the ongoing growth of football in the country by regularly competing for many international titles. And if we look at the wider picture, Nigeria's Football Obsession is more than fair considering that it is the country's national sport.

It is said, that in the city of Lagos, Football is not love, not passion, not even a religion­– it’s something bigger than all these emotions put together. Many fans call their football obsession an essence of life in the country of big hopes and dreams, Nigeria. And with the support and love of so many football fans, Nigerian football is derived towards better progress and success in the future as well.

Football is considered a part of life on the streets of Nigeria that is populated with living hearts syncing to the rhythm of one joy, linking all the classes on s single thread­– Football.