Watch: 'I'm really blessed and it's a huge honour': Chiedozie Ogbene on making history with Ireland

Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny with Chiedozie Ogbene following the international friendly match against Hungary. Picture: Alex Nicodim/Sportsfile

Chiedozie Ogbene listened to the booing as the Republic of Ireland players took the knee before last night’s friendly in Budapest and found himself contemplating what it would be like to come off the bench and hit the home fans where it hurt most.

He very nearly did it too. There were no more than a couple of minutes to play when Stephen Kenny put him on for his senior international debut and yet the Rotherham United winger proceeded to produce a highlight reel worthy of the full 90.

The former Cork City and Limerick player was aggressive and direct and he displayed a wonderful sense of movement and anticipation when slipping in behind the Hungarian centre-backs to collect a Daryl Horgan pass and rifle the shot from a tight angle into the side netting.

Horgan was miffed that his younger colleague didn’t return the favour as he sprinted into the box looking for the one-two but Ogbene had engineered space for himself and admitted later that he had come on with the idea of ‘causing havoc and getting at defenders’.

That he did.

“Early on in the game I was just hoping to come on and get the opportunity to score in front of their fans. Maybe it is the best thing that it didn’t happen because I might have let my emotions get the better of me with any sort of celebration I would have done.

“But yeah, trying to score really and help the team. You know, a good performance against a team who are getting ready for the Euros, you can see the quality they have in the first-half, but just to get the opportunity on this big stage is a blessing.”

Blessing. It’s a word the man from Lagos but brought up on Leeside used again when asked how it felt to be the first African-born player to represent the Republic of Ireland men’s senior side at international level.

Chiedozie Ogbene of Republic of Ireland has a shot on goal on goal. Picture: Alex Nicodim/Sportsfile

“It's truly a blessing. Most importantly, being from the League of Ireland and coming from that tough structure of football, just to showcase if you believe and never give up, what can happen.

“To be titled the first African-born, I'm really blessed and it's a huge honour, something that I want to inspire everyone else to, to follow their dreams.”

Stephen Kenny spoke brilliantly when asked about the booing from the crowd before last night’s kick-off. The Ireland manager described it as “incomprehensible” and suggested it would “damage” Hungary as they go about hosting their share of Euro 2020.

Adam Idah was another to be asked about it, the 20-year old stating twice that the gesture is for ”a good cause” and giving off the sense of a man who simply couldn’t compute how any right-minded individual could have an issue with something like that.

He isn’t alone in that bewilderment.

Ogbene was as articulate and impressive with his words as he had been with his feet minutes earlier when heddressed the same topic and, while disappointed at the crowd’s ignorance, he finds solace in the solidarity of an Irish squad that has never been so diverse.

“I try not to worry about it,” he said when it was pointed out that the England national team has had to endure the same bile from their own fans when taking the knee this last week. “I just focus on ourselves. I feel like the group we have, it is diverse and everyone is together.

“We hope that Uefa will take stricter action and find a solution. It is a difficult task because it has been going on for many years. We won’t find a result or solution overnight. I am so happy we continue to show how important it is to accept everyone for who they are and just educate people and I am so proud of the team.” The goal eluded him, but the former Nemo Rangers man had made his point.