Little-known facts about the stars of Nigerian football

Nigeria is home to an abundance of talent, yet many promising youngsters fail to fulfill their full potential. Phillip Osondu was an impressive performer at the 1987 Under-17 World Cup but later settled for janitorial work in Belgium.

Nwankwo Kanu's compelling life story has mesmerised football fans everywhere. Not only is this legendary striker an exceptional footballer but he is also an inspiring role model and amazing human being.

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Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu was one of Nigeria's greatest legends. His quick feet and sublime dribbling mesmerised opponents and fans alike; scoring over 100 goals during his club career alone cemented Kanu as one of history's premier scorers.

Kanu quickly made waves both domestically and abroad, earning European clubs' attention and leading to his signing for Ajax in 1993. While at Ajax he won three Eredivisie titles and the 1995 Champions League before later earning Premier League glory with Arsenal and an FA Cup trophy with West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth respectively.

Kanu led Nigeria to victory at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta by captaining their Super Eagles to gold. Following this, he moved on to Inter Milan where, despite heart issues which doctors recommended he should retire, he persevered his career - winning European Cup triumph with Inter. Following retirement in 2012 he founded Kanu Heart Foundation which helps children suffering from various heart conditions across Africa to receive lifesaving surgeries.

Odion Ighalo

Odion Ighalo came from a modest background; his mother would sell sachet water on the streets of Lagos in order to provide for him and cover expenses like sportswear and transportation costs for games. Yet, Odion persisted with playing football despite warnings from his father and has since become one of Nigeria's and England's premier stars.

His two appearances for Manchester United, scoring against Club Bruges and Derby County respectively, have already drawn much praise. His composed touch, hold-up play, and ability to outwit his marker have impressed fans immensely.

Ighalo is an avid Christian who dedicates part of his income to charitable organisations in Nigeria. He owns an opulent home in Lekki, an impressive fleet of luxury vehicles and established an orphanage near his birthplace.

Victor  Osimhen

Osimhen impressed at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup where he earned himself the Golden Boot award, garnering interest from numerous European clubs. VfL Wolfsburg signed him but then sent him on loan to Belgian club Charleroi after just 16 appearances.

Osimhen quickly thrived under his new circumstances and quickly rose to become the top scorer of Ligue 1, as well as being named player of the month for September and poised to claim an African Player of the Year Award.

Gernot Rohr called upon Osimhen after his successful time at Charleroi to rejoin the Nigeria national team, replacing Odion Ighalo after an injury impeded their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations campaign and earning them a bronze medal finish. Osimhen also represented his nation at two World Cup qualifiers where he scored against Sao Tome and Principe 2022; currently playing Italian Serie A club Napoli.

Taribo West

West first made his senior debut with Auxerre in 1994 after impressing during trial matches early that year. A hard-tackling defender with distinctive hairstyles, West would eventually go on to win several major trophies both for France and later Italy with Auxerre.

His proudest moment came in 1996, when he joined Kanu Nwankwo and Austin Jay-Jay Okocha to win Olympic gold at Atlanta. Playing every minute of that tournament alongside Kanu Nwankwo and Austin Jay-Jay Okocha.

West was recruited to Inter Milan from Italian Serie A side Foggia in 1997 and made his competitive debut against Foggia in a 1-0 Coppa Italia victory - appearing 21 times during that season's league play alone. Later, during a 1997-98 UEFA Cup final game between Lazio and Lazio which featured Ronaldo at his peak performance level he was sent off against Lazio during which time West received his red card against Ronaldo's Lazio side - an incident which saw him sent off against Lazio during an incredible display from Ronaldo against them all season.

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