Ike Shorunmu

Ike Shorunmu Biography / Profile

Ike Ibrahim Shorunmu was born on October 16th, 1967 in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a retired professional footballer who featured in the goalkeeping role for several clubs and the Nigeria national team.

Ike Shorunmu Age

Ike Shorunmu is 56 years old.

Ike Shorunmu Early Life

From his days at St. Phillips Primary School in Mushin to post-elementary education at Ikeja Grammar School, Oshodi - all in Lagos, Shorunmu’s life was a web around soccer. He started his football trade as a right-winger on the streets of Olorunisola and Challenge areas of Mushin in the early 1970s. As is the case with many teenage players, Shorunmu’s desire at the early stage was to hit the top as a striker, but as fate would have it, the direction of his football career changed soon after through the intervention of his elder brother, Jamil, who advised him to shift focus to goalkeeping. He was barely three years in the primary school then. By the time he completed his secondary education, the young Shorunmu had made a name in goalkeeping, leading the school football team to conquer Mafoluku Grammar School in the 1984 Lagos Principal’s Cup competition. He was invited alongside Dosu Joseph, who was then a student of Igbobi College, to the Lagos Academicals team to Calabar, Cross River State, in 1986.

Ike Shorunmu Career

Shorunmu went on to make a great mark in the domestic league, leading the crowd-pulling Stationery Stores FC to a league title in 1992, then as captain. He also captained the Ibadan warlords, Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) to the league crown in 1995, thus becoming the first player to captain two Nigerian clubs to win the domestic league. From Shooting Stars, Ike, as he is fondly called, ventured abroad, featuring for Swiss side, FC Basel, in 1995/1996 before moving to FC Zurich. He was bought over by Turkish club, Besiktas J.K, in 1999 for $2,400. After living under the shadows of Peter Rufai in the Super Eagles for years, Ike finally arrived in 2000, manning the post for the country at the Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.

He was once the first-choice goalkeeper of the national team, and played at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Shorunmu was brought into the Nigerian national team by coach Clemens Westerhof in 1992. He was also on duty for Nigeria at Mali 2002 Nations Cup. Ike made a last-minute entry into the Super Eagles squad to Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup and got a rave rating for his excellent performance in the group match against Argentina, though the Eagles lost 0-1.

Between 2007 and 2010, Shorunmu served as the goalkeeper coach for Enyimba F.C. In 2010 Shorunmu was hired in the same capacity for Heartland F.C., and joined theNigerian national team in 2011.