Have you heard the names of legendary football players Jay Jay Okocha, Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo and John Obi Mikel? Do you know what is common between all these players?
If you have been following soccer closely, you would know all these masters of the game hail from the same country of the African continent. Soccer is the most followed sport in Nigeria. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Nigerian national teams and players have performed remarkably well on the international platform time and again. The Nigeria Football Association was formed in 1945 which looks upon the football infrastructure of the country and controls the National team performances.
Today, with the many online betting promotions, it is easy to bet on Eagles too, no matter where and when they play.
The Eagles
Inspired by the strength of the bird, Nigerian national football teams were named the Eagle.
The national men’s team is called Super Eagles, under-20 team is named Flying Eagles and the younger lot from the under-17 squad are known as Golden Eaglets. All these teams have won the country many accolades.
- Super Eagles
In their first ever international match, the Super Eagles made their presence felt by winning over Sierra Leona by 2-0 in 1949. They have won the African Cup of nations thrice and have qualified for all FIFA World Cups except one in 2006 held in Germany. They are the maiden winners of the Unity World Cup of 2014. The under-23 Nigerian football team is remembered till date for their Olympic gold in Atlanta, 1996. It was no small feat to beat Brazil 4-3 and Argentina 3-2 to lift the gold.
- Golden Eaglets
Following the footsteps of their seniors, the junior team’s achievements are noteworthy. The under-17 team has won the inaugural FIFA U-17 world cup held in 1985 followed by two more in 1993 and 2007. The first world cup win marked the beginning of dominant Nigerian side in world soccer events.
Super Falcons
If the men are Super Eagles, then the Nigerian national women’s football team are the Super Falcons. Their exceptional performance among fellow African nations has won them the first 7 African championship title. However, the Super Falcons are yet to make a mark at the international foray.
Falconites
The miniature version of the Falcons is the junior under-20 team of Falconets. These young women have performed incredibly well on the International forum. In the 2006 FIFA U-20 women’s world cup, they registered a remarkable win of 8-0 over Finland only to be sent home by Brazil from the quarterfinals. The Falconites came back stronger in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA world cup appearances winning the runner-up position both times. Ace U-20 footballer, Asisat Oshoala was awarded the golden ball as well as the golden boot in the 2014 FIFA world cup.
Club Connection
Although the soccer world cup is held every four years, annual leagues and clubs keep the soccer fandom alive throughout the year. Nigerians have not only represented their nation, but also many ace players have found themselves competing in the best clubs across the world. The tradition was started by Daniel Amokachi fondly called ‘The Bull’ who played for Everton and continued by several others until John Obi Mikel, the Chelsea legend. A total of 35 Nigerian players have played in the English Premier League so far and many more to add to the list in future.
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