Taribo West

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taribo West
Personal information
Full nameTaribo West
Date of birth (1974-03-26) 26 March 1974[1]
Place of birthPort Harcourt, Nigeria
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing positionDefender
Youth career
1991Port Harcourt Sharks
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1992–1993Julius Berger-(-)
1993–1997Auxerre73(1)
1997–1999Internazionale44(1)
1999–2000Milan4(1)
2000–2001Derby County18(0)
2001–2002Kaiserslautern10(0)
2002–2004Partizan16(1)
2004–2005Al-Arabi Doha-(-)
2005–2006Plymouth Argyle4(0)
2006–2007Julius Berger-(-)
2007–2008Paykan0(0)
National team
1994–2002Nigeria41(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Taribo West (born 26 March 1974[1]) is a Nigerian retired professional footballer who played as a defender. West represented the Nigerian national team in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He is also known for the various unusual and colourful hairstyles that he has sported over the years.

Club career

West moved to France in January 1993, spending four and half years at Auxerre. He was part of a successful team that won the league championship and two French Cups. He then moved on to Internazionale, where he played a vital role in capturing the UEFA Cup in 1998.

West found himself at the centre of heated transfer speculation at the end of the 1998–99 season following clashes with former Internazionale coach Mircea Lucescu. Once Marcello Lippi took over the club, it became apparent that West had to leave. After many months of talks with various clubs, including Newcastle United, Liverpool, Ajax and Juventus, West joined Inter's cross-town rivals A.C. Milan, making just 4 appearances in his sole season there. He helped them to secure a berth in the following season's UEFA Champions League.

Subsequently, West spent brief spells with Derby County where he was a hugely influential performer for The Rams.[2] He also played in Germany forKaiserslautern.

West was again playing the spotlight of Europe when he was acquired by Partizan from Serbia. With Partizan, West played a crucial role in defence under then manager Lothar Matthäus and helped Partizan get to the Champions League group stage, where they were drawn in a group with Real Madrid, Porto and Marseille. After that, in early August 2004, he signed a one-year contract with Al-Arabi Sports Club.

On 5 July 2005, West was signed by Football League Championship side Plymouth Argyle, but only made four appearances.

In August 2005, Derby County fans sent shirts to West's hometown in Nigeria in a campaign backed by BBC Radio Derby.[3]

On 18 August 2007, West signed a one-year contract with Iranian club Paykan,[4] but failed to make a start with the club, having his contract terminated by mutual consent only three months later.

In February 2008, West reportedly claimed to be joining Spanish Segunda División club Xerez,[5] but the club's president denied any knowledge of his arrival.[6]

In April 2013, Zarko Zecevic, former president of Partizan Belgrade, claimed that when West joined the club, he said he was 28 years old, but was in fact 12 years older. West denied the accusation.[7][8]

International career

He has been capped 41 times by the Nigerian national team and played in the 1998 (all matches and minutes) and 2002 FIFA World Cup (two appearances).

He was also a member of the Nigerian team that won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
France League Coupe de France Europe Total
1993–94AuxerreDivision 110000010
1994–952302050300
1995–962203041291
1996–972713070371
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
1997–98InternazionaleSerie A2314081352
1998–992106030300
1999–2000MilanSerie A41000041
England League FA Cup Europe Total
2000–01Derby CountyPremier League1801000190
Germany League DFB-Pokal Europe Total
2001–02KaiserslauternBundesliga1002000120
Serbia and Montenegro League Cup Continental Total
2002–03PartizanFirst League1110000111
2003–04500070120
Qatar League Emir of Qatar Cup Asia Total
2004–05Al-ArabiQatari League
England League FA Cup Europe Total
2005–06Plymouth ArgyleChampionship40000040
Nigeria League Nigerian FA Cup Africa Total
2006–07Julius BergerPremier League
Iran League Hazfi Cup Asia Total
2007–08PaykanIranian League00000000
Total France 73180161972
Italy 482100111693
England 2201000230
Germany 1002000120
Serbia and Montenegro 1610070231
Qatar
Nigeria
Iran 00000000
Career total 16942103422246

Honours

Club

International

Other

There is an amateur football club in Nigeria called 'Taribo West FC', presumably named in honour of West himself.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "FIFA Player Statistics: Taribo West". FIFA. Retrieved 4 April 2013. 
  2. ↑ Webster, Rupert. "RAMS RIGHT TO GO WEST". Sky Sports. 
  3. ↑ "Rams fans send shirts to Nigeria". BBC News. 26 August 2005. Retrieved 11 May 2006. 
  4. ↑ "Taribo West moves to Iran". BBC Sport. 24 August 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2007. 
  5. ↑ Okeleji, Oluwashina (26 February 2008). "Fresh chance for Nigeria stars". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 April 2013. 
  6. ↑ Minshull, Phil (29 February 2008). "Xerez deny West signing claim". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 April 2013. 
  7. ↑ Drayton, John (4 April 2013). "Taribo West 'was 40 when he said he was 28', claims former Partizan Belgrade chief". Mail Online. Retrieved 4 April 2013. 
  8. ↑ Ogunsola, Dipo (4 April 2013). "Taribo West is 51 not 39 – Club President". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 4 April 2013. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.