Moses Simon’s journey through football is a story of grit and determination, starting from the challenging days of his youth. As a young boy, Simon hustled between Jos and Kaduna’s Ribadu Cantonment, seeking any opportunity to make it to Europe. He fondly remembers his football explorations with his best friend, Innocent Bonke, and his secondary school girlfriend, Ibukun, who played a significant role in shaping his drive to succeed.
Growing up in a polygamous family, Simon’s dream of playing in Europe seemed distant, but his relentless efforts and perseverance eventually paid off. Our article delves into the inspiring story of Moses Simon, from his humble beginnings in Ribadu Cantonment and Ungwan Kanawa, Kaduna, to realizing his dream on the European stage.
The Hard-Fought Path of Moses Simon: From Childhood Challenges to European Football
Preamble:
Moses Simon’s life story offers a deep dive into his early years, family background, and personal life. We start by exploring significant moments from his childhood, including the influences of his parents, siblings, and his wife, Ibukun. The journey continues with how he faced and overcame early setbacks in European football and his rise to prominence through AFCON, ultimately becoming a household name in Nigeria. To give you a glimpse into his remarkable journey, we present Moses Simon’s Early Life and Rise Gallery—an engaging introduction to the story of Daddy-Ajala.
Moses Simon Biography: A Nigerian Footballer’s Journey from Polygamous Roots to European Fields.
Watching Moses Simon on the field, you’ll quickly appreciate his technical skills—his acceleration, sprint speed, dribbling, agility, and balance are truly captivating. Despite his impressive performances, many fans might not be familiar with a concise overview of his life story. That’s why we’ve put together Daddy-Ajala’s Story. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the events of his early life.
Moses Simon Childhood Story:
For Biography starters, he bears the nickname Daddy. Moses Daddy-Ajala Simon was born on the 12th day of July 1995 to Nigerian parents in the country’s city of Jos, Plateau state.
Shortly after his birth, Moses got his nickname – Daddy. The combination of this name and his middle name led to his middle name, Daddy-Ajala.
Moses Simon’s Dad was behind this naming. He gave him this nickname because his boy appears older than his years.
As a child, Moses was highly energetic and very friendly. He found it hard to sit still and always wanted to kick just anything that was moulded in the shape of a ball. Little did members of his family know he was laying the foundation of his destiny.
Early Life and Growing Up:
Research has shown that the Nigerian footballer isn’t the only child of his parents. In fact, Moses Simon is one among many children.
This includes brothers and sisters from different mothers. He and all his siblings were born to the marital union between his Dad and Mum.
Behold the persons who brought the Nigerian footballer into the world. Moses Simon’s parents, as seen here, appear to be in the 60s (his Mum) and 70s (his Dad).
They gave him life, education and the most unconditional love.
Moses Simon’s parents are his look-alike mum and very focused dad.
Early Life with Football:
We summed the humble beginnings of Moses Simon into one word: Football hustle. His Ultimate vision in life was nothing else but to become a professional in the sport. Just like Paul Onuachu, he faced trials and tribulations along the way.
Moses Simon would never forget his childhood football exploration with Innocent Bonke, his best friend.
Pictured below, both friends had very humble beginnings. Moses and Innocent would never forget their football days at Ribadu Cantonment, Ungwan Kanawa, Kaduna.
=Indeed, nobody knows tomorrow, and the future is always pregnant. The story of Moses and Innocent remains an inspiration to many aspiring footballers in Nigeria.
While so many kids lost hope, these two held on to their beliefs. As I write this biography, I see that they both play football in Europe and are members of the Nigerian national team.
Moses Simon Family Background:
Research shows that Moses Simon grew up in a polygamous family. His father had multiple wives in addition to his mother. Polygamous marriages are officially recognized under Nigeria’s customary law.
Moses Simon is from a big family. From what we see, he is among the youngest of his siblings.
Moses Simon hails from a typical Nigerian middle-class family. His Dad is a well-respected figure in both Benue, Kaduna and his Jos neighbourhood of Plateau state.
He was so hardworking that he ensured that none of his family members (wives and children) went hungry.
As I write Moses Simon’s bio, I see that his family has become not only grown but close-knit as well.
Behold a large portrait of his entire household. Moses Simon’s extended family members comprise his nephews, nieces, etc. Also, the sweet grandchildren of his parents.
Moses Simon’s family do a Full-House during festive periods. And having all their grandchildren around excites his parents.
Moses Simon Family Origin:
The AFCON sensation identifies his nationality as Nigeria. Although born in Jos, he is not from the country’s coldest city.
Moses Simon is from Benue State of Nigeria. Gift Orban, the Nigerian professional footballer, also hails from this state (through his Dad). He spent most part of his childhood years in Jos, a prominent city in the Middle Belt of Nigeria. Moses Simon’s family also lived in Kaduna during his childhood years.
Regarding the LGA to which his family belongs, we identify Moses Simon as an indigen of the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
By identifying with this LGA, it means he is Idoma by tribe and ethnicity. Agatu is one of the 23 LGAs in Benue state.
Obagaji is Moses Simon’s village – our research says. This village is in Agatu LGA, in Benue state, Nigeria. We got to know Moses Simon’s village (in 2020) at the time he drilled three boreholes for his people.
Moses Simon extended his helping hands to his village people. He sent monies for the execution of a borehole project.
We gathered that the youths of Obagaji village made a request for borehole water through the head of their community, Chief James Ocheche. He reached out to Moses Simon, and the footballer quickly reciprocated by sending monies.
Moses Simon’s village people are grateful for his contribution to their development.
It is important to note that this borehole project is one of the numerous the Nigerian winger has undertaken since his rise to stardom.
Before erecting these boreholes, Moses Simon was more into supporting the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).
About the place of his Footballing Origin:
Early on, Moses Simon’s family lived in Kaduna and then settled in Jos. This is the place the Naija Baller calls home.
Simon spent a vital part of his childhood years in Jos South local government area of the Plateau state.
Jos South, where Moses Simon’s family lived, houses the Governor’s office in Rayfield. The Indigenous people of Jos often describe this local government area as the de facto capital of Plateau state.
Moses Simon grew up mostly around Berom people. This autochthonous ethnic group is by the largest in the whole of Plateau State.
Popularly called “J-Town”, Jos, where Moses Simon comes from, has a reputation for being the most loved and coldest city in Nigeria.
Moses Simon Education:
The then aspiring footballer attended school like so many other children from middle-class families. Right there in Jos, Plateau state, Moses Simon (including Mikel Obi) passed through the hurdles of his secondary education.
Since primary school (at 8 years old), playing football became his major extracurricular activity.
Among the phases of Moses Simon’s education, high school days were the most challenging. Then, he held so high his life’s ambitions of becoming a professional footballer.
Moses Simon’s parents advised he shouldn’t jeopardise his studies for football. His idea was to first obtain his Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
And then, use it to proceed to the University or get a job – in case football (his number 1 priority) didn’t work out.
Finding Love as a Schoolboy:
While in his secondary school, Moses Simon became friends with Ibukun Sarah Adenuga. She was his classmate – and from a southwest Nigerian family. Their friendship grew from best friends to becoming lovers. Taiwo Awoniyi also has a very romantic school love story.
From secondary school lovers to husband and wife. This is the story of Moses Simon and Ibukun Sarah Adenuga.
Ibukun was with Moses when he was nothing. At the time, he was confused about his life ambitions. By staying with him, Moses Simon decided to marry her – at the time, he made it. Even to this day, Ibukun has remained the wife of Moses Simon.
The average life of any young aspiring Nigerian footballer, especially one whose family has no political connection, is filled with everyday worries. The question of IF they would make Europe often bug their minds. And only a few of these kids get to see their football dreams.
Since Moses Simon’s secondary school days, his girlfriend, Ibukun, had been his source of solace. She comforted him at times of career distress. Ibukun stood by him the most – when he was nothing. For this, Moses didn’t hesitate to marry her when he made it.
Moses Simon Biography – Football Story:
This section of our memoir explains the Nigerian Footballer’s career journey.
At the tender years of eight, Moses Simon started out with the famed Jos GBS Academy – based in Jos South Local Government. Now, here is a little fact about Golden Boot Football Academy.
Owned by Coach Ahmed Ibrahim, the academy is famous for producing the likes of Ahmed Musa. Coach Bros, as they nicknamed him, claimed Musa made him a millionaire. A millionaire because of the role he played in the formative years of the Nigerian footballer.
Ahmed Ibrahim impacted the lives of so many young footballers in Plateau state and Nigeria at large.
Life in the academy before going to Europe:
After finishing secondary school, Moses gave his all to the academy. He became so good – to the extent of getting attracted by top clubs in the Nigerian football league system.
According to our research, Nigerian Premier League club Kaduna United were among those who fought for Moses’ signature.
In a quest to find fame, GBS Academy decided to keep on holding him with hopes that suitors from Europe would come.
Thankfully, one of the most respected football in the world (Ajax) made contact. AFC Ajax wasn’t the only European academy to contact Golden Boot. Both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur reached out through their Nigerian scouts.
Road to Fame Story:
Around May 2013, AFC Ajax fought off other interests to sign Moses Simon in a pre-contractual agreement. He arrived at a time Christian Eriksen had just left the club for Spurs. Ajax made him play briefly for their academy before a trial with the senior team.
Moses Simon made a quick impression by scoring a goal in his first Ajax first appearance – a pre-season friendly.
Unfortunately, Ajax didn’t give him a smooth run on their first team. Bigger stars like Bojan Krkic and Lasse Schöne played ahead of him.
The Slovakia Impact:
On the 13th day of January 2014, Moses signed a three-year contract for AS Trenčín. While there, he met a fellow brother from Nigeria, Kingsley Madu.
Moses Simon developed a strategy to shine for the club. His major target was the Europa League. In his first Europa debut, he scored a trilling hat trick on his career debut in the 4–0 win at home. That hat trick reignited the interest of his old suitors – Tottenham and Liverpool.
Around October 2014, ESPN prepared a scouting report that linked Moses Simon with a move to Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Hull City. Ajax, his old club, also came begging for the return of a boy they once abandoned.
Moses Simon Bio – Success Story:
The transfer situation of the Nigerian resulted in a bidding war between the Belgium club K.A.A. Gent and the Dutch club, SC Heerenveen. It was Genk who later won the race to have his signature – on a three years deal.
Simon had a shaky start to life with the Belgian club. To the shock of KAA Genk fans, a referee showed him a red card – just after 30 seconds of entering the field. Moses Simon made up for his disappointment by scoring a hat-trick in his third league game.
By scoring that Hat trick, he once again regained fans’ trust and was honoured as the best Belgium-based footballer for that week.
Moses Simon quickly became a key player for the club. In May 2015, he helped Gent win the National Championship title (the first ever for the club).
Moses Simon’s success story with Gent didn’t end there. Two months after his first trophy, he delivered a beautiful assist that led to Laurent Depoitre’s winning goal in a cup final.
That made earned Moses Simon’s Gent the 2015 Belgian Super Cup.
Post Gent Success:
After the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Simon joined Spanish La Liga side Levante. He further took a move (via loan) to the French club, Nantes. The club’s love for Simon made them trigger the option to buy him permanently.
Since then, Simon, alongside his Egyptian Forward partner, Mostafa Mohamed, has given them reasons to smile. He once helped Nantes stun Paris Saint-Germain – in what football pundits call a five-star performance.
At the time of writing Moses Simon’s Biography, he currently puts smiles on the faces of Nigerian football fans. The speedy Nigerian winger produced many lovely moments in the 2021 AFCON tournament held in Cameroon.
With Watford and Napoli’s refusal to allow Emmanuel Denis and Victor Osimhen to attend AFCON, Moses became a bonafide starter in the Naija starting eleven. A solid partnership with Kelechi Iheanacho led to a beautiful start to the campaign.
Since helping his country defeat Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in the 2021 AFCON, Moses Simon’s popularity has grown.
He is a man to help Nigeria reclaim her former glory in the sport. The rest of his Biography, as we say, is now history.
Moses Simon Love Story:
Football can indeed change someone’s life. If you doubt that, then the Biography of Moses Simon will convince you. Find below a piece of photo evidence. This is Ibukunoluwa Sarah Adenuga (the wife of Moses Simon), THEN and NOW.
Without a doubt, he is one of the very few footballers who began dating from secondary school and went on to marry their girlfriends. Ibukun Sarah Adenuga and Moses Simon kept their love strong even as once distance separated them.
Similar to what Lionel Messi did to his wife, Moses went to fetch his girlfriend as soon as he settled in Europe. His dream was to marry and spend the rest of his life with her.
Moses Simon got married to his long-term girlfriend, Ibukun Sarah Adenuga. The wedding date was on 29 December 2015. They celebrated it in the presence of important family members and friends.
About Moses Simon’s Wife:
Ibukun Sarah Adenuga is a native of Ibadan, Oyo state in Nigeria. Right there in her family’s hometown was where she and Moses had their traditional wedding ceremony.
Before getting married to Moses, Ibukun bore the surname Adenuga. This is a popular name in Nigeria, a surname of the famous Nigerian businessman Mike Adenuga. Upon our findings, we noticed Ibukun is not related to the owner of Globacom.
Moses Simon’s Children with his Wife, Ibukun Sarah Adenuga:
As I create this bio, I see that they have two daughters. Emmanuella (born in August 2018) is the name of their first child. Find here a picture of Moses Simon and his wife Ibukunoluwa in the church – as they attend their daughter’s child dedication.
Emmanuella Simon, Moses and Ibukun’s daughter goes to church for the first time.
Following their child presentation, the very religious and humble footballer was quick to thank his social media fans. In his words,
Thank god for a successful thanksgiving at @O.M.F Belgium.
Thanks to every one that came to celebrate my family.
God bless you all. A special thanks to pastor Godwin.
The coming of a second Daughter:
On April 30, 2020, Moses Simon and his wife, Ibukunoluwa, welcomed their second child, a daughter named Ehi Simon. She was born in France during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A true Family man:
Moses is a man who, despite his busy football schedule, enjoys home life with his wife and beloved daughters. There is never a dull moment with his long-term partner and children (Emanuella and Ehi). They live a very happy life thanks to their Daddy’s success.
Moses strikes a perfect balance between his busy football schedule and quality family time. Pictured here with his wife and beloved daughters, Emanuella and Ehi.
Personal Life:
Away from what he does on the football field, we’ll tell you some untold facts about the speedy Nigerian striker. First, Moses is a very humble man who is often embarrassed by the praise. He is quick to recognize his own fault and is very God-fearing.
Again, he is the type of Dad who makes it very mandatory to introduce his daughters to swimming at a young age. The sport keeps them healthy, increases their stamina, and improves posture and balance.
Introducing his daughters to swimming at a young age, this dedicated Dad prioritizes their health and wellness.
Moses Simon Hobbies:
Asides from football, the Naija AFCON sensation also excels in other spots. Among them includes bowling and long tennis. In case you are not aware, being versatile is an extra string to his powerful bow.
Research has it that Moses Simon is also a fan of boxing. He finds time to practice the sport. The endurance level he possesses makes him work out so hard until the moment he almost gives up. Here is a piece of evidence of what we’re talking about.
Lifestyle:
The Naija man, together with his wife (Ibukunoluwa), are both lovers of water adventures. Jos, where Moses Simon’s parents raised him, has several rivers that take their sources on the state’s plateau. This is a typical example of a perfect holiday for the couple.
Simon and Ibukunoluwa enjoying a great time at the seaside.
Moses Simon Cars:
The Nigerian winger loves driving his favourite rides. They include a Peugeot and an old-school car. Moses loves the pure freedom he gets when he disconnects from the speed of his footballing legs – and then goes to explore the sensations of his cars.
The Nigerian Winger poses with his Car.
Moses Simon Family Life:
No matter how far his career takes him, Daddy-Ajala (as they nicknamed him) never forgets where he comes from. The Naija Baller remembers home. He plays the role of the breadwinner of his family. This section of our Bio tells you more about his household.
Moses Simon Father:
As the head of his polygamous family, the super Dad of the footballer assumed the roles of being both the provider, protector, and disciplinarian. Moses Simon’s Dad is a typical example of a man who now reaps the fruits of his labour.
Behold the great man who raised a wonderful footballer.
Moses Simon Mother:
If you look closely, you’ll see her son’s face in her. In a mother’s day celebration, Moses Simon once said without her, he would be nothing. He thanked her for fighting for him to be a man. His efforts made him a man with his own family today.
Moses Simon’s Siblings:
The Nigerian footballer has quite a lot of them – including brothers and sisters from his parents and stepmothers. Among all of Moses Simon’s siblings, he has most spoken about a particular look-alike older sister. Unfortunately, she, who is late, died in 2016.
Sadly, Moses Simon lost his sibling in 2016.
Untold Facts:
In this concluding section of Moses Simon’s Biography, we’ll tell you truths we think you might not know about him. Without further ado, let’s begin.
A friend of Nigeria’s Army Chief:
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya, is a close friend of Moses Simon. This also goes to many other people in the Nigerian armed forces – including the police. As Nigerians would call it, he is heavily connected.
The Winger has lots of close friends in the Nigerian Military.
Love for Dogs:
Moses Simon and his Super Eagles teammate, Terem Moffi, are both Cynophilists. This is a word used to describe persons who truly love dogs. The Naija Baller’s favourite dog breed is the German Shepherd. For Simon, playing with his dog helps him deal with the mental aspect of boredom.
Moses Simon Profile:
The Nigerian professional footballer is phenomenal and also very underrated. His agility, sprint speed, balance and acceleration are a nightmare to any right-back. Have you ever used Moses Simon on FIFA? Try him, and you’ll never be disappointed.
As shown here, Acceleration, Sprint Speed, Agility, Balance, and Jumping are his most valuable football assets.
In terms of movement, Simon has attributes similar to those of these three top footballers. They are; Jeremy Doku (Belgium), Adama Traoré (Spanish) and Noni Madueke (England).
Moses Simon Religion:
The parents of the Nigerian professional footballer raised him to be a devoted Christian. He is the type who identifies with his religion (publicly) everywhere he goes. In fact, Moses Simon’s Biography – on his Instagram says,
Everything happens for a reason when you believe in God.
Regarding the church Moses Simon’s family attends, our research reveals OMF. This acronym means Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF). One of OMF’s church branches in Belgium was where Moses and his wife (Ibukunoluwa) had their child’s dedication.
Moses Simon is not only modest but deeply religious. We picture him and his wife (Ibukun) praising God in his Belgium Church. He took the photo during his time at Gent in Belgium.
EndNote:
The Biography of Moses Simon tells us how love (from a secondary school girlfriend) and self-belief led to his success. The Nigerian footballer is from Benue State, Nigeria – Agatu LGA precisely. He grew up in a close-knit Polygamous family and had many siblings.
As a child, all he dreamt of was becoming a professional footballer. Moses Simon’s parents advised he finished his secondary school. While there, he met Ibukun, and she became his Girlfriend. Ibukun stood by him in his struggle years and eventually became his wife.
Footballing hustle saw Moses plying the routes from Jos to nearby Nigerian states. While at GBS Academy, he played alongside Innocent Bonke (a future Super Eagles player) at Ribadu Cantonment, Ungwan Kanawa, Kaduna. At last, Europe came calling through GBS Academy.
Amsterdam-based Ajax Youth Academy accepted the Nigerian winger before eventually letting him go. To prove his worth, Moses Simon had to work his way back up. He did that with Slokav’s side, Trenčín. That earned him further moves to Gent, Levante, and Nantes.
As I conclude Moses Simon’s Biography, he has just used AFCON 2021 to cement his name as a hero for his country. “Life is more enjoyable under Eguavoen“- he says. Moses would definitely be regarded as one of Nigeria’s best wingers, even after retirement.
Like always, we say thank you for reading one of our African Biography Stories. We care about accuracy and fairness while delivering the stories of Nigerian Footballers. Please let us know if you notice anything that doesn’t look right in Moses Simon’s Bio.
Also, through our comment section, please tell us what you think about the Nigerian winger in terms of his Life story and the way he plays football. Stay tuned for more African True Football stories from Us.
