An haife shi a ranar 1 ga Agusta 1976, a Owerri, jihar Imo, Kanu Nwankwo ya girma ya zama ɗaya daga cikin 'yan ƙwallon ƙafa mafi yawan kyaututtuka da nahiyar Afirka ta taɓa samar da su — ɗan wasa wanda aikinsa ya haɗu da baiwa ta musamman, juriya ta sirri, da sadaukarwa mai zurfi ga bil adama.

Kaɗan daga cikin 'yan ƙwallon ƙafa suka ɗauki nauyin mafarkai na ƙasa kamar yadda Kanu ya yi. Labarin nasa ya wuce nahiyoyi da gasa, yana taɓa kowane matakin mafi girman karramawa a cikin wannan wasa.

Jerin kofuna marasa misali

Aljihunan kofunan Kanu labari ne na almara. Ya ɗauki UEFA Champions League tare da Ajax, ya lashe UEFA Cup tare da Inter Milan, kuma ya tattara lakabi na Premier League tare da FA Cups da yawa a lokacin shekarunsa a Arsenal.

Amma watakila mafi ƙimar nasararsa ta zo ne a fagen duniya. Kanu ya kasance babban ɗan wasa lokacin da Nigeria ta lashe lambar zinariya ta ƙwallon ƙafa na maza a Wasannin Olimpik na Atlanta a 1996 — nasara da har yanzu ta kasance ɗaya daga cikin mafi girman abubuwan alfahari a tarihin wasannin ƙwallon ƙafa na Yammacin Afirka.

Yana da shekaru 49, Kanu yana tsaye a tsakanin ƙaramar ƙungiya ta 'yan wasa da suka ci UFC Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Cup, da lambar zinariya ta Olimpik — haɗin kai da kaɗan daga cikin 'yan ƙwallon ƙafa a ko'ina cikin duniya za su iya ikirari.

Gado da ya wuce filin wasa

Tasirin sa ya miƙa fiye da kofunan. Kanu ya ba da wahayi ga tsararraki na 'yan wasa 'yan Najeriya da Afirka da suka kalleshi yana hawa daga Owerri zuwa kololuwar ƙwallon ƙafa na Turai. Tawali'unsa da aikin jin ƙai kawai sun ƙarfafa mutuncin da yake samu a faɗin nahiyar da kuma bayan ta.

Podkastin Sports Planet, wanda Complete Sports Nigeria ke samarwa, ya sadaukar da Lambar 111 don bincika tafiyar ƙwallon ƙafa ta musamman ta Kanu — daga farkonsa na farko har zuwa shekarunsa masu ɗaukaka a Arsenal da wurinsa na dindindin a tarihin wasan.