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Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey spoke on his non-existent relationship with his father as the main reason he wears his mother's name on his jersey
Fulham defender and Nigerian international, Calvin Bassey explained his reason for using his mother's last name officially rather than his father's name as is customary.
The Super Eagles star spoke to The Athletic where he made lots of revelations, including his background, upbringing and relationship with his parents which influenced his career choices.
The 23-year-old goes by the surname Bassey for both Fulham and the Super Eagles but before he became a senior player, team sheets would often refer to him by his father’s surname Ughelumba.
Calvin claims to have no connection to his father which is why he changed his name and opted to go with his mother's last name as he and his brothers were raised by her their whole lives.
Calvin Bassey on relationship with parents
Bassey was born in Italy to Nigerian parents on December 31, 1999 but was raised in London along with his three brothers by his mother who moved there after their father left home.
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“He’s just not in my life — we lived with him but that was when I was really young,” said Calvin Bassey in explanation of his non-existent relationship with his father.
Bassey continued, “Since I was six, it has been Mum and us boys. I knew that if I got the chance to put my name on the back of a shirt I wanted it to be my mum’s name — my way of saying thank you.
“It feels like a dream sometimes when we are driving back from games. It’s crazy that we used to speak about playing in the Premier League five, six years ago and I’m there now," Bassey said.
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"It’s a blessing. We all go to church on Sundays now, and my faith growing since I was 16 has brought us closer together,” the defender said in appreciation.
Bassey joined Fulham last summer from Ajax, fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing in the Premier League having gotten his breakthrough in Scotland with Rangers.
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