Nigeria 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. The team is currently ranked 11th on the new official FIFA World Rankings as at 12 July 2006.

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 in their first two world cup appearances. 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. Nigeria missed out on qulification 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 1970's 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. 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 Eagles 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.

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

Famous players

Top 7 Scorers

(Correct as of June 2003)

Player	Caps	Goals
Rashidi Yekini	58	37
Segun Odegbami	46	23
Sunday Oyarekhua	28	16
Samson Siasia	46	13
Daniel Amokachi	48	13
Julius Aghahowa	25	13
Jay-Jay Okocha	65	12

Manager History

Team managers of Nigeria and the dates they took over.

Date appointed	Manager name
2005 - present	Augustine Eguavoen
2002 - 2005	Christian Chukwu
2002	Adegboyega Onigbinde
2000 - 2002	Shaibu Amodu
1999 - 2000	Johannes Bonfere
1989 - 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

Forthcoming fixtures

International Friendly
- Ghana v Nigeria , London, UK 15 August 2006

2008 African Cup of Nations Qualifying Group 3:
- v , 04 September 2006
- v , 07 October 2006
- v , 24 March 2007
- v , 02 June 2007
- v , 16 June 2007
- v , 08 September 2007

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
	0							0
	0							0
	0							0
	0							0

External links

Nigeria FA official site (this site is currently out of order)
Nigerian Players Database
Nigerias best match
Nigerian football magazine
CyberEagles
RSSSF archive of results 1955-

African national football teams | Football in Nigeria

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