Hapoel Jerusalem could very well be one of the biggest and best surprises this coming season. The capital city reds played well over the course of the Toto Cup preseason competition and the fans have been coming out in droves to their temporary home at the brand new Rechovot Stadium while the pitch at Teddy Stadium is being worked on.

With a number of new faces in Head Coach Lior Zada’s squad, there is justified hope that the team will be able to battle for a championship playoff spot and not have to worry about being in a relegation fight as they had been last season.

With the new campaign about to open up on Sunday when Jerusalem hosts Maccabi Tel Aviv and hope is abound across the board, budding star Andrew Idoko, who joined the club two seasons ago, spoke to The Sports Rabbi about a myriad of topics from dreams and goals along with growing up in Nigeria and of course how he personally feels about the club’s chances after a solid showing in the Toto Cup preseason competition.

“I feel good, motivated and the past few weeks we have been doing well and it feels good,” teh 20-year old Idoko began. “For sure the Toto Cup was really positive for us. The coach spoke with us and he made it clear what he wants from all of us which is to fight and play as if every game is the last. Never give up and give over 100%, 150% or 200%, always give more. The coach was very motivating and this is how we will play this coming season.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv will be the first game of the season as Jerusalem will start off the new campaign with a bang, one of the top teams in the league and while it was surprising for Idoko, it is also an opportunity.

“When I first saw the fixtures when they were released I was shaking, because it was Maccabi right there as the first match. But on the other hand we prepared very well and it’s football where anything can happen. We can surprise them.”

Head Coach Lior Zada took over for Ziv Arie on the bench very late last season when it looked as if Jerusalem could very well be relegated. However, the Reds were able to get out of the tough situation with some solid results down the stretch which kept the team in the top division.

With that, Idoko had only glowing words for both of his head coaches, “I like both Lior and Ziv as both of them have always been very supportive and stood behind the players no matter what the result. They always motivated all of us before the game.”

Jerusalem made a solid move this summer by signing Moldovan striker Vitalie Damascan to the team after he had played with both Bnei Reineh and Maccabi Petach Tikva. The 27-year old brings plenty of experience and leadership to the reds which is something that Idoko knows is invaluable for a football club.

“It’s always good to have an experienced player like Vitalie. A veteran like him can help carry the team when we need them to, perhaps not every game but they will be there when they are needed. These types of players can give good advice and advice that can change the game. It may be a little move here or a little move there that can change the momentum of the game and he brings that quality.”

Growing up in Nigeria was no simple matter for Idoko who’s spoke about the challenges he faced as he looked to become a top flight footballer coming out of a country like Nigeria, “It’s tough both in life and in football. We don’t have standard football academies they only up to a certain level it’s not what one would expect to see. It was a struggle, but we thank God for where we are today.”

Becoming a footballer was no simple task for Idoko as his father wasn’t on board at the first, “When I am holiday these days, I always think about the fact that that was when I told my dad I wanted to play football. He was mad and angry with me and he wouldn’t support me, he wanted me to go to school. My mom asked me what I really wanted to do and I said football. She then said to me, ‘I will support you, but you have to promise that when you start football that you will never go back. If you want to go to school you have the chance.’”

Idoko explained that when he was growing up and even today, his elder brother is the most significant person in his life, “I am blessed with a very supportive family, my elder brother played football and I used to go and watch his games, so that motived me. I call him now for advice and I make sure to involve him in my career. No one expected me to say my brother, but to say someone like Messi. But he is there for me in every aspect, be it spiritual or football as he is now a pastor. He prays for me and I slash put my focus on the pitch.”

There have been many players come out of Africa and starred in world football including Sadio Mane, the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich winger who is currently playing in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr. The 35-year old Senegalese international who has made 132 appearances for his country not only was a top player but also an incredible humanitarian that impressed Idoko.

“Hopefully I will meet him one day. When I watch him, I watch his hunger. He always wants more even when the team is leading. He is African and he knows the struggle we have back home so seeing him do what he is doing is very motivating and it says to me that one can always do more. I want to do as much as he can. He also does a lot in Africa and has helped his city which is something that is very motiving to me.”

For Idoko, his road to the highest level of football may have begun in his home country, but his first foray into Europe is with Hapoel Jerusalem, which was perhaps a surprise to the youngster who explained how the move to the Holy Land came about.

“When I played in Nigeria I had offers from many countries. But one day I got a call from some guy in Nigeria and he said that he wanted me to speak to someone he knows. I said that I don’t know you and how does this make any sense and he replied that he knows that I don’t know him but this call will change your life.

“The season was over at this point and I had a good one, so I spoke with him, we kept in touch and then I had another offer. Today he is my agent. I told my mom that I had offers from Israel, Africa and Europe. She said to me that she would pray and then two days later she said that she saw Israel in her prayers, which was not what I was expecting. I was surprised and I laughed, I went to training and when I came back that was that. Israel it would be.”

As for progress, Idoko sees that he has improved over the last two years and has also set some goals for himself as to what he needs to work on to become an even more complete player after having played 32 matches and scoring 4 goals last season, “I feel that I have progressed here in Jerusalem compared to when I arrived and I want to continue to learn every day. When I arrived I knew I had to work hard on certain aspects and one of those things is scoring goals along with shooting more. I like to score and I like to shoot but I have to shoot more and I need to score goals.”

On the topic of goals, Idoko scored the Goal of the Season last year when his 95th minute bicycle kick helped defeat Hapoel Petach Tikva 2-1 on a sunny Friday afternoon at Teddy Stadium, “That’s a moment I can’t explain in words. Even after I watched the video of they goal I was still surprised. It was nothing that I had practiced but just instinct, I saw the ball coming and then I was on the ground and everyone around yelled goal.”

One of Idoko’s teammates last season, John Otomewo moved to Stade Reims in France during the summer transfer window which was the biggest transaction in the club’s history. That was something totally unexpected and exciting for Idoko to see as it shows that the sky’s the limit for anyone.

“It’s a sign that anything is possible. When he came to Jerusalem, no one knew that this would happen. It says that one can go to Israel and that they can move to a bigger country and bigger league. Anything and everything is possible in football but one has to give 150% 200% and work as hard as they can in order to have the best chance. For me, of course it’s a dream to play in a bigger league in Europe in a country like Germany. Playing for Bayern Munich, that is a dream for me.”

Having been in Israel for the past two seasons has allowed Idoko the chance to experience some wonderful times as well as some very challenging and difficult ones as well. But overall, living in the Holy Land has been very special for him, “I feel good aside for the war because during the war it can be scary, but outside of the war it’s a nice place. The history behind the country, it’s so big. This is my third year here and I have been to the Old City numerous times but there are still so many things that I want to see as there are like 1,001 different things just there.”

Entering his third season at just twenty years of age is something unique for a foreigner and in some ways he is like a young veteran, but one who is still learning and growing, “I like to learn everyday and I am enjoying the support the coach gives me as he wants me to improve. He keeps pushing me both in training and in every aspect of may life. I am grateful.”

As for the upcoming season, Idoko is very optimistic that the club will be able to avoid the relegation zone and perhaps just maybe make it to the championship playoffs, “I think we will do well and the guys is the dressing room are very motivated. We want to fight for every game and every point. There is so much motivation from the players, staff and management. That is the target, to make it to the championship playoffs, but it’s football so we will see. I have set this as a goal and the coach will give us a talk just before we open the season to discuss our goals as well.”

Ultimately, Idoko’s footballing dream is to play in the Bundesliga with one of the world’s greats clubs, but the person underneath the Hapoel Jerusalem kit also wants something that many in Jerusalem can relate to, “My dream is to play for Bayern Munich and live a Godly life with my family.”