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EspañolNIGERIA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
The 'Nigeria national football team', nicknamed the ''Super eagles'', is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Association. The highest position ever reached on the ranking was 5th in April 1994. According to FIFA's rankings, Nigeria, at 25th, are currently the 2nd best team on the African continent.
History
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.
The 1970s also witnessed tremendous achievements. Nigeria's senior football team won a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games. The country's record of football achievement continued in the 1980s with series of successes. The bronze medals won in 1976 and 1978 in the African Cup of Nations were improved upon in 1980 where the team had such players as Leyton Orient's John Cheidozie and the brilliant Tunji Banjo. The Christian Chukwu led Super Eagles won the Cup for the first time in Lagos. In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria again got to the finals of that championship but lost to Cameroon on both occasions to win the silver medals. 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'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. 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", Nigeria's victory over USSR at the quarter final stage; after trailing four goals behind and with only twenty five minutes left, stunned the world during the championship.
Nigeria Football Achievements
★
★
'Olympic Gold Medal Atlanta '96'
★
★
Nigeria, coached by Dutchman Johannes Bonfrere, started their path to the final with a 1-0 victory over Hungary and a 2-0 win over Japan before completing the first round with a 1-0 loss to Brazil. The Africans then shut down Mexico and goalkeeper Jorge Campos, 2-0, in the quarter-finals to set up a pair of amazing matches.
Losing in the semi-finals to a favoured Brazilian side that boasted Bebeto, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, 3-1, Nigeria finally woke up in the 78th minute as Victor Ikpeba scored from 20 meters. As time was running out, captain Nwankwo Kanu took center stage, scoring in a scramble in front of the goal in the final minute to equalize. With extra-time barely three minutes out, Kanu fired home the game-winner from 16 meters to complete one of the great comebacks of international football history and in what many observers felt was the greatest Olympic match ever played.
As if trying to top themselves, the Nigerians then staged another miraculous comeback against Argentina in the gold-medal match in front of 86,117 spectators in the Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.
The Argentines held a 2-1 advantage on goals by Claudio Lopez (third minute) and Hernan Crespo (tournament-best sixth goal on a penalty kick in the 50th minute) before the Nigerians equalized on Daniel Amokachi's shot in the 74th minute. With a minute remaining, Emmanuel Amunike pulled off some 11th-hour heroics as he took advantage of a botched offside trap and beat goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero from point-blank range for the winning goal in a 3-2 triumph. "I guarantee you that as I talk to you now, everyone in Africa is celebrating," forward Sunday Oliseh said. "There is no sleeping tonight. Everyone will be happy. This is for all the African countries."
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''
African Cup of Nations record
★ 1957 - ''Did not enter'' ★ 1959 - ''Did not enter'' ★ 1962 - ''Withdrew'' ★ 1963 - Round 1 ★ 1965 - ''Did not enter'' ★ 1968 - ''Did not qualify'' ★ 1970 - ''Withdrew'' ★ 1972 - ''Did not qualify'' ★ 1974 - ''Did not qualify'' ★ 1976 - Third place ★ 1978 - Third place ★ 1980 - 'Champions' ★ 1982 - Round 1 | ★ 1984 - Second place ★ 1986 - ''Did not qualify'' ★ 1988 - Second place ★ 1990 - Second place ★ 1992 - Third place ★ 1994 - 'Champions' ★ 1996 - ''Withdrew from tournament'' ★ 1998 - ''Disqualified for failure to participate in 1996'' ★ 2000 - Second place ★ 2002 - Third place ★ 2004 - Third place ★ 2006 - Third place |
Current squad
'Latest squad call-ups for game against Lesotho on September 8, 2007'
Goalkeepers
| Name | Position | Date of Birth | Place of Birth | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dele Aiyenugba | Goalkeeper | November 20, 1983 | Jos | Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. |
| Austin Ejide | Goalkeeper | April 8, 1984 | Onitsha | Bastia |
Defenders
| Name | Position | Date of Birth | Place of Birth | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mutiu Adegoke | Defender | February 10, 1984 | Unknown | ASEC Mimosas |
| Rabiu Afolabi | Defender | April 18, 1980 | Osogbo | Sochaux |
| Onyekachi Apam | Defender | December 30, 1985 | Aba, Nigeria | OGC Nice |
| Obinna Nwaneri | Defender | March 19, 1982 | Lagos | Sion |
| Danny Shittu | Defender | September 2, 1980 | Lagos | Watford FC |
| Taye Taiwo | Defender | April 16, 1985 | Lagos | Marseille |
| Joseph Yobo '(vc)' | Defender | September 6, 1980 | Kano | Everton |
Midfielders
| Name | Position | Date of Birth | Place of Birth | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Eromoigbe | Midfielder | June 26, 1984 | Lagos | Levski Sofia |
| Dickson Etuhu | Midfielder | June 8, 1982 | Kano | Olympiacos |
| John Obi Mikel | Midfielder | April 22, 1987 | Kaduna | Chelsea |
| Onyekachi Okonkwo | Midfielder | May 13, 1982 | Aba, Nigeria | FC Zurich |
| Seyi Olofinjana | Midfielder | June 30, 1980 | Lagos | Dynamo Kyiv |
Strikers
Famous players
★ Christian Chukwu
★ Segun Odegbami
★ Julius Aghahowa
★ Mudashiru Lawal
★ Stephen Keshi
★ Samuel Okwaraji
★ Rashidi Yekini
★ Samson Siasia
★ Daniel Amokachi
★ Sunday Oliseh
★ Nwankwo Kanu
★ Victor Ikpeba
★ John Obi Mikel
★ Jay-Jay Okocha
★ Uche Okechukwu
★ Taribo West
★ Celestine Babayaro
★ Joseph Yobo
★ Aiyegbeni Yakubu
★ Obafemi Martins
★ Finidi George
★ Emmanuel Amunike
★ Peter Rufai
★ Mutiu Adepoju
★ Tijjani Babangida
Manager history
Team managers of Nigeria and the dates they took over.
| Date appointed | Manager name |
|---|---|
| 2007 - present | Berti Vogts |
| 2005 - 2007 | Augustine Eguavoen |
| 2002 - 2005 | Christian Chukwu |
| 2002 | Adegboyega Onigbinde |
| 2000 - 2002 | Shaibu Amodu |
| 1999 - 2000 | 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 | Jelisavcic 'Tiki' Tohomir |
| 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 |
Top 10 Goalscorers
List of Nigeria's top ten highest ever international goalscorers.
| Goal scored | Player name |
|---|---|
| 37 | Rashidi Yekini |
| 24 | Segun Odegbami |
| 17 | Sunday Oyarekhua |
| 16 | Samson Siasia |
| 15 | Thompson Usiyan |
| 14 | Jay-Jay Okocha |
| 14 | Julius Aghahowa |
| 14 | Yakubu Aiyegbeni |
| 13 | Nwankwo Kanu |
| 13 | Daniel Amokachi |
Forthcoming fixtures
★ 2008 African Cup of Nations Qualifying Group 3:
★
★ 2 v 0 , 2 September 2006
★
★ 0 v 1 , 8 October 2006
★
★ 1 v 0 , 24 March 2007
★
★ 2 v 1 , 2 June 2007
★
★ 1 v 3 , 16 June 2007
★
★ 2 v 0 , 8 September 2007
Group 3
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| '15' | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | |
| '10' | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | +4 | |
| '4' | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -6 | |
| '4' | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | -6 |
External links
★ Nigeria FA official site (''this site is currently out of order'')
★ Nigerian Players Database
★ KickOffNigeria.com - A Nigerian football magazine
★ Nigerian Sports Online
★ RSSSF archive of results 1955-
★ Nigerian Football Statistics and Articles
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