Nigeria national football team

Nigeria
Nickname(s) Super Eagles
Association Nigeria Football Federation
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Gernot Rohr as Technical Adviser (Senior Coach)
Salisu Yusuf as Head Coach
Captain John Obi Mikel
Most caps Vincent Enyeama (101)
Joseph Yobo (101)
Top scorer Rashidi Yekini (37)
Home stadium Abuja National Stadium
FIFA code NGA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 39 Decrease 1 (6 July 2017)
Highest 5 (April 1994)
Lowest 82 (November 1999)
Elo ranking
Current 42 Increase 1 (1 June 2017)[1]
Highest 15 (31 May 2004)
Lowest 72 (27 December 1964)
First international
Sierra Leone 0–2 Nigeria 
(Freetown, Sierra Leone; 8 October 1949)[2]
Biggest win
 Nigeria 10–1 Dahomey 
(Lagos, Nigeria; 28 November 1959)
Biggest defeat
 Gold Coast and United KingdomTrans-Volta Togoland 7–0 Nigeria 
(Accra, Gold Coast; 1 June 1955)
World Cup
Appearances 5 (first in 1994)
Best result Round of 16, 1994, 1998 and 2014
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 17 (first in 1963)
Best result Champions, 1980, 1994 and 2013
African Nations Championship
Appearances 2 (first in 2014)
Best result Third place, 2014
Confederations Cup
Appearances 2 (first in 1995)
Best result Fourth Place, 1995

The Nigeria national football team represents Nigeria in international association football and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). They are three time African Champions, with their recent title in 2013, defeating Burkina Faso in the final. During April 1994, the Super Eagles ranked 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest FIFA ranking ever achieved by an African football team. They have qualified for five of the last six FIFA World Cups, missing only the 2006 FIFA World Cup hosted in Germany and reached the round of 16 three times. Their first World Cup appearance was the USA'94 World Cup hosted in the United States. Before the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, they were called the Green Eagles, but following their controversial loss in the final, the team's name was changed to the Super Eagles.

History

The Nigeria "UK Tourists" national team prior to their tour of the UK in 1949. The team were known among the West African nations at the time as the "Red Devils" due to their red shirts.

After playing other colonies in unofficial games since the 1930s,[3] Nigeria played its first official game in October 1949, while still a British colony. The team played warm-up games in England against various amateur teams including Bromley, Dulwich Hamlet, Bishop Auckland and South Liverpool. The team's first major success was a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games, with 3rd-place finishes in the 1976 and 1978 African Cup of Nations to follow. In 1980, with players such as Segun Odegbami and Best Ogedegbe, the team, led by Christian Chukwu, won the Cup for the first time in Lagos. Nigeria won the men's football event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, beating Mexico, Brazil and Argentina in the process. They were runners-up in the same event in Beijing, losing to Argentina in a rematch of the 1996 event.

In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria reached the Cup of Nations final, losing both times to Cameroon. Three of the five 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 the 1990 World Cup and then the controversial final of the 2000 African Cup of Nations where a kick taken by Victor Ikpeba during the penalty shoot-out was adjudged not to have crossed the goal-line by the referee.[4]

Team image and culture

Nickname

Nigeria's national team image has undergone much evolution throughout its history. Prior to independence, they were called the Red Devils due to their red topped kits.[5] The name was changed to the Green Eagles after independence in reference to their colors as well as the eagle which adorns the country's state flag. During the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, they were still called the Green Eagles, but following their controversial loss in the final, the team's name was changed to the "Super Eagles".[6][7] Today, only the senior men's national team uses the nickname. The women's national team is called the "Super Falcons", and Nigeria's underage male teams are nicknamed the "Flying Eagles" & the "Golden Eaglets".

Rivalries

Ghana vs. Nigeria in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Quarter-Final

Many important matches have been played against various nations who have been occasional rivals. Of these nations, Ghana is widely considered Nigeria's primary rival as the two sides have met one another more than any other opponent. The record is dominated by Ghana although Nigeria has enjoyed periods of success. The most notable of these periods are the early contests during the 1950s, and matches that took place in the early 2000s. FIFA lists the first official match between the two as a World Cup qualifier match in 1960. However both national teams had already engaged in competitive matches dating back to 1950.[8] The national teams of these two West African countries were formed during the time in which both remained protectorates of the British Empire. At that time the modern day nation of Ghana was known as the Gold Coast. Nigeria, prior to adopting the national colors of green and white, wore scarlet tops over white shorts and were known as the "Red Devils".[9] The two sides played for several rivalry and tournament cups during this period in which full international competition was barred to them.

Nigeria's neighbors to the east, Cameroon, have also played Nigeria a number of times over the years. The teams have met three times in the African Cup of Nations Final with Cameroon winning each time. Both carry histories of continental success and World Cup representation that is nearly unrivaled on the African continent.

There is also a number of competitive matches with Algeria dating back to the 1970s. The two sides met twice in the African Cup of Nations finals, with each nation splitting the win totals. It was a 1–1 draw in Algeria on October 8, 1993 that enabled Nigeria to claim its first World Cup berth in the 1994 edition of the tournament.

Nigeria's western neighbor, Benin, has played competitive matches with the team since the period of European colonization when they were known as Dahomey. But with only two wins and two draws to Benin's credit against Nigeria's fourteen wins, and with the sides having only met six times since 1980, Benin remains a lightly regarded opponent.

In four of five World Cup appearances, Nigeria has been drawn in the group stage with two-time champion Argentina and is regarded by many fans as having acquitted themselves well against the footballing giant. All four matches have been won by Argentina, but all ended in one goal margins and have been tightly contested. To date Nigeria has recorded only one victory to Argentina's five, with the sole victory occurring during a friendly match. Nigeria came closest to defeating Argentina in their first meeting, during which they held a lead for much of the match. This was followed by a Confederations Cup match which saw Nigeria hold the side to a 0–0 draw. The match-up holds some importance to many Nigerian football fans who regard the challenge as an important measuring stick for the development of Nigerian football. However it means less to Argentinean fans, having taken less interest with each passing cycle that Nigeria failed to engineer a meaningful victory.

Media coverage

The Nigerian football federation currently has an active deal with the parent company of AIT and Ray Power Radio.[10] Internationally, Nigeria's qualifiers and African Cup matches are regularly broadcast abroad by Hong Kong-based beIN Sports and South African broadcaster SuperSport.[11] Nigeria's international friendlies are regularly scheduled in the UK through independent organizers and are marketed to the country's large population of Nigerian expatriates.

Supporters

The Nigerian Football Supporters Club (NFSC) is the primary supporters club for the Nigerian football team.[12] Though the club is most notable at Nigeria's home matches wearing green-themed embroidered outfits specific to the club along with wigs, hats, large sunglasses while dancing, singing, playing drums and trumpets, as well as carrying pom poms, culturally significant objects, inflatable beachballs, and waving flags; they have also shown a presence traveling abroad to support Nigeria in away matches.[13][14] However, the club's efforts at improving the atmosphere at Nigeria's home and away matches are beset by funding issues, corruption and infighting.[15] The club's current head, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, has drawn criticism from its membership and is under pressure to defer the leadership to one of his deputies. [16]

A regular sight at Nigerian home matches is also their brass and percussion band, whose rendition of well-known Highlife songs provides Nigerian home matches with a unique feel. In Nigeria, these performers are occasionally conspicuous with their military uniforms or they may be members of the Football Supporters Club.[17] A popular chant among supporters from all over the country, after a goal scored, is "Oshe Baba!", which means "Thank you father!" in Yoruba.

Kit

The Nigeria national team has traditionally utilized a mostly-solid green on green primary set with white numbering, lettering, and highlights; coupled with all-white reversed secondary kits, all emblematic of the colors of the Nigerian flag. The shade of green has varied over the years. An olive drab-tinged, forest green was frequently favored during the 1980s to the early 1990s, and jade has appeared in each of those decades as well; even harlequin has been utilized. Over the last decade, the team has appeared to settle on the more standard office green which most closely resembles the shade used on the flag. Nigeria's first national teams used a solid scarlet top over white shorts and socks until the country adopted its current colors after its independence.[9]

On 23 April 2015, Nike was announced to be the current supplier of Nigeria's kits after Adidas ended their kit contract with the Nigeria Football Federation.[18][19] Before that, Nike supplied Nigeria's kit between 1998 and 2003.

Home stadium

The Abuja National Stadium (also known as National Stadium or Abuja Stadium) serves as the official home stadium of the Super Eagles. Several international matches are played in other stadiums across the country. However, since the construction of Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, most of the Super Eagles' important home matches have been played there.

Super Eagle match venues

StadiumCapacityCommissionedCityState/territoryTenant(s)Ref
Godswill Akpabio International Stadium30,000 2012UyoAkwa IbomAkwa United F.C.[20][21]
Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium38,000 2015Port HarcourtRiversRivers United F.C.[22]
Abuja National Stadium60,491 2000AbujaFCT
Lagos National Stadium45,000 1972SurulereLagos
U. J. Esuene Stadium16,000 1977 CalabarCross RiverCalabar Rovers
Teslim Balogun Stadium24,325 1984SurulereLagosFirst Bank F.C. and City of David FC
Obafemi Awolowo Stadium 25,000IbadanOyo
Sani Abacha Stadium25,000 1998 KanoKanoKano Pillars F.C.
Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium22,000 EnuguEnuguEnugu Rangers
Ahmadu Bello Stadium16,000 1965KadunaKaduna

FIFA World Cup

1994 World Cup

Clemens Westerhof managed the team from 1989 through the 1994 World Cup.

Nigeria finally reached the World Cup for the first time in 1994 after years of struggling to get there. They were managed by Clemens Westerhof. Nigeria topped their group which included Argentina, Bulgaria, and Greece. Nigeria defeated Bulgaria 3–0, lost to Argentina 1–2, and reached the second round after a 2–0 victory over Greece. In the second round Nigeria played Italy and took the lead with a goal from Emmanuel Amunike at 25 minutes. Nigeria were within two minutes of qualifying for the Quarter-finals of the 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. The game ended 2–1 in favour of the Italians.

1998 World Cup

In 1998 Nigeria returned to the World Cup alongside Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, and South Africa. Optimism was high due to its manager Bora Milutinović 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 a win against Bulgaria and a loss to Paraguay. The team's hopes of surpassing its 1994 performance was shattered after a 1–4 loss to Denmark.

2002 & 2006 World Cups

The 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, saw Nigeria again qualify with optimism. With a new squad and distinctive pastel green kits the Super Eagles were expected to build on its strong performances in the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations. Nigeria were drawn into group F with powerhouses Sweden, Argentina, and England. The first game against Argentina started with a strong defence that kept the first half scoreless. In the 61st minute Gabriel Batistuta breached the Nigerian defence 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. Nigeria then drew 0–0 with England and bowed out in the first round.

Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup after finishing level on points in the qualification group with Angola, but having an inferior record in the matches between the sides.[23]

2010 World Cup

On 14 November 2009, Nigeria qualified for the 2010 World Cup after defeating Kenya by 3–2 in Nairobi.[24]

Nigeria lost its opening match against Argentina 1–0 at Ellis Park Stadium following a Gabriel Heinze header in the 6th minute.[25] In its second game Nigeria led early on by a goal from Kalu Uche. A red card against Sani Kaita gave Greece the advantage. Greece scored the equaliser late in the first half and Nigeria conceded the second goal in the second half and lost the game 2–1. In their last group stage match against South Korea, Nigeria took an early lead in the 12th minute off of a great finish by Kalu Uche after a low cross from Chidi Odiah. However, goals from Lee Jung-Soo and Park Chu-Young gave South Korea a 2–1 lead, which looked to be enough for South Korea to advance into the round of 16. However, Nigeria got a chance in the 66th minute that the Super Eagles will probably never forget. On the end of a pass from Ayila Yussuf that was fed through the South Korean defense was none other than Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Once the pass found Yakubu's foot about four yards away from the empty goal, Yakubu pushed the ball wide of the left post to keep South Korea ahead 2–1. Three minutes later, Yakubu was able to calmly finish a penalty to knot the score at two apiece, but the damage was done as Nigeria was unable to score again and the match ended in a 2–2 draw. With this result, Nigeria was eliminated from the 2010 World Cup with just one point, while South Korea advanced into the round of 16 with four points. On 30 June 2010, following the team's early exit and poor showing, the then President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan suspended the national football team from international competition for two years.[26] This suspension put the team at risk of being banned from international football by FIFA for reasons of political interference.[27]

On 5 July 2010, the Nigerian government rescinded its ban of the national football team from FIFA/CAF football competitions,[28] but the sanction of suspension was applied by FIFA some three months after.[29] On 4 October 2010, Nigeria was indefinitely banned from international football due to government interference following the 2010 World Cup.[29] Four days later, however, the ban was "provisionally lifted" until 26 October, the day after the officially unrecognised National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) dropped its court case against the NFF.[30]

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil

Nigeria's campaign opened with a disappointing 0–0 draw with Iran. Four days later the team played their second game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. A 29th-minute Peter Odemwingie's controversy goal gave Nigeria their first World Cup win since 1998. They faced Argentina some days later : a 3rd minute Lionel Messi goal for the opposition was followed almost instantly with an equalizer by Ahmed Musa. Messi gave Argentina the lead back just before half-time. In the second half Musa leveled the game out again, Lionel Messi was substituted and handed over his captaincy to Marcos Rojo only for Marcos Rojo to put Argentina 3–2 ahead minutes later.

Nigeria lost the match, but still qualified for the round of 16. In the Round of 16 Nigeria faced France, an 18th-minute stabbed shot from Emmanuel Emenike saw the ball in the net, past the French goal-keeper but the goal was ruled off-side by the linesman. Nigeria held them off until the 79th minute when a cross and a Paul Pogba header gifted France the lead. An accidental own goal by Super Eagles Captain Joseph Yobo in injury time put the result beyond any doubt: Nigeria was out. This is the third time Nigeria is eliminated in the round of 16 and they were not still able to enter the Quarter-finals in the FIFA World Cup.

Road to Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup

On 24 June 2016, The Confederation of African Football released the draw for the 3rd round of the World Cup qualifiers which saw Nigeria grouped in what was described as a "group of death"; alongside Zambia, Algeria, and Cameroon. Nigeria started her group stage matches with a 2–1 win over Zambia in Ndola and went on to defeat Algeria 3–1 in the second group stage at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.[31][32][33]

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record
Year Host(s) Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
1930  Uruguay Did not enter
1934  Italy
1938  France
1950  Brazil
1954   Switzerland
1958  Sweden
1962  Chile Did not qualify
1966  England Withdrew[n 1][34]
1970  Mexico Did not qualify
1974  West Germany
1978  Argentina
1982  Spain
1986  Mexico
1990  Italy
1994  USA Round of 16 9th 4 2 0 2 7 4
1998  France 12th 4 2 0 2 6 9
2002  South Korea and  Japan Group Stage 27th 3 0 1 2 1 3
2006  Germany Did not qualify
2010  South Africa Group Stage 27th 3 0 1 2 3 5
2014  Brazil Round of 16 16th 4 1 1 2 3 5
2018  Russia To be decided
2022  Qatar To be decided
Total Round of 16 5/22 18 5 3 10 20 26
Notes
  1. ↑ All African nations withdrew due to a lack of qualifying berths.

Africa Cup of Nations record

1963 – 1978

Nigeria first appeared in the Africa Cup of Nation in 1963, They were drawn in a group with Sudan, and the then United Arab Republic, They did not advance to the next stage. The team withdrew from two African Cup of Nations between 1963 and 1974, due to political instability. In 1976, they came back to the Cup of Nations with third-place finishes in both the 1976 and 1978 Africa cup of Nations

1980 – 1990

Nigeria hosted the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations and also won their first Africa Cup of Nations Title that year in Lagos. Nigeria came out as runners up three times and had one group stage elimination, between 1982 and 1990. They also failed to qualify for the 1986 African cup of Nations hosted by Egypt.

1992 – 2006

Nigeria appeared again in the African cup of Nations in 1992 and 1994, they finished third in 1992 and won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, which was the second time they won the tournament. In 1996 the team withdrew from the tournament due to the political tensions in the country as at that time, they were also banned from entering the 1998 African Cup of Nations. In 2000 they returned to the Cup of Nations and took the runners up. they later finished third place In the 2002, 2004 and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations respectively.

2008 – 2015

In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria ended their campaign in the quarter finals after losing to Ghana. They qualified for 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Angola, but were eliminated by Egypt in the semi-finals. They failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after ending on a 2–2 draw against Guinea with goals from Ikechukwu Uche and Victor Obinna. Nigeria came back with full force in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations hosted in South Africa; after playing through the tournament with an unbeaten run, they confronted Burkina Faso in the finals to lift the Cup for the third time. However, they did not qualify for either of the next two tournaments.[35]

2019 Nations Cup

On 13 January 2017, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the draw for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. The Super Eagles were grouped in group E alongside The Bafana Bafana of South Africa, Seychelles, and Libya. despite failing to qualify for both the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations they still are seen as the favourite team to qualify from the group.

Host nation(s) / Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Sudan 1957Did Not Enter
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962Withdrew
Ghana 1963Group Stage6th2002310
Tunisia 1965Withdrew
Ethiopia 1968Did Not Qualify
Sudan 1970Withdrew
Cameroon 1972Did Not Qualify
Egypt 1974
Ethiopia 1976Third Place3rd63121110
Ghana 1978Third Place3rd522185
Nigeria 1980Champions1st541081
Libya 1982Group Stage6th310245
Ivory Coast 1984Runners-up2nd513178
Egypt 1986Did Not Qualify
Morocco 1988Runners-up2nd513153
Algeria 1990Runners-up2nd530238
Senegal 1992Third Place3rd540185
Tunisia 1994Champions1st532093
South Africa 1996Withdrew
Burkina Faso 1998Banned
GhanaNigeria 2000Runners-up2nd6420125
Mali 2002Third Place3rd632142
Tunisia 2004Third Place3rd6411115
Egypt 2006Third Place3rd641173
Ghana 2008Quarter-Finals7th411233
Angola 2010Third Place3rd631264
GabonEquatorial Guinea 2012Did Not Qualify
South Africa 2013Champions1st6420114
Equatorial Guinea 2015Did Not Qualify
Gabon 2017
Cameroon 2019To be determined
Ivory Coast 2021To be determined
Guinea 2023To be determined
Total3 Titles17/298645221912084
*Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

African Nations Championship record

Nigeria have qualified for two of the last three African Nations Championship. Their first appearance in the tournament was in 2014 when they Lost to Ghana in the semi finals and later beat Zimbabwe 0–1 to take third place in the Tournament. Nigeria qualified for the 2016 African Nations Championship but were eliminated in the group stage.

Year Round Position GP W D L GF GA
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast 2009 Did not qualify
Sudan Sudan 2011
South Africa South Africa 2014Third place3rd6321128
Rwanda Rwanda 2016Group stage10th311153
Kenya 2018 To be determined
Ethiopia Ethiopia 2020
Total 2/3 11th 9 4 3 217 11

FIFA Confederations Cup

Nigeria have been in the FIFA Confederations Cup twice, first in 1995 some months after they won the Cup of Nations which was their second African Cup of Nations Title. Nigeria returned to the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013, where they lost to both Spain and Uruguay in the last two group stage matches after beating Tahiti 6–1 in their first match. They lost out chances of qualification to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup after failing to qualify for the 2017 Cup of Nations.

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did Not Qualify
Saudi Arabia 1995 Fourth Place 4th 3 1 2 0 4 1 Squad
Saudi Arabia 1997 Did Not Qualify
Mexico 1999
South Korea Japan 2001
France 2003
Germany 2005
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013 Group Stage 5th 3 1 0 2 7 6 Squad
Russia 2017 Did Not Qualify
2021 To be determined
Total Fourth Place 2/11 6 2 2 2 11 7 -

Team honours and achievements

Winners (3): 1980, 1994, 2013
Runners-up (4): 1984, 1988, 1990, 2000

Intercontinental

Continental

Sub-Continental

Other

  • WAFU Unity Cup
    • Runners-up: 2005 [37]
  • Jalco Cup / Azikiwe Cup[38][39]
    • Winners: 1951, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958
    • Runners-up: 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967
  • LG Cup1[40]
    • Winners: 2003
    • Runners-up: 1997, 2004
    • Fourth-place: 2004
  • Dakar Tournament[41]
    • Runners-up: 1975
  • Addis Abeba Anniversary Tournament[42]
    • Runners-up: 1983

Recent results

  Win   Draw   Loss

2016

2017

* African Nations Championship tournament matches take place outside of the official FIFA international competition dates and are contested between domestic-based players for each nation. National team players based abroad are not released for this competition. Matches played during this competition count towards FIFA ranking but are officially calculated as "friendly" matches. [46]

2018

Coaching staff

Position Name
Technical Adviser (Senior Coach) Germany Gernot Rohr
Head Coach Nigeria Salisu Yusuf
Assistant Coach Nigeria Imama Amapakabo
Goalkeeper Trainer Nigeria Alloysius Agu

Current squad

The following players were named to the squad for the June 2017 2019 Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa. [49]
Caps and goals current as of 10 June 2017. All caps/goals against FIFA members only.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
16 1GK Ikechukwu Ezenwa (1988-10-16) 16 October 1988 8 0 Nigeria Ifeanyi Ubah
1 1GK Daniel Akpeyi (1986-08-03) 3 August 1986 6 0 South Africa Chippa United
1GK Dele Alampasu (1996-12-24) 24 December 1996 1 0 Portugal Cesarense
3 2DF Elderson Echiéjilé (1988-01-20) 20 January 1988 57 3 Spain Sporting Gijón
4 2DF Kenneth Omeruo (1993-10-17) 17 October 1993 35 0 England Chelsea F.C.
12 2DF Shehu Abdullahi (1993-03-12) 12 March 1993 16 0 Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta
5 2DF William Troost-Ekong (1993-09-01) 1 September 1993 12 0 Belgium Gent
13 2DF Tyronne Ebuehi (1995-12-16) 16 December 1995 1 0 Netherlands ADO Den Haag
2 2DF Chidozie Awaziem (1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 2 0 Portugal Porto
2DF Maarouf Youssef (1992-02-20) 20 February 1992 0 0 Egypt Zamalek
17 3MF Ogenyi Onazi (1992-12-25) 25 December 1992 45 1 Turkey Trabzonspor
3MF John Ogu (1988-04-20) 20 April 1988 14 1 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva
10 3MF Etebo Oghenekaro (1995-11-09) 9 November 1995 10 1 Portugal Feirense
6 3MF Wilfred Ndidi (1996-12-16) 16 December 1996 9 0 England Leicester City
8 3MF Mikel Agu (1993-05-27) 27 May 1993 1 0 Portugal Vitória Setúbal
3MF Ibrahim Alhassan (1996-11-03) 3 November 1996 1 0 Nigeria Akwa United
7 4FW Ahmed Musa (1992-10-14) 14 October 1992 64 13 England Leicester City
15 4FW Moses Simon (1995-07-12) 12 July 1995 16 3 Belgium Gent
18 4FW Alex Iwobi (1996-05-03) 3 May 1996 11 1 England Arsenal
14 4FW Kelechi Iheanacho (1996-10-03) 3 October 1996 10 6 England Leicester City
11 4FW Olarenwaju Kayode (1993-05-08) 8 May 1993 3 0 Austria FK Austria Wien
9 4FW Victor Osimhen (1998-12-29) 29 December 1998 2 0 Germany Wolfsburg
4FW Henry Onyekuru (1997-06-05) 5 June 1997 1 0 Belgium Anderlecht

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Nigeria squad within the last 12 months.

[50][51][52] [53]

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Carl IkemeINJ (1986-06-08) 8 June 1986 9 0 England Wolverhampton Wanderers v.  Senegal, 22 March 2017
GK Emmanuel Daniel (1993-12-17) 17 December 1993 0 0 Nigeria Enugu Rangers v.  Zambia, 9 October 2016
DF Leon Balogun (1989-06-28) 28 June 1989 10 0 Germany Mainz 05 v.  Togo, 1 June 2017
DF Uche Henry Agbo (1995-12-04) 4 December 1995 1 0 Spain Granada v.  Togo, 1 June 2017
DF Ola Aina (1996-10-08) 8 October 1996 0 0 England Hull City v.  Togo, 1 June 2017
DF Musa Muhammed (1996-10-31) 31 October 1996 3 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar v.  Senegal, 22 March 2017
DF Kingsley Madu (1995-12-12) 12 December 1995 2 0 Belgium Zulte Waregem v.  Senegal, 22 March 2017
DF Jamiu Alimi (1992-10-05) 5 October 1992 3 0 Nigeria Kano Pillars v.  Zambia, 9 October 2016
MF John Obi Mikel (Captain) (1987-04-22) 22 April 1987 78 5 China Tianjin Teda v.  Algeria, 12 November 2016
MF Nosa Igiebor (1990-11-09) 9 November 1990 15 2 Turkey Çaykur Rizespor v.  Algeria, 12 November 2016
MF Anderson Esiti (1994-05-24) 24 May 1994 2 0 Belgium Gent v.  Zambia, 9 October 2016
FW Isaac Success (1996-01-07) 7 January 1996 1 0 England Watford v.  Togo, 1 June 2017
FW Noah Bazee (1996-08-21) 21 August 1996 0 0 Germany Hannover 96 v.  Togo, 1 June 2017
FW Stephen Odey (1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 1 0 Nigeria MFM F.C. v.  Togo, 1 June 2017
FW Sikiru Olatunbosun 1 0 Nigeria MFM F.C. v.  Togo, 1 June 2017
FW Victor Moses (1990-12-12) 12 December 1990 27 9 England Chelsea v.  Senegal, 22 March 2017
FW Brown Ideye (1988-10-10) 10 October 1988 28 6 China Tianjin Teda v.  Algeria, 12 November 2016
FW Odion Ighalo (1989-06-16) 16 June 1989 12 3 China Changchun Yatai v.  Algeria, 12 November 2016
FW Imoh Ezekiel (1993-10-24) 24 October 1993 1 0 Qatar Al-Arabi v.  Tanzania, 3 September 2016

All-time player records

As of 1 June 2017

Most caps[54]
# Player Caps Goals Career
1 Vincent Enyeama 101 0 2002–2015
Joseph Yobo 101 7 2001–2014
3 Nwankwo Kanu 86 13 1994–2011
4 Mudashiru Lawal 82 11 1975–1985
5 John Obi Mikel 78 5 2006–
6 Jay-Jay Okocha 73 14 1993–2006
7 Peter Odemwingie 63 10 2002–
Ahmed Musa 63 13 2010–
9 Finidi George 62 6 1991–2002
10 Stephen Keshi 60 9 1981–1994
Top scorers[54]
# Player Goals Caps Goals ratio Career
1 Rashidi Yekini 37 58 0.64 1983–1998
2 Segun Odegbami 22 47 0.47 1976–1981
3 Yakubu Aiyegbeni 21 58 0.36 2000–2012
4 Ikechukwu Uche 19 46 0.42 2007–2014
5 Obafemi Martins 18 40 0.45 2004–
6 Julius Aghahowa 14 31 0.45 2000–2007
Asuquo Ekpe 14 unk unk 1960–1965
Jay-Jay Okocha 14 73 0.19 1993–2006
Thompson Usiyan 14 unk unk 1976–1981
10 Daniel Amokachi 13 46 0.28 1990–1999
Nwankwo Kanu 13 86 0.15 1994–2011
Sunday Oyarekhua 13 30 0.42 1971–1976
Samson Siasia 13 46 0.28 1984–1998
Victor Obinna 13 48 0.27 2006–2014
Ahmed Musa 13 63 0.21 2010–

Managers

Source[55] [56]

References

  1. ↑ "World Football Elo Ratings". 12 November 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  2. ↑ Courtney, Barrie. "Sierra Leone – List of International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  3. ↑ Nigeria's First Football Captain
  4. ↑ "Cameroon are Kings of Africa". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "Super Eagles". naij.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "I don’t Relax with ‘Odeku’ Or ‘Nkwobi’-Nwosu". independent.ng. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "How Green Eagles changed to Super Eagles – Aloy Agu". vanguardngr.com. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "Nigeria vs Ghana: Head to Head". 29 January 2014. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  9. 1 2 "Nigeria, Ghana and the genesis of a rivalry". 22 November 2012. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  10. ↑ "Nigeria: N250m Broadcast Right, Historic – Odili". All Africa. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  11. ↑ "OVERVIEW OF PROPERTIES". beIN Sports. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "THE NIGERIAN FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS CLUB AND TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES". footballsupportersclubofnigeria.blogspot.com. 4 May 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "Supporters club set to storm Rio". Vanguard (Nigeria). 9 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "Nigeria Football Supporters Club: Supporters club contributed to Nigeria’s bronze medal victory in Rio – Ladipo". thenewsnigeria.com. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  15. ↑ "Crisis rocks Nigeria Football Supporters Club". Vanguard (Nigeria). 18 July 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  16. ↑ "Nigerian Football Supporters Club asks Rafiu Ladipo to go". thenewsnigeria.com. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  17. ↑ "Band helps boost enthusiasm for Nigeria’s soccer team at Women’s World Cup". winnipeg.ctvnews.ca. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "NIKE PARTNERS WITH THE NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION". Nike. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "Nigeria Ends Kit Renewal Deal with Adidas". This Day. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "2 feared dead, 20 injured in stampede at Akwa Ibom new stadium". premiumtimesng.com. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  21. ↑ "Akwa Ibom Stadium will host world class matches – Pinnick". thenationonlineng.net. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  22. ↑ "PHOTONEWS: Abuja National Stadium From Green Grass To Forest And Now Desert". saharareporters.com. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "Nigeria". gamji.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "Kenya 2–3 Nigeria". ESPN. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  25. ↑ "Argentina 1–0 Nigeria". BBC. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  26. ↑ "Nigeria president suspends team". BBC Sport. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  27. ↑ Adigun, Bashir; Gambrell, Jon (30 June 2010). "Nigeria's president suspends soccer team". USA Today. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  28. ↑ "Nigerian government rescinds ban". ESPN Soccernet. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-00. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  29. 1 2 "Fifa issues world ban to Nigeria". BBC News. 4 October 2010.
  30. ↑ "Fifa lifts Nigeria's suspension". BBC Sport. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  31. ↑ "How Nigeria vs Algeria sparked MMM trend – Vanguard News". vanguardngr.com. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  32. ↑ FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Matches - Nigeria-Algeria - FIFA.com". fifa.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  33. ↑ Babarinsa, Olusola (12 November 2016). "[Updated] Moses, Mikel lead Nigeria past Algeria – Punch Newspapers". punchng.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  34. ↑ "VIII WORLD CUP (ENGLAND 1966) QUALIFYING STAGE". Lingua Sport. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  35. ↑ "Afcon 2017: Nigeria fail to qualify after defeat by Egypt". BBC Sport. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  36. ↑ West African Soccer Federation Championship (1959–67) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  37. ↑ WAFU Unity Cup (2005) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  38. ↑ Jalco Cup (1951–1959) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  39. ↑ Azikiwe Cup (1961–1967) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  40. ↑ LG Cup Four Nations Tournament (1997–2006) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  41. ↑ Dakar Friendly Tournament (1975) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  42. ↑ Addis Abeba 25th Anniversary Tournament (1983) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  43. ↑ Ethiopia International Tournament (1992) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  44. ↑ King Hassan II Tournament (1996–2008) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  45. ↑ Nelson Mandella Inauguration Challenge Cup (1994–2013) rsssf.com. Retrieved 21-12-2013.
  46. ↑ "The Danger of the African Nations Championship". weglobalfootball.com. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  47. ↑ "AFCON Qualifiers Threaten Nigeria, Senegal Friendly – The Tide". Nigeria Today. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  48. ↑ "Nigeria to play Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire in August 2017". Pulse.ng. 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  49. ↑ "Chelsea’s Moses dropped from Nigeria squad for South Africa Afcon qualifier - Goal.com". 31 May 2017.
  50. ↑ "Chelsea's Ola Aina gets Nigeria call".
  51. ↑ "NFF confirm Corsica and Togo friendlies for Super Eagles - Goal.com". 18 May 2017.
  52. ↑ "Nigeria recall Olympic star Oghenekaro Etebo to squad". 30 October 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016 – via www.bbc.com.
  53. ↑ "Oliseh calls 23 home -boys for Tanzania". Nigeria Football Federation's (thenff) Official Website. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  54. 1 2 Roberto Mamrud. "Nigeria – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  55. ↑ National Team Coaches/
  56. ↑ /
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