The agent of Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has broken his silence on why his client stepped away from professional football earlier this year, revealing a period of profound personal loss that took a heavy toll on the shot-stopper's mental health.

A devastating run of loss

Mohammed Lawal told ESPN that Nwabali suffered the deaths of his grandmother, his father, and his mother within just two months — a devastating sequence of bereavements that left the former Enyimba goalkeeper struggling to function.

Nwabali had requested a release from his contract with South African club Chippa United in February, with reports linking him to Kaizer Chiefs, Simba SC, and several Saudi Arabian clubs. Five months later, he has returned to Chippa United.

Lawal was clear that leaving Chippa United was only part of the decision. Nwabali needed a complete break from football itself. "It has been very difficult for Stanley," Lawal said. "People don't always know what is going on with these players. They only see them on the field. They know them as footballers, but they don't know that they are human beings too. Like everyone else, they go through life's challenges."

Grief visible on the pitch

Lawal explained that the weight of loss had spilled into Nwabali's performances for the Super Eagles, manifesting in behaviour that confused observers during Nigeria's World Cup qualifying campaign and at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

"After losing his parents, he became responsible for everything. There was a lot he needed to take care of," Lawal said. "As a professional, he knew he had to keep playing, but it was affecting him — and if he continued, he was going to destroy himself, because when you're not in the right mental state, it shows."

The agent pointed directly to a change in the goalkeeper's on-field temperament. "Stanley used to be lively and always smiling. During the last AFCON and the World Cup qualifiers, he became unusually aggressive. He was shouting at teammates and confronting opponents. But that wasn't the real Stanley," Lawal stated.

"When he first started playing for Nigeria, everyone talked about how calm he was under pressure. Later, people thought he had become overconfident or aggressive. They didn't know what was happening inside him."

Return to Chippa United

Nwabali has now rejoined Chippa United, with Lawal's account painting his absence not as a career dispute but as a necessary step to protect a player overwhelmed by grief. His return will be watched closely — both as a footballer and as a human being navigating unimaginable loss.