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Victor Ikpeba: Why did the Prince of Monaco flop at Borussia Dortmund?

In 1999, the former Nigeria international arrived in Westphalia to great expectation, but failed to make a mark in Germany and left under a cloud

When, in 1999, Borussia Dortmund paid 6.6 million euros to AS Monaco for the services of striker Victor Ikpeba, there were convinced they had made a steal.

BVB are much lauded in the present day for their dealings in the transfer market under sporting director Michael Zorc, but at the time he was a lot less experienced in the role. When the club sought an alternative to their first-choice transfer target Paulo Sergio, for whom bitter rivals Bayern Munich had gazumped them, they decided it was necessary to make a splash and detailed him accordingly.