Nigeria national football team
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Nigeria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | Super Eagles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Association | Nigeria Football Association | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coach | Shaibu Amodu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Captain | Nwankwo Kanu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Most caps | Mudashiru Lawal (86) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Top scorer | Rashidi Yekini (37) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home stadium | Abuja Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIFA code | NGA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIFA ranking | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest FIFA ranking | 5 (April 1994) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lowest FIFA ranking | 82 (November 1999) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elo ranking | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest Elo ranking | 14 (May 31 2004) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lowest Elo ranking | 87 (December 27 1964) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nigeria 2 - 0 Sierra Leone (Lagos, Nigeria; 8 October 1949) |
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Biggest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nigeria 10 - 1 Benin (Lagos, Nigeria; 28 November 1959) |
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Biggest defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ghana 7 - 0 Nigeria (Accra, Ghana; 1 June 1955) |
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World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 3 (First in 1994) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best result | Round 2, 1994 and 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
African Nations Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 15 (First in 1963) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best result | Winners, 1980 and 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Confederations Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 1 (First in 1995) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best result | 4th, 1995 |
Olympic medal record | |||
Men’s Football | |||
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Gold | 1996 Atlanta | Team |
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Association. According to FIFA's rankings, Nigeria, at 45th, are currently the 6th best team in the African continent. The highest position ever reached on the ranking was 5th in April 1994.
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[edit] History
Nigeria played their first game in October 1949, whilst still a British colony. The team's first major success was a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games, with 3rd place finishes in 1976 and 1978's African Cup of Nations to follow. In 1980 the team had such players as Leyton Orient's John Cheidozie and the Tunji Banjo, and the Christian Chukwu-led Super Eagles won the Cup for the first time in Lagos. In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria reached the Cup of Nations final, losing both times to Cameroon. Three of the four African titles won by Cameroon have been won by defeating Nigeria. Missing out to Cameroon on many occasions has created an intense rivalry between both nations. Two notable occasions; narrowly losing out on qualification for 1990 World Cup and then the controversial final of the 2000 African Nations Cup where a goal scored by Victor Ikpeba during a penalty shoot out was disallowed by the referee.
Nigeria reached the World Cup for the first time in Football World Cup 1994.They were managed by Clemens Westerhof who is commonly considered to be the best coach to have ever lead Nigeria. Nigeria topped their group which included Argentina, Bulgaria, and Greece. In their first game Nigeria defeated Bulgaria 3-0, lost to Argentina 2-1, and qualified for the second round after a 2-0 defeat of Greece. In the second round Nigeria played Italy and took the lead with a goal from Amunike at 25 min. Nigeria were within 1 minute of qualifying for the Quarter finals of 1994 World Cup in the game against Italy but Roberto Baggio scored to take the game to extra time. He also scored the eventual winning goal.
In 1998 Nigeria returned to the World Cup alongside Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, and South Africa. Optimism was high due to their manager Bora Milutinovc and the return of most 1994 squad members. In the final tournament Nigeria were drawn into group D with Spain, Bulgaria, Paraguay. Nigeria scored a major upset by defeating Spain 3-2 after coming back twice from being 1-0 and 2-1 down. The Eagles qualified for the second round with win against Bulgaria and loss to Paraguay. Their hopes of surpassing their 1994 performance was shattered after a 4-1 loss to Denmark.
Th 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea Japan, saw Nigeria again qualify with optimism. With a new squad and distinctive pastel green kits the Super Eagles were expected to build on their strong performances in the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations. Nigeria were drawn into group F with powerhouses Sweden, Argentina, and England. They started their first game against Argentina with a strong defence and kept the first half scoreless. However in the 61st minute Gabriel Batistuta breached the Nigerian defense to put Argentina in the lead 1-0 and win the game. Nigeria's second game against Sweden saw them take the lead but later lose 2-1. There was little consolation when Nigeria drew 0-0 with England and bowed out in the first round.
Nigeria missed out on qualification for the 2006 World Cup to Angola. Both teams finished level on points in the group but Nigeria even with a greater goal difference missed out due to their inferior head to head record against Angola. Nigeria won the African Nations Cup twice (1980 and 1994), and also won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
[edit] Under-21s and under-17s
Nigeria's Under 17 youth teams won the inaugural Under-16 World Championship in 1985 and the Under-17 (the age limit was raised) title in 1993 and in 2007. The under 17 team is known as the Golden Eaglets while the Under 21 team is known as the Flying Eagles.
Nigeria's Flying Eagles qualified for the first time to represent Africa in a Junior World Cup in Mexico. Although, Nigeria did not go beyond the first round, having lost 0-3 to Brazil, it beat the highly rated USSR 1-0 and held the Netherlands to a goalless draw.
In 1985, Nigeria's under-17 football team went to China and conquered the world in the first ever FIFA U-17 World Championship. The victory took Nigerian football to a high pedestal, setting the stage for a respect of Nigeria in international competitions. To prove a point of Nigeria's new found strength in football, the nation's under-20 team went to Saudi Arabia for the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1989 and lost narrowly in the final to Portugal.
The "miracle of Damman" (Saturday, February 25, 1989), Nigeria's victory over USSR at the quarter final stage; after trailing four goals behind and with only twenty nine minutes left, stunned the world during the championship. Chris Ohenhen scored two freekick goals; the first was an indirect kick with 29 minutes left (assist Dimeji Lawal) and the second was a direct freekick with 15 minutes to go. Samuel Elijah scored Nigeria's third goal with 8 minutes remaining. Nduka Ugbade scored the game tying goal two minutes later. Nigeria won the penalty shootout to complete the miracle comeback with scores from Chris Ohenhen, Mutiu Adepoju, Dimeji Lawal, Peter Ogaba, and Samuel Elijah. Emeka Amadi saved one of the kicks from the Soviets.
In 2007, the under-17 squad carted were crowned world champions in South Korea for the 3rd time.
[edit] Nigeria Football Achievements
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- 1980, 1994
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- 1973
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- 1995
- CEDEAO Cup: 1
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- 1990
Olympic Gold Medal Atlanta '96
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- 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005
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- 2001, 2007
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- 1985, 1993, 2007
[edit] World Cup record
- 1930 to 1958 - Did not enter
- 1962 - Did not qualify
- 1966 - Withdrew
- 1970 to 1990 - Did not qualify
- 1994 - Round 2
- 1998 - Round 2
- 2002 - Round 1
- 2006 - Did not qualify
[edit] African Cup of Nations record
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[edit] Current squad
The folloeing players were called for the friendly match against Austria on May 27, 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
[edit] Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the Nigeria squad in 2008.
- Goalkeepers
Name | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
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Austin Ejide | April 8, 1984 | SC Bastia | 12 (0) | v. Ghana, 3 February 2008 |
- Defenders
Name | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
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Danny Shittu | September 2, 1980 | Watford | 12 (0) | v. Ghana, 3 February 2008 |
Ifeanyi Emeghara | March 24, 1984 | Steaua Bucharest | 2 (0) | v. Ghana, 3 February 2008 |
Rabiu Afolabi | April 18, 1980 | Sochaux | 10 (1) | v. Benin, 29 January 2008 |
- Midfielders
Name | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
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Dickson Etuhu | June 8, 1982 | Sunderland | 2 (0) | v. Ghana, 3 February 2008 |
Seyi Olofinjana | June 12, 1980 | Wolverhampton | 17 (0) | v. Ghana, 3 February 2008 |
Richard Eromoigbe | June 26, 1984 | FC Khimki | 4 (0) | v. Ghana, 3 February 2008 |
Onyekachi Okonkwo | May 13, 1982 | FC Zürich | 8 (0) | v. Ivory Coast, 21 January 2008 |
- Strikers
Name | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
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Stephen Makinwa | July 26, 1983 | Lazio | 6 (0) | v. Mali, 25 January 2008 |
Obafemi Martins | October 28, 1984 | Newcastle United | 21 (13) | v. Mali, 25 January 2008 |
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[edit] Famous players
1970s -
1980s - 1990s - |
2000s - |
[edit] Manager history
Team managers of Nigeria and the dates they took over.
Date appointed | Manager name |
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2008 | Shaibu Amodu |
2008 | James Peters |
2007 - 2008 | Berti Vogts |
2005 - 2007 | Augustine Eguavoen |
2002 - 2005 | Christian Chukwu |
2002 | Adegboyega Onigbinde |
2001 - 2002 | Shaibu Amodu |
1999 - 2001 | Johannes Bonfrere |
1999 - 1999 | Thijs Libregts |
1998 - 1998 | Bora Milutinović |
1997 - 1998 | Monday Sinclar |
1997 - 1998 | Philippe Troussier |
1996 - 1997 | Shaibu Amodu |
1995 - 1996 | Johannes Bonfere |
1994 - 1995 | Shaibu Amodu |
1989 - 1994 | Clemens Westerhof |
1987 - 1989 | Paul Hamilton |
1988 - 1989 | Manfred Hoener |
1985 | Patrick Ekeji |
1984 - 1986 | Chris Udemezue |
1983 - 1984 | Adegboyega Onigbinde |
1981 | Gottlieb Goller |
1979 - 1982 | Otto Gloria |
1970 - 1971 & 1974 | Heinz Marotze |
1974 - 1978 | Jelisavčić 'Tiki' Tihomir |
1972 - 1973 & 1963 - 1964 | George Penna |
1969 - 1970 | Peter 'Eto' Amaechina |
1965 - 1968 | Joseph Ember |
1964 - 1965 | Daniel Anyiam |
1961 - 1963 | George Vardar |
1960 - 1961 | Moshe Beth-Halevi |
1956 - 1960 | Les Courtier |
1954 - 1956 | Daniel Anyiam |
1949 | John Finch |
[edit] Top 10 Goalscorers
List of Nigeria's top ten highest ever international goalscorers.
Goal scored | Player name |
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37 | Rashidi Yekini |
24 | Segun Odegbami |
17 | Sunday Oyarekhua |
16 | Yakubu |
16 | Samson Siasia |
15 | Thompson Usiyan |
14 | Jay-Jay Okocha |
14 | Julius Aghahowa |
13 | Nwankwo Kanu |
13 | Obafemi Martins |
[edit] Recent results
[edit] Friendly Matches:
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- Nigeria 2 - 2 Mexico, 14 October 2007
- Nigeria 0 - 1 Australia, 17 November 2007
- Nigeria 1 - 0 Switzerland, November 20, 2007
- Nigeria 2 - 0 Sudan, 9 January 2008
- Nigeria 1 - 1 Austria, 28 May 2008
[edit] External links
- KickOffNigeria.com - A Nigerian football magazine
- cybereagles.com - An online forum for discussing all things Nigerian football
- Complete Sports Online
- RSSSF archive of results 1955-
- Nigerian Football Statistics and Articles
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