Ukpai quits football at 25

A nagging ankle injury sustained over a year ago has ended the promising career of 25-year-old Emmanuel Ukpai.

Ukpai, who last played for B68 Toftir in the Faroe Island, sustained the injury while at Danich side FC Fyn.

“I have stopped professional football because of an injury I had a year and some months ago in my first official match with my former club FC Fyn,” Ukpai told our correspondent in an emotion-laden voice.

“After a couple of scans, some specialists told me that my career as a professional footballer was over, but I didn’t want to believe them because I love football so much.

“So I kept pushing to see if the ankle would get better. But I finally realised that the specialists were telling me the truth. After signing for B68 Toftir in Faroe Island, I could only play in four matches and I didn’t play full time in any of them because of the injury.”

Ukpai was an entertainer on the pitch and thrilled fans with his brand of football. He began his career at Togolese club Douane FC before he moved to Denmark in 2006 to join Boldklubben Frem.

During his six-year stint in Denmark, Ukpai also played for Ølstykke, Esbjerg, HB Køge and FC Fyn but the highlight of his time in the Scandinavian country was while at Ølstykke, where he scored 22 times in 40 games.