User:BanRay/Sandbox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tijani Babangida
Personal information
Full name Tijani Babangida
Date of birth September 25, 1973 (1973-09-25) (age 34)
Place of birth    Kaduna, Nigeria
Height 1.69 m
Playing position Winger
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1990
1991
1991-1993
1994-1996
1997-2001
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005		 Niger Tornadoes
Roda JC
→VVV Venlo (loan)
Roda JC
Ajax
→Gençlerbirliği (loan)
→Vitesse Arnhem (loan)
→Al-Ittihad (loan)
Tianjin Taida
Changchun Yatai
0 (0)
34 (19)
78 (26)
77 (20)
12 (2)
14 (1)
5 0(0)
? 0(?)
19 (4)   
National team2
1994–2002 Nigeria 40 (5)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 15:23, 5 february 2007 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of February 5, 2007.
* Appearances (Goals)
Olympic medal record
Competitor for Flag of Nigeria Nigeria
Men's Football
Gold 1996 Atlanta Team Competition

Tijani Babangida[1][2][3] (born September 25, 1973 in Kaduna)[2] is a former football winger from Nigeria. Known for his pace and dribbling skills,[4] he spent the prime years of his playing career at Ajax Amsterdam. He played 40 international matches and scored 5 goals for Nigeria, and played at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, in the process scoring one of the goals of the tournament with a thunderous volley from the right side. He also won the Olympic gold medal in 1996.

Contents

[edit] Early career

In 1991, the 17-year-old Babangida left his local Niger Tornadoes to sign with the Dutch Eredivisie side Roda JC, after impessing at the Cairo 91 All African Games.[5] The player was immediately loaned out to Roda's league rivals VVV Venlo until the end of the season.[6] Babangida made only a total of six league appearances, finding the net three times in the second part of the 1991-92 Eredivisie season.[1] Despite Venlo's relegation to Eerste Divisie,[7]Roda decided to extend the player's loan at the club for another season.

The 1992-93 became a breakthrough season for Babangida as his 16[1] league goals helped Venlo to the top of Eerste Divisie and promotion to the Dutch top-flight.[8] The following season Babangida returned to Roda, immediately becoming a first-team regular with the Kerkrade side. Babangida made a total of 29 league appearances for Roda that season, scoring 11 goals.[1]

Babangida spent two more seasons at Roda JC. Tijani's 10 league goals in 1995-96, made him the club's top scorer that season. In 1995, Babangida made his European debut, scoring a goal in the UEFA Cup first-round win over Olimpija Ljubljana, Roda's first European campaign in five years. Roda went on to beat the Slovenian side 5-2 on aggregate, but fell to the 27-times Portuguese champions S.L. Benfica in the second round.

Solid performances at both international and club level led to interest from Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, who were looking to replace Babangida's compatriot Finidi George[4], recently departed to Real Betis.

[edit] Ajax Amsterdam

Babangida came to the Netherlands at the age of seventeen, and was signed by VVV Venlo. After spending one and a half season on loan to VVV Venlo, Babangida played for Roda and became one of their most celebrated players. He was signed by giants Ajax Amsterdam. He started off brightly at the Amsterdam club and scored a total of 13 league goals, playing on the wing, in his second season. However, he gradually lost his place in the first team, halfway through his third season at Ajax and was loaned out to the Turkcell Süper Lig side Gençlerbirliği, for the 2000-2001 season.

[edit] After Ajax

Looking for a move away from the Netherlands, Tijani Babangida came very close to signing with AJ Auxerre, but, at the very last moment, received a call from Ronald Koeman and agreed to join him at Vitesse Arnhem instead.[9] Another loan move followed. First team player under Koeman, Babangida subsequently lost his place in the starting line-up,[10] when Ronald Koeman left for Ajax Amsterdam and was replaced by Edward Sturing.[11] Having been omitted from the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad, along with some other veteran players, such as Sunday Oliseh and Finidi George, in 2002 he signed a six-month loan deal with Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, but he walked out of the team in November after disagreements with the coach, who wanted him to play at the right back position. Babangida then moved to China, where he had a very successful first season and was even called up to join the Nigeria national football team during their preparations for the 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia; Babangida, however, failed to make the final squad. After two years in China, Babangida announced his retirement from football.

Upon his retirement from professional football, Babangida has been working as a football agent.[12]

Two of his nine brothers, Ibrahim Babangida and Haruna Babangida, are also professional footballers.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Tijani Babangida. National Football Teams. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  2. ^ a b Tijani Babangida. Playerhistory. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  3. ^ PSV - Vitesse. ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  4. ^ a b "Robson poised to sign Porto keeper". The Independent. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  5. ^ Tijani Babangida. Eagles Profile. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
  6. ^ Tijani Babangida. 123Football. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  7. ^ Netherlands 1991/92. RSSSF. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  8. ^ Netherlands 1992/93. RSSSF. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  9. ^ Babangida optimistic. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
  10. ^ Vitesse Arnhem 2001-02 fixtures. ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  11. ^ Tijani Babandgida. Vitesseplanet. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
  12. ^ http://www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story6757.html
v • d • e
Nigeria squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup
1 Rufai • 2 Oparaku • 3 Babayaro • 4 Kanu • 5 Uche • 6 West • 7 Finidi • 8 Adepoju • 9 Yekini • 10 Okocha • 11 Lawal • 12 W. Okpara • 13 Babangida • 14 Amokachi • 15 Oliseh • 16 Okafor • 17 Eguavoen • 18 Oruma • 19 Iroha • 20 Ikpeba • 21 G. Okpara • 22 Baruwa • Coach: Milutinović
 Flag of Nigeria


Rank League 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 Coeff. CL places UEFA Cup places
1 Flag of Spain Spain 14.312 12.437 15.642 19.000 13.750 75.141 4 3
2 Flag of England England 11.250 15.571 14.428 16.625 16.500 74.374
3 Flag of Italy Italy 8.875 14.000 15.357 11.928 10.000 60.160
4 Flag of France France 13.500 11.428 10.812 10.000 6.928 52.668 3
5 Flag of Germany Germany 4.714 10.571 10.437 9.500 13.357 48.579
6 Flag of Russia Russia 5.875 10.000 10.000 6.625 9.750 42.250
7 Flag of Romania Romania 4.333 5.500 16.833 11.333 2.600 40.599 2 4
8 Flag of Portugal Portugal 10.250 8.166 5.500 8.083 7.928 39.927
9 Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands 5.416 12.000 7.583 8.214 5.000 38.213 2
10 Flag of Scotland Scotland 7.375 4.750 4.250 6.750 9.500 32.625
11 Flag of Turkey Turkey 6.500 5.375 4.000 6.100 9.750 31.725
12 Flag of Ukraine Ukraine 4.875 8.100 5.750 6.500 4.875 30.100
13 Flag of Belgium Belgium 5.875 6.125 5.500 4.700 4.500 26.700
14 Flag of Greece Greece 4.166 6.166 3.333 4.666 7.500 25.831
15 Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic 7.375 2.875 4.625 5.750 5.125 25.750
16 Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 1.875 2.625 9.375 4.100 6.250 24.225 1 3
17 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria 4.166 2.375 8.750 5.125 2.750 23.166
18 Flag of Norway Norway 6.125 3.500 5.400 2.000 5.400 22.425
19 Flag of Denmark Denmark 4.200 1.500 3.500 6.125 5.125 20.450
20 Flag of Austria Austria 2.125 7.625 3.250 1.500 3.200 17.700
21 Flag of Serbia Serbia 4.500 4.250 3.250 2.125 2.625 16.750
22 Flag of Israel Israel 2.250 3.625 1.500 6.000 2.375 15.750 2
23 Flag of Sweden Sweden 1.500 3.000 2.666 1.125 5.400 13.691
24 Flag of Slovakia Slovakia 2.500 1.333 4.333 2.000 2.166 12.332
25 Flag of Poland Poland 4.125 2.500 1.125 2.625 1.666 12.041
26 Flag of Hungary Hungary 4.833 4.166 1.000 1.000 1.000 11.999
27 Flag of Croatia Croatia 3.625 3.000 0.333 1.000 3.666 11.624
28 Flag of Cyprus Cyprus 1.333 1.333 3.000 1.750 2.666 10.082
29 Flag of Slovenia Slovenia 2.166 3.500 2.333 1.250 0.666 9.915
30 Flag of Finland Finland 1.666 1.666 2.333 1.333 2.625 9.623
31 Flag of Latvia Latvia 0.833 3.166 1.333 2.166 1.333 8.831
32 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.666 1.666 1.500 1.833 1.833 8.498
33 Flag of Lithuania Lithuania 0.833 2.500 1.333 1.833 1.500 7.999
34 Flag of Moldova Moldova 1.500 1.500 1.666 1.500 1.333 7.499
35 Flag of Ireland Republic of Ireland 0.333 1.333 1.833 2.833 1.000 7.332
36 Flag of the Republic of Macedonia FYR Macedonia 1.666 0.333 1.500 1.166 1.666 6.331
37 Flag of Iceland Iceland 0.500 2.500 0.833 1.000 1.166 5.999
38 Flag of Georgia (country) Georgia 0.333 2.666 0.666 1.166 1.000 5.831
39 Flag of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein1 0.000 2.000 1.000 2.000 0.500 5.500 0 1
40 Flag of Belarus Belarus 0.666 0.500 1.333 1.000 1.833 5.332 1 2
41 Flag of Estonia Estonia 0.333 0.833 0.833 1.500 0.833 4.332
42 Flag of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan 0.000 0.500 1.333 1.333 0.666 3.832
43 Flag of Albania Albania 0.333 1.000 1.000 0.833 0.500 3.666
44 Flag of Armenia Armenia 0.666 0.500 0.666 0.500 1.333 3.665
45 Flag of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 0.166 0.000 1.000 0.666 0.750 2.582
46 Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0.500 0.666 0.500 0.166 0.500 2.332
47 Flag of Wales Wales 0.333 0.000 0.666 0.666 0.666 2.331
48 Flag of the Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 0.000 0.333 0.666 0.500 0.333 1.832
49 Flag of Luxembourg Luxembourg 0.166 0.333 0.500 0.166 0.333 1.498
50 Flag of Malta Malta 0.333 0.333 0.000 0.166 0.000 0.832
52 Flag of Montenegro Montenegro 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.500 0.500
51 Flag of Andorra Andorra 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.500 0.500 1 1
53 Flag of San Marino San Marino 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.250 0.250