Nigeria has a rich footballing history, with a long list of talented players who have represented the country at the highest level. From the golden generation of the 1990s to the current crop of stars, Nigerian footballers have significantly impacted the global stage. In this blog post, we’ll look at 10 of the greatest Nigerian footballers ever and it would be great if you consider the role of sports betting odds in football matches to improve your chances of winning as the international break gets underway.
Nwankwo Kanu
Kanu is arguably Nigeria’s most iconic footballer, with a career that spanned over 15 years. He won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax in 1995 and went on to play for Inter Milan, Arsenal, and Portsmouth, among others.
In his time at Arsenal, he was a key player to the team, with one of his most memorable moments being a 15-minutes hat trick at an away visit to Chelsea, helping arsenal secure a 3-2 win.
Kanu scored 13 goals in 86 appearances for the Super Eagles and was a vital team member that won the 1996 Olympics gold medal. Kanu eventually won the African footballer of the year twice, in 1996 and 1999.
Jay-Jay Okocha
There has never been an African soccer player with better dribbling prowess in history. Okocha demonstrated a natural talent for drawing a defender in before outwitting them with a drop of the shoulder or a trick throughout his career.
He played for several top European clubs, including PSG, Bolton Wanderers, and Fenerbahce. Okocha scored 14 goals in 75 appearances for Nigeria and was a vital part of the team that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 2004 Pele list of the top 125 living footballers included the 2005 African Footballer of the Year.
Rashidi Yekini
Yekini will always be remembered as a national hero in Nigeria, largely because he gave his country its first-ever World Cup goal in a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria in USA ’94.
He is regarded as one of Nigeria’s greatest strikers of all time. He scored 37 goals in 58 appearances for the Super Eagles. In 1993, he became the first Nigerian player to win the African Player of the Year award.
Yekini went on to have successful spells with clubs in Portugal, Spain, and Greece before retiring in 2005.
Finidi George
George was a versatile winger who played for Ajax, Real Betis, and Ipswich Town.
His goals helped the Amsterdammers win three Eredivisie championships and one Champions League after he joined Ajax in 1993.
His time competing internationally was also fruitful. He scored once and assisted three goals in his debut, a 7-1 victory over Burkina Faso. He also scored against Greece in the 1994 World Cup.
Segun Odegbami
Patrick Ouksegun Odegbami was a prolific striker who played for Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s.
Odegbami had a short but highly successful international career.
He and Khalid Labied of Morocco shared the top goal-scoring honors in 1980 as Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.
Odegbami played his entire club career for Shooting Stars, a team in his native Nigeria.
Sunday Oliseh
Oliseh was a tough-tackling midfielder who played for Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, and Juventus, among others.
He’s well remembered for the man-marking job that he carried out on Diego Maradona in the 94′. At Atlanta ’96, he played a crucial role in Nigeria’s elimination of Brazil in the semifinals and victory over Argentina in the final.
Joseph Yobo
Yobo was one the greatest solid center-back in the continent. He led Nigeria to victory in 2013 in South Africa while representing his nation at three World Cups and six African Cup of Nations.
Yobo had a very successful club career as well. He spent ten years at Goodison Park as a regular player and was one of only 7 players to play every minute of the Premier League season in 2006–2007.
Taribo West
A midfielder once compared to the legend Lionel Messi, John Obi is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s greatest. By the time he finished his stint at Chelsea, he had won every title possible — UEFA Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, and Premier League.
The midfielder also led Nigeria to a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and won a commanding silver in 2008. Before retiring after the 2019 AFCON, he played 89 times for the Super Eagles.
Vincent Enyeama
His international career officially began at the 2002 World Cup, where he kept a clean sheet against an England team that fielded legendary attackers of the time — David Beckham, Emile Heskey, and Michael Owen.
In 2010, his brilliance blipped into existence once again after denying Lionel Messi multiple times despite Nigeria losing 1-0.
He played for several European clubs, including Hapoel Tel Aviv and Lille, winning many accolades, including the Ligue 1’s African Footballer of the Year award. He was the first goalkeeper ever to win the award.st
He is a defender and a fashionista. Critically acclaimed for his ‘unique hairstyles,’ West competed for Nigeria in the Atalanta team that won the gold medal in 1996.
At the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, he also made a significant appearance. Because of his significant influence on Nigerian football, he has a club — Taribo West FC, named after him.
John Obi Mikel
Obi is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at the age of 17 in 2004. In 2006, he made a controversial transfer to English club Chelsea after Manchester United claimed they had already signed him. He stayed with Chelsea for 11 years, before moving to China with Tianjin TEDA in 2017.
After two years in China, he returned to England on a short-term deal with Middlesbrough, before joining Trabzonspor on a free transfer in July 2019. Mikel moved back to England in August 2020 joining Stoke City. In a 14-year international career between 2005 and 2019, he played 91 times for Nigeria, scoring six goals.
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