Back in the 1970s, up to the mid-80s, massive crowds of
spectators were normal occurrences whenever clubs like Enugu Rangers, Sharks of
Port Harcourt, Spartans (later Iwuanyawu Nationale) of Owerri, Mighty Jets of
Jos, Shooting Stars of Ibadan, New Nigerian Bank of Benin, Flash Flamingoes,
Stationery Stores of Lagos, Leventis United of Ibadan and Abiola Babes lined up
to play. Back then, the clubs had glorious nicknames; Stores were and are still
known as the ‘Flaming Flamingoes’, Enugu Rangers were called the ‘Coal City
Boys’ or “Flying Antelopes” while Leventis United were called the ‘Coca-Cola
Boys’ because of the company that sponsored the club at the zenith of its glory.
Back then, the clubs paraded stars that shone brilliantly
well and some of their nicknames were household names in those days. This piece
reveals the stories behind the nicknames of some of Nigeria’s most popular
soccer stars from the 1950s to the present day.
Not many of those in their 70s now can claim to have watched
Teslim Atanda Balogun play. Stories
of his legendary shot which earned him the sobriquet “Thunder” have however
been passed from generation to generation. Balogun played in seven Challenge
Cup finals and won five times. He was also the first player to score a hat
trick in the competition, a feat he achieved in 1953. Apart from playing for
clubs in Nigeria, Thunder played for Peterborough and Queens Park Rangers in
England in the 1950s.
Balogun, who was a member of Nigeria’s national team for 12
years, died in 1972 at the age of 45. The
Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos was named after him.
Over the past six decades or so, Nigeria has been blessed
with great goalkeepers. Children of today may however need to know that before
the Best Ogedegbes, the Peter Rufais of this world and the likes of Emmanuel
Okala and his brother, Patrick, Wilfred Agbonavbare, Alloy Agu and lately
Vincent Enyeama and Ikeanobi Shorunmu became household names; Nigeria had a
legendary goalkeeper called Inua Lawal
Rigogo. He manned the goalpost for Nigeria’s national team between the late
1950s and the mid-60s. So good was he that some people believed he used juju!
In a match against Ghana, President Kwame Nkrumah was so impressed with the way
Rigogo denied his compatriots a goal that he called him a “flying cat”. Though
many of us never saw him play, but the descriptions given about him would bring
the exploits of Colombia’s Rene Higuita to mind.
The generation of Nigerians in their 40s cannot claim to
know Paul Hamilton as a footballer,
but they knew him as one of the best coaches Nigeria produced. He was in charge
of the national U-20 side, the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons at different
times. In his days as a player in NEPA FC of Lagos however, Hamilton was called
“Wonder Boy”. Thanks to his skillful dribbles on the field.
Lagos born Muyiwa Oshode
was one of Hamilton’s teammates in ECN (Later NEPA) and the Senior National
team. He was a member of the team
that represented Nigeria at the 1968 Olympics. In his days with Stationery
Stores, he was a super-sub and fans started calling him “Lucky Boy” because he
usually came off the bench to score vital goals for the club.
Shooting Stars’ legendary defender, Idowu Otubusin was nicknamed “Slow Poison” during his days as a
striker in Shomolu, Lagos. His teammates said he played slowly but was capable
of delivering lethal strikes. One of his former teammates, Joseph Ladipo was famously known as “Josy Lad”. Ladipo coached
Leventis United in the 1980s and he later served as General Manager of Shooting
Stars and the head coach of Nigeria’s female national team, the Super Falcons.
Though Kelechi
Emeteole played as a defender, in his 17 games for the Green Eagles between
1975 and 1977, he scored four goals. He was called “Caterpillar” because of his
ruggedness.
Segun Odegbami’s name
will never cease to be mentioned when Shooting Stars’ legends are being called.
Describe him as the kind of footballer everyone would dream of playing with and
you will not be wrong. He left indelible marks that have added great
responsibilities to the Number 7 shirt of the Super Eagles. Ernest Okonkwo
opined that being an Engineer, Odegbami’s well-crafted touchline dribbles,
purposeful tailor-made passes and superb scoring ability could only have been
calculated. He thus gave him the nickname “Mathematical Segun Odegbami”. Apart
from being a member of the 1980 Nations Cup legends, he was one of the players
Shooting Stars could hardly do without. He scored a total of 22 goals for the
national team, a feat only Rashidi Yekini has been able to surpass.
The well respected captain, Christian Chukwu is perhaps one of the most confident centre backs
Nigeria has ever had. As captain and the heartbeat of the defence, he was
called “Chairman” mainly for the way he coordinated the team.
Mudashiru Lawal,
yet another Shooting Stars legend was named Soccer Ambassador, the first
Nigerian to be so honoured. Before Stephen
Keshi, he made the Number 4 jersey one of the most popular in the ‘Green
Eagles’ as the senior national team was then known.
Record-breaking Muda Lawal was the first African to play in
five consecutive African Cup of Nations Championships. An extraordinarily
gifted midfielder with goal scoring capabilities, Muda was nicknamed “Hadji
Shira” by Shooting Stars fans. He did great exploits everywhere he played,
including Stationery Stores and Abiola Babes of Abeokuta.
A list of nicknames of the heroic 1980 Eagles will be
erroneously incomplete without a mention of Emmanuel Okala. With
an imposing height of 6’6, Okala in goal was indeed a mountain of a man. The
fact that he won the Footballer of the Year in 1978 bears testimony of how good
he was as a goalkeeper.
Kadiri Ikhana,
fondly called “Kawawa” was one of the Muda Lawal’s teammates and one of the
heroes of the 1980 Green Eagles that won the African Cup of Nations. Ikhana was
one of the best defenders in his playing days and as a coach, the culture of
excellence never left him.
Those who followed the Green Eagles between the mid-70s and
early 80s will remember Aloysius Atuegbu, especially for his “bullet shots”.
The shots earned him the name ‘Blockbuster’.
One of the things that stood Ernest Okonkwo out as a sports
commentator was his choice of words; another was his up-to-date research on
individual players. When called Adokiye
Amiesimaka ‘Chief Justice’ it was because Amiesimaka was a Law student when
he joined Enugu Rangers. Interestingly, when he left active football, he did
not go to the bench to become a judge but he became the Commissioner for
Justice and Attorney General in Rivers State.
Sylvanus Okpala was
a mercurial midfielder in his playing days. His sublime skills and ball
distribution apparently earned him the sobriquet “Quicksilver” which must have
been ingeniously coined from his first name by Ernest Okonkwo. The youngest
generation of Nigerians that saw him on the field did in 1988 when he played
for Nigeria’s Olympic soccer team in Seoul, South Korea.
Till date, Rashidi
Yekini remains Nigeria’s all-time leading goal scorer. Though he had become
known before he left Nigeria’s Abiola Babes, his goals for Africa Sports of
Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire further heightened his popularity. By the late 1980s
Rashidi Yekini was a force to reckon with in African football. 1994 was the
peak, the nickname "Gangling Rashidi Yekini” coined by famous commentator,
Ernest Okonkwo was on every Super Eagles’ fan. At the African Cup of Nations
that year, Yekini scored a total of six goals, five with his deadly right foot
and one with his head. He went on to score Nigeria’s first ever World Cup goal
at USA ’94.
Stephen Okechuwkwu
Keshi has a place in the annals of Nigerian football. Not only was he the
longest serving captain of the Super Eagles, he became the first Nigerian to
win the African Cup of Nations as a player and a coach. Keshi led the team to
victory in Tunisia in 1994 and repeated same as coach in South Africa in 2013.
Fondly called “Big Boss”, Keshi exhibited exemplary
leadership qualities on and off the field. And the fact that he joined the
Super Eagles earlier than most of his contemporaries earned him more respect
from his teammates.
Talk of players that were not so lucky in the Super Eagles
colours and Richard Owubokiri’s name
would crop up. The ‘Goal Machine’ had only one international goal for Nigeria
and that was in the 4-0 victory over South Africa in the 1994 World Cup
qualifying series. He was one of the first to play professional football
outside Africa in his generation of footballers. He left ACB of Lagos to join a
Brazilian club in 1983. His 30 goals in the colours of Boavista earned him the
highest goal scorer award in the Portuguese League in the 1991/92 season. He scored a total of 50 goals for the club in
his 92 appearances.
Samson Ozogula was
a striker with an enormous energy level. He would help the defence in one
moment and be at the front of the attack the next moment. Iwuanyawu Nationale
of Owerri enjoyed his services till the late 1980s. Like the biblical Samson,
Ozogula oozed strength on the field of play. His nickname then was “Zion Train”
though before his arrival at Iwuanyawu, he was called “Express” because it was
believed no defender could stop him.
When Oguta born Paul
Uzokwe left Sharks of Port Harcourt for Iwuanyawu Nationale of Owerri, the
Owerri team knew the move was well worth it. Uzokwe was not called “Power
House” for nothing, as a left winger, he could score and he was capable of
embarrassing defenders with his style of play while providing assists.
“Owoblow” was a nickname fans of Shooting Stars loved in the
mid and late 1980s. It was coined from Felix
Owolabi’s surname. Apart from his speed and superb dribbles on the left
flank, Owolabi also a former national team player had a specialty of winning
penalty kicks; either by getting fouled in the 18-yard box or ingeniously
putting the ball in the hands of a an opponent in the penalty area. Those moves
helped Shooting a great deal back then; hence the shouts of “Owoblow” whenever
Owolabi got the ball. As he grew older, fans called him “Baba Bukky” and later
“MON” when he was given a national honour, the Member of the Order of the Niger
award. Not many people know that Owolabi played for Nigeria at the 1980 Olympic
Games. His experience came to bear when he helped Shooting Stars win the CAF
Cup in 1992.
Dominic Nwobodo,
former captain of Rangers International is not a Muslim, neither has he ever
been to Mecca but everyone calls him “Alhaji”. It happened that during a
crucial game, he got injured and he could not be substituted. Nwobodo completed
the match with a heavily bandaged head. Those were the days spectators went to
the stadium with their radio sets and when Ernest Okonkwo, the ace commentator
saw him from the commentary box, he reportedly likened the bandage to a turban.
When he called him ‘Alhaji’, Rangers fan followed suit. The name has stuck till
today.
There are different stories behind the name ‘Dodo Mayana’.
Some say Peter Rufai got the name
because of his dives while in goal for Stationery Stores. Those were the people
that claimed Dodo Mayana was one of Fela’s best dancers then. Another school of
thought however claimed the name came because of Rufai’s indifference to fetish
activities of Stores’ fanatical supporters. One thing remains a fact though;
Rufai was a star at Femo Scorpions of Eruwa, Stationery Sores of Lagos, Requins
of Benin Republic and Go Ahead Eagles of Belgium and in Nigeria’s national team
too.
From Sharks to Stationery Stores and later Iwuanyawu
Nationale, Benjy Nzeakor proved his
mettle as a worthy right winger. His ability to dribble on the touchline earned
him the nickname “Touchline Wizard”. He had a number of appearances for the
Super Eagles and moved to Brazil in 1988 after the Seoul Olympics and by 1992,
he became the first African footballer to play in Peru.
One nickname that had a spectacular story attached to it is
that of Bright Omokaro. On March 23,
1998, Nigeria faced Algeria in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations
and it happened that the game was one goal apiece, with Nigeria soaking so much
pressure. Djamel Menad, Hakim Medane and Lakhdar Belloumi were all trying to
break the deadlock. It turned out that one of Nigeria’s defensive midfielders,
Ademola Adesina got a red card for a foul he didn’t commit. That moment was
like a national tragedy for Nigerian fans. With Adesina out, there would be
more pressure on the Eagles’ defence.
With 11 men, it was difficult beating the Algerians, how
much more with one man down. Omokaro would however do something that changed
his name forever! After Algeria had made two substitutions (the maximum allowed
that time), Omokaro injured an Algerian striker who had to be taken out as he
could not continue. Both teams ended the game with 10 men. Ingenious fans
immediately gave him the name “10-10”. Omokaro’s action proved to be worth the
effort as Nigeria won the game via penalties. He also played at the Olympics in
1988 with the likes of Sylvanus Okpala, Emeka Ezugo, Dahiru Sadi and Wole
Odegbami.
Between 1983 and 1988, Yisa
Shofoluwe was the Super Eagles’ left back. He played at the 1984 and 1988
editions of the Nations Cup. He exuded so much confidence on the field of play
that he was nicknamed “Defence Minister”.
Nigeria is indeed a blessed country with abundance of
talents. But in the outside left position, Humphrey Edobor was outstanding in
his time. He was skillful, energetic and fast. He was called “Elastic Edobor”
by commentators then.
Philip Osondu was
one of the revelations of the Canada ’87 FIFA U-17 tournament. What Osondu
lacked in height, he made up for with his skills and goal-oriented style of
play. Osondu, fondly called “Zanza” won the Golden Ball as the best player of
the tournament. He was also one of the top scorers at the tournament. He was
signed up by Anderlecht of Belgium. Though Osondu didn’t shine for long at the
big stage, he was a member of the U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia in 1989. His
teammate at both the U-17 and U-20 levels, Oladimeji
Mohammed Lawal was capable of effectively demolishing opponents’ defence in
his playing days. His skillful runs and dribbles earned him the nickname
“Kabongo Mackanacky Ngoy”, after two footballers, Cameroun’s Cyril Mackanacky
and Congolese legend Eugene Kabongo Ngoy. The feeling then was that Dimeji
Lawal combined the speed of Mackanacky and the skills of Ngoy.
Bawa Abdullahi was
one of the star defenders of Nigeria’s Canada ’87 and Saudi ’89 youth teams.
“Bouncing” Bawa Abdullahi would coordinate the defence and join the attack when
necessary. The gait with which he moved earned him the nickname. His teammate, Anthony Emedofu combined competence and
character on the field of play. “Poropo” played on the outside left flank and
he was a vital asset to the Golden Eaglets back in 1987.
Though he played for Julius Berger at a point, Jimoh Balogun earned the love of Ibadan
fans. Not only was he one of their sons, he was a good footballer. He was part
of the U-20 squad that performed the ‘Miracle of Dammam’ at the U-20
championship in 1989. The comeback against the USSR still remains fresh in the memory
of those who watched the game. Jimoh’s resemblance with the then heavyweight
boxing champion earned him the nickname “Tyson”. Interestingly, he barbed his
hair just like the champ.
Mutiu Adepoju is
called the “Headmaster”, not because he ever had any experience as a school
administrator. But everywhere he played, something stood him out- the ability
to score goals with his head. Before he moved to Racing Santander, Ibadan fans,
who he dazzled with his proficiency in scoring with aerial balls gave him that
nickname. And years after his retirement, he is still addressed as Headmaster.
After his Scotland ’89 exploits, Victor Nosa Ikpeba joined Standard Liege of Belgium and after
becoming a huge success, he attracted the attention of AS Monaco, managed then
by Arsene Wenger. Though he didn’t kick a single ball at the World Cup in USA
94, his time came at the World Cup stage in 1998. He was second top scorer in
the 1996-97 UEFA Champions League and in the French Ligue 1, his goals helped
Monaco win the League. At his peak, fans in Nigeria nicknamed him “The Prince
of Monaco”. He could score from any position on the field.
Another Scotland ’89 discovery was Godwin Okpara. While Ikpeba shone in front, Okpara marshaled the
defence. “Allan Ball’, as he was fondly called was one of the best everywhere
he played; Nigeria, Belgium and France inclusive.
As an 18-year-old Ranchers Bees player, Daniel Amokachi was invited into the Super Eagles in 1990. For the
next nine years, he was a key factor in the team. Known as “The Bull” because
of his speed and strength on the ball, Amokachi recorded exploits in Belgium
and England. He played as supporting striker and was one of those instrumental
to Nigeria’s success at the 1994 African Nations Cup. He blazed the trail as
the first Nigerian footballer to by an airplane.
Those who know Friday
Ekpo will attest to his wizardry and superb ball distribution. In his
playing days, Ekpo was simply magical. His style of play earned him the
nickname “Zico” after the Brazilian legend who also did well wearing Brazil’s
Number 10 jersey. Friday Ekpo was one of the members of Nigeria’s Super Eagles
that defeated Cameroon to win the bronze medal at the African Cup of Nations in
Senegal in 1992.
Though the likes of Friday Ekpo, Etim Esin and Henry Nwosu
wore the famous Number 10 jersey before Austin
Okocha, the beauty of Okocha’s game defies competent description. He would
do things that can only be imagined in the bootless street games in real match
situations. Born into a family of footballers, his eldest brother, James was
the first to play football. He was called “Jay Jay”. Austin’s immediate elder
brother, Emma Okocha played for the Super Eagles in the 1990 Nations Cup in
Algeria. He too was called Jay Jay at a point. The nickname however became more
popular with Austin.
His exploits in Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint Germain
were legendary. His skillful display was simply out of this world. He once said
his embarrassing dribbles were meant to pay back the racist abuse he suffered
when he first got to Europe and when he joined Bolton, fans coined a fad with
the nickname; they said he was “so good they named him twice”.
Austin Eguavoen would
pass as one of the most reliable right backs the Super Eagles could boast of in
the late 80s and 1990s. Fondly called “Serezo”, his peak was seen at the 1994
AFCON championship and the World Cup in US. Getting past him was difficult and
he combined well with Benedict Iroha
who played the left full back position. Interestingly,
Iroha, nicknamed “Salinsa” used to play as a midfielder in Virtesse Harnem. He
however did not disappoint as a defender for the Super Eagles, scoring a number
of goals too. He shares the nickname Salinsa with James Debah, a retired
Liberian footballer and cousin to President George Opong Weah.
Emeka Ezeugo first
shot into limelight when he played for Nigeria at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
An extremely strong defender, Ezeugo who also played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
was nicknamed “Destroyer” during his playing career that saw him play in five
different continents; namely Africa, North America, Asia, Europe and South
America.
Etim Esin was not
called “Enfant terrible” and “Superbrat”
for nothing’s sake; at 19 years old, he already owned a Peugeot 505 Evolution,
which was one the best cars in Nigeria then. At a point he sneaked out of the
National U-20 camp, got shot and had his car snatched by robbers. That however
was not the story behind the name. Etim would singlehandedly disgrace defence
lines made up of much older and more experienced footballers right in front of
capacity-filled stadia. From Calabar to Owerri,
to Belgium and anytime he wore the national colours, Etim was noted for
his stylish dribbles, creative play and vital goals. While Ernest Okonkwo
called him the super brat, fans nicknamed him “Etim Maradona”, the reason was
an open secret, he had the physique, the skills of the Argentine soccer idol
and like Maradona, at a point, the Super Eagles was getting woven around Etim!
Lawrence Ukaegbu was
one of Etim Esin’s teammates at the Chile ’87 U-20 World Cup. Together with
others like Willy Okpara, Nosa Osadolor, Adeolu Adekola, Jonathan Akpoborie and
Peter Nieketien, they were African champions at the youth level. In secondary
school, Ukaegbu was nicknamed “Danjuma” and the name has stuck till date.
With the likes of Uchenna Okafor, Uche Okwchukwu and Stephen
Keshi, Isaac Semitoje played as a
defender for the Super Eagles in the early and mid-1990s. They called him
“Ekwe-Ekwe”.
Those who watched Stationery Stores in the 90s will never
forget Ebitimi Collins, now of
blessed memory. He was the Flamingoes hard man in the defence. It was so
difficult to get past him, hence the appellation “Barbed Wire”. Reason? The
ease with which one climbs a barbed wire is the same ease it takes a striker to
get past Ebitimi.
Almost everyone who shines in Shooting Stars colours gets a
nickname from Ibadan fans and such names usually stick. Like Felix Owolabi who
was often called ‘Baba Bukky’, because of his wife, exceptional goalkeeper, Abiodun Baruwa’s nickname had something
to do with his mum! They called him “Omo Alhaja”, and that was what the
capacity crowd at Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan chorused after each save made by
Baruwa back then.
Though Baruwa missed the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta due
to a mix-up, one of the defenders that played with him in the qualifiers, Kingsley Obiekwu, was a member of the
gold-winning team that shocked the world in Atlanta. Tall, strongly built
Obiekwu was nicknamed “Shagari”.
At the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, Dosu Joseph was magical as a
goalkeeper. Not just because Nigeria won the gold medal in the football event
but because he got tested by some of the world’s best footballers including
Ronaldo de Lima, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Herman Crespo and Ariel Ortega. Dosu
was fondly called ‘Omo Iya Elewa’ by fans and the reason was simple; his
Togolese mum sold beans when he was much younger and she didn’t want him to
play football.
Emmanuel Ebiede shone
at the youth level but he had no goal to show for his few games for the senior
team. Tall, lanky Ebiede played in Belgium and later in Holland where he was
nicknamed “Platini” after French legend, Mitchel Platini.
Not only was Finidi
George a member of the team that won the 1994 African Cup of Nations, he
was a part of the “golden generation” that did exploits between 1994 and 2000. He
and Nwankwo Kanu were the first
Nigerians to win the European Champions League, a feat they achieved with Ajax
Amsterdam in 1995. By that time, George had become so popular with Ajax fans
such that “Finito” as he was fondly known was a household name. Kanu on the
other hand had been known as “Papillo” ever before he laced boots for Holy
Ghost College Owerri in the early 1990s. Thanks to his looks; his mates attest
that he had always looked older than his age.
With his imposing height, Uche Okwchwukwu was a befitting centre back for the Super Eagles in
the 1990s. He was a great man marker and he used his height to advantage when
it came to corner kicks. Okechukwu’s gentlemanly conduct on and off the pitch
earned the former Brondby FC of Denmark defender the name “Gentle Giant”.
Tijani Babangida was
left out of the US ’94 squad but everyone that watched the Eagles’ warm-up
match against Georgia on June 11, 1994 (just before the team left Nigeria) agreed
that Babangida was going somewhere to happen. His pace was remarkable. Fondly
called “TJ” or “Baba” by teammates and fans, he showed stuff at the 1996
Olympic Games and his turn came in the 1998 World Cup. He shone brilliantly for
Roda JC after which he moved to Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch League. Tijani’s
younger brother, Ibrahim Babangida
was one of the stars of the Japan 93 U-17 World Championships. Unlike his elder
brother who played from the flanks, Ibrahim played as a midfielder. His
teammates called him “President” because he was a namesake of General Ibrahim
Babangida, Nigeria’s then military President. Interestingly, General Babangida
was President on August 21, 1993 when the tournament started but had handed
over by the time Nigeria won the tournament on September 4.
At Japan 93 and Atlanta ’96 Olympics, Mobi Oparaku showed the
world what he was made of. Though slightly short for a right back, what he
lacked in height he made up for in speed and accurate passes. “Mobile Mobi” was
a member of Nigeria’s France ’98 World Cup squad.
Ajibade Babalade an
ex-Stores and Shooting Stars player was known to be a no-nonsense defender. Ghana’s
Abedi Ayew Pele will not forget Babalade in a hurry. He was a thorn in the
flesh of the Ghanaian legend when Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Ghana’s Black
Stars met in AFCON 1992. His hard tackles earned him the appellation “Kunde”,
they were likened to that of Emmanuel Kunde, a Camerounian football legend.
“The Yak” a derivation from Yakubu Aiyegbeni’s surname is a
nickname English fans cannot forget in a hurry. He played for Portsmouth,
Middlesbrough, Everton and Liecester City and in his Premier League career, his
96 goals stand him out as the second highest scoring African in the Premier
League. Though many Nigerians remember
his unpardonable miss in front of an “empty net” during a World Cup game,
Aiyegbeni remains the third highest scoring Super Eagle, trailing behind
Rashidi Yekini and Segun Odegbami.
After an impressive showing at the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup in
1997, Rabiu Afolabi went ahead to
play in the African Youth Championship in 1999. He was made the captain of the Flying Eagles back then. Playing at
the centre of the defence, Afolabi who was once the best defender in the Belgian
League was nicknamed ‘Robocop’ because of his thunderous shot and stiff
movement that was likened to the half-human police bot that starred in a 1987
movie. Afolabi played two World Cup tournaments in Nigeria’s colours.
Though he started out as a midfielder, earning himself the
nickname “Eric” as one of the stars of the African Church Grammar School, Apata
Ibadan in his days as a student, Gbenga Okunowo was known as a right back. He
played for Barcelona, a club he joined as an 18-year-old. His Barca teammates
included Luis Figo, Xavi and Luis Enrique.
Like Robocop, Muyiwa
Lawal was one of the youngsters that shone as Nigeria’s Eaglets won the
Meridian Cup in 1997. Before then, Muyiwa, younger brother of former international,
Dimeji Lawal was nicknamed “Kokoro” (insect) because of his dazzling moves
despite his small frame when he played for his secondary school’s soccer team.
He played for clubs in Spain where he spent about 10 years of his career. He
played six matches for Atletico Madrid, though he featured more with the Club’s
Team B in the Segunda Division.
When Nigeria hosted the World Youth Championship in 1999, Julius Aghahowa, who was then a police
constable, was the revelation of the tournament, at least for Nigeria. He
celebrated each goal with somersaults which later became his trademark. By the
time he was drafted into the senior national team, his ability to score
necessary goals earned him the appellation “The Talisman”.
Obafemi Akinwunmi
Martins never played age grade football for Nigeria. He however became an
instant hit in the Super Eagles, having showed the stuff he was made of in the
Italian Serie A. At a point in his career, Martins had an average of one goal
in every other game. His unmatched passion for scoring soon earned him the name
“Obagoal”.
Daniel Olusola Shittu
stood like a rock when he played for Nigeria. Simply called “Danny” from
his first name, Shittu was a man attackers found difficult.
Seyi Olajengbesi
led his primary school to victory at the Governor’s Cup competition decades
ago. He grew into a tall, lanky footballer and the way he supervised Ibadan
Boys’ High School’s defence earned him the nickname “Keshi” from his
schoolmates who concluded that he played like Stephen Keshi, who was the
captain of the Super Eagles then. At 16, Olajengbesi laced boots for Shooting
Stars. He later moved to Plateau United. He played for a number of German club
sides and had seven appearances for the Super Eagles.
Stanley Okoro was
nicknamed “Little Messi” by those who had seen him play before the 2009 U-17
World Cup. He scored three goals in the competition. He graduated to the U-20
team where he scored two goals in four games. He has however played for the
senior national team once. After a stint in Europe, he returned to the Nigerian
Premier League in 2016.
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