Jude Aneke needs no flamboyant introduction as he is known as the man who first scored 20 goals in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) in the 2010/11 season while with Kaduna United and he tells the npfl.ng that things have improved since the time he set that record and now.
Aneke joined an exclusive club of few players to set new records in the Nigerian top divisions. He joins Ishaya Jatau, Ahmed Musa and Mfon Udoh as players who have set new individual goals record in the country's first division.
After different stints abroad, Aneke decided to return to Nigeria before the start of last season. He revealed he was close to pitching tent with one of Akwa United or one of his former teams, Warri Wolves, but the deal fell through before he joined up with Plateau United in mid-season.
Before then, Aneke had been training on his own to stay fit.
"I was supposed to join Akwa United or Warri Wolves at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, things didn't work out, of course you know how it is in football; really unpredictable. So I had to join Plateau United in mid-season. Before then I kept training to stay in shape," said the former Kaduna United striker.
However, he said the league has evolved in terms of play and the bravery of clubs playing on the road as he is impressed by not just the number of away games won but by how teams now set up when they play on the road.
"Now the league is improving and I see there is free flow of football. I mean the flair teams can now win away matches and strikers are equally protected. Unlike the time I scored 20 goals it was very difficult to draw away matches, let alone to win," Aneke gives an impression of how he views the league back in 2011 and 2016 to npfl.ng.
"It is now easy to play in the league compared to the time when I made history by scoring 20 goals."
Though Aneke did not have quite much of a runout with Plateau United in the past season in terms of appearances since he joined up in the second round of the campaign, he remains grateful that the club did enough to beat the drop after flirting in the danger zone for so long in the season.
He hopes that his individual return will improve in the 2016/17 season.
"It's good Plateau United did well and were not relegated. So next season offers a new chance and I hope I will be with the team to make an impact for them," he told npfl.ng.
He then capped his chat with npfl.ng by picking the toughest defender he faced last season. "It was a defender against Wikki. In fact a former teammate at Kaduna United, Peter Ambrose. I think maybe because he knows me. He was simply good," rounded off Aneke.
credit: npfl