Celestine Babayaro
Encyclopedia
Celestine Hycieth Babayaro (born 29 August 1978 in Kaduna
) is a former Nigerian footballer.
, before moving to Belgium
club Anderlecht
in 1994, and eventually would make a name for himself, quickly gaining first-choice status although still a teenager.
after being spotted by scout Lewis Durkin in April 1997. He moved for £2.25m million - a club record paid for a teenager at the time. During his time at Chelsea, the team won the FA Cup
and Charity Shield in 2000, and reached the FA Cup final in 2002. He faced competition from Graeme Le Saux
during his seven-year spell, but managed to play over 200 games for the London
side. His acrobatic celebrations with backflips
were noted and loved by the fans of the club.
The steady form of Wayne Bridge
saw Babayaro start only four FA Premier League
matches for Chelsea in 2004-05
under new manager Jose Mourinho
. Chelsea ended the season as Premier League champions.
where he established himself as first choice left back. He scored his first and what turned out to be only Newcastle goal in a 3-1 win over Coventry City in the FA Cup.
In September 2006, Babayaro was given a three-match ban by the Football Association
for slapping Liverpool
striker Dirk Kuyt
in the face while Liverpool took a corner. The slap was not seen by the referee but later videos showed Babayaro punch the Dutchman
in the face. Babayaro accepted the allegations and apologised to Kuyt.
On 10 February 2007, after a 2-1 win over Liverpool, then-Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder
revealed that just 12 hours before kick-off, Babayaro had called him saying his younger brother David had died from tuberculosis
. Despite this, Babayaro insisted he would still play and put in a solid performance which earned him praise from Newcastle manager and fans. This fine form continued into United's 3-1 away victory against Zulte Waregem, in the UEFA Cup
.
Due to his many injury problems it was mutually decided, on 10 December 2007, that Babayaro should be released from his contract with immediate effect and a compensation figure was agreed.
In January 2009 Newcastle's ex-chairman Freddy Shepherd
described Babayaro as a "disgrace" who "didn't pull his weight" during a televised BBC interview.
to join them on a three-year contract, effective immediately.
With this move, the Nigerian re-joined Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit
who previously brought him to Chelsea
in 1997 and spent a season coaching him there. This time again, it was precisely recently-hired Gullit who wanted Babayaro at his new club. However, it did not take long for the move to turn sour as the Nigerian who had spent the majority of his career with top English outifts was more than shocked when faced with realities of life in the Major League Soccer
. Thinking that he had arrived at sort of an American superclub that only a year earlier gave David Beckham
what was widely reported to be the $250 million contract, Babayaro was agitated by what he considered to be shabby accommodations - from having to fly in the economy class to sharing a hotel room on the road. His commitment in training and preseason games reflected those feelings and he soon got on Gullit's and club president and general manager Alexi Lalas
's bad side.
On 3 March, Babayaro was waived by the Galaxy after playing only 45 minutes in a preseason friendly against FC Seoul
, receiving a yellow card and conceding a penalty in the process. The reason for this unexpected release was not stated explicitly by Galaxy front office. "After a period of evaluation, it was decided that it would be in the best interest of the club and the player to part ways,” Lalas said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that it did not work out, but Ruud and our technical staff are hard at work putting together this team and difficult decisions have to be made."
During pre-season for the 2008-09 English league campaign, Babayaro trained with Premier League club Portsmouth
at the invitation of manager Harry Redknapp
with a view to signing for the FA Cup
holders. On 14 August 2008 Redknapp revealed that he would not offer Babayaro a contract at Fratton Park
.
On 8 July 2010, Babayaro officially announced his retirement from football.
On 9 February 2011, Babayaro was declared bankrupt.
(1993), Babayaro made his international senior
debut in the Afro-Asian Championship in 1995, against Uzbekistan
. The following year he was part of the Nigeria Olympic gold medal
winning team at the Atlanta 96
football event
, making the tournament's all-star team. He scored in the Gold Medal game itself against Argentina. After missing the entire 1997/98 Premier League season with a knee injury, Babayaro recovered just in time to make the France 98
squad. He was also Nigeria's captain at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, and took part in the Korea/Japan 2002 FIFA World Cup
.
Babayaro was part of Nigeria's squad for the 2004 African Nations Cup in Tunisia
, but was controversially sent home, alongside Yakubu Aiyegbeni
and Victor Agali
for indiscipline. Although never officially announcing his retirement from international football, he has not played for the national team ever since.
|1994/95||rowspan="3"|Anderlecht||rowspan="3"|First Division||22||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||28||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||25||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="8"|Chelsea||rowspan="8"|Premier League||8||0||0||0||2||0||3||0||13||0
|-
|1998/99||28||3||5||0||3||0||7||1||44||4
|-
|1999/00||25||0||1||0||0||0||15||2||41||2
|-
|2000/01||24||0||2||0||1||0||0||0||28||0
|-
|2001/02||18||0||4||0||4||0||2||0||28||0
|-
|2002/03||19||1||3||0||2||0||0||0||24||1
|-
|2003/04||6||1||2||0||3||0||3||0||14||1
|-
|2004/05||4||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|2004/05||rowspan="4"|Newcastle United||rowspan="4"|Premier League||7||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005/06||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006/07||12||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007/08||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2008||Los Angeles Galaxy
||Major League Soccer
||0||0||||||||||||||||
75||8||||||||||||||||
179||5||||||||||||||||
0||0||||||||||||||||
254||13||||||||||||||||
|}
Statistics include 2 Charity Shield
appearances in 1998 and 2000.
|-
|1995||||
|-
|1996||||
|-
|1997||||
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||2||0
|-
|2000||7||0
|-
|2001||2||0
|-
|2002||4||0
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||1||0
|-
!Total||||
|}
U - 17 World Cup: 1993
Olympic Gold Medal: 1996
With RSC Anderlecht
Jupiler League: 1995
Belgian Supercup: 1995
With Chelsea
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1998
UEFA Supercup: 1998
FA Cup: 2000
Individual
Belgian Young Footballer of the Year 1995 & 1996
, a goalkeeper, was also part of Nigeria's 1996 Olympics gold medal winning team.
. He was acquitted of indecent assault in 1999. He later sued the Daily Star for a headline suggesting he had been charged with rape and won an apology and damages He was declared bankrupt on 4 January 2011, despite selling his sheep.
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
) is a former Nigerian footballer.
Club career
Babayaro began his playing career at Nigerian side Plateau UnitedPlateau United
Plateau United Football Club of Jos are a Nigerian football club. Before 1991, they were known as the JIB Strikers FC..The name "Plateau United" was the former name of their cross-town rivals Mighty Jets....
, before moving to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
club Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
in 1994, and eventually would make a name for himself, quickly gaining first-choice status although still a teenager.
Chelsea
Babayaro was signed by Chelsea F.C.Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
after being spotted by scout Lewis Durkin in April 1997. He moved for £2.25m million - a club record paid for a teenager at the time. During his time at Chelsea, the team won the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and Charity Shield in 2000, and reached the FA Cup final in 2002. He faced competition from Graeme Le Saux
Graeme Le Saux
Graeme Pierre Le Saux is a retired English footballer of French ancestry who played for the Premier League clubs Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton, and for the England national football team. Primarily a left back, he was sometimes also played in midfield or on the left wing.After...
during his seven-year spell, but managed to play over 200 games for the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
side. His acrobatic celebrations with backflips
Flip (acrobatic)
An acrobatic flip is a sequence of body movements in which a person leaps into the air and then rotates one or more times while airborne. Acrobatic flips are performed in acro dance, free running, gymnastics, tricking, and various other activities...
were noted and loved by the fans of the club.
The steady form of Wayne Bridge
Wayne Bridge
Wayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....
saw Babayaro start only four FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
matches for Chelsea in 2004-05
2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
under new manager Jose Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
. Chelsea ended the season as Premier League champions.
Newcastle
In January 2005, he left Chelsea to join Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
where he established himself as first choice left back. He scored his first and what turned out to be only Newcastle goal in a 3-1 win over Coventry City in the FA Cup.
In September 2006, Babayaro was given a three-match ban by the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
for slapping Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
striker Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....
in the face while Liverpool took a corner. The slap was not seen by the referee but later videos showed Babayaro punch the Dutchman
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the face. Babayaro accepted the allegations and apologised to Kuyt.
On 10 February 2007, after a 2-1 win over Liverpool, then-Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder
Glenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions...
revealed that just 12 hours before kick-off, Babayaro had called him saying his younger brother David had died from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Despite this, Babayaro insisted he would still play and put in a solid performance which earned him praise from Newcastle manager and fans. This fine form continued into United's 3-1 away victory against Zulte Waregem, in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Cup was the 36th UEFA Cup, Europe's second tier club football tournament. On 16 May 2007, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla won their second consecutive UEFA Cup, defeating Espanyol 3–1 on penalties after the match finished 2–2 after extra time...
.
Due to his many injury problems it was mutually decided, on 10 December 2007, that Babayaro should be released from his contract with immediate effect and a compensation figure was agreed.
In January 2009 Newcastle's ex-chairman Freddy Shepherd
Freddy Shepherd
Freddy Shepherd , is an English businessman and the former chairman of Newcastle United football club.During his time at Newcastle, both as an active assistant to and later replacement of Sir John Hall as chairman for ten years, Shepherd proved an often outspoken and controversial figure, at times...
described Babayaro as a "disgrace" who "didn't pull his weight" during a televised BBC interview.
Recent activity
On 21 January 2008, 29-year-old Babayaro came to an agreement with the Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
to join them on a three-year contract, effective immediately.
With this move, the Nigerian re-joined Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
who previously brought him to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in 1997 and spent a season coaching him there. This time again, it was precisely recently-hired Gullit who wanted Babayaro at his new club. However, it did not take long for the move to turn sour as the Nigerian who had spent the majority of his career with top English outifts was more than shocked when faced with realities of life in the Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. Thinking that he had arrived at sort of an American superclub that only a year earlier gave David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
what was widely reported to be the $250 million contract, Babayaro was agitated by what he considered to be shabby accommodations - from having to fly in the economy class to sharing a hotel room on the road. His commitment in training and preseason games reflected those feelings and he soon got on Gullit's and club president and general manager Alexi Lalas
Alexi Lalas
Panayotis Alexander Lalas is a retired American soccer player who played mostly as a defender for the United States national team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup...
's bad side.
On 3 March, Babayaro was waived by the Galaxy after playing only 45 minutes in a preseason friendly against FC Seoul
FC Seoul
FC Seoul is a South Korean professional football club based in Seoul, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. It is currently owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS Group....
, receiving a yellow card and conceding a penalty in the process. The reason for this unexpected release was not stated explicitly by Galaxy front office. "After a period of evaluation, it was decided that it would be in the best interest of the club and the player to part ways,” Lalas said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that it did not work out, but Ruud and our technical staff are hard at work putting together this team and difficult decisions have to be made."
During pre-season for the 2008-09 English league campaign, Babayaro trained with Premier League club Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
at the invitation of manager Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
with a view to signing for the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
holders. On 14 August 2008 Redknapp revealed that he would not offer Babayaro a contract at Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...
.
On 8 July 2010, Babayaro officially announced his retirement from football.
On 9 February 2011, Babayaro was declared bankrupt.
International career
After being part of the victorious Nigerian team at the Under-17 World Championships in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1993), Babayaro made his international senior
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
debut in the Afro-Asian Championship in 1995, against Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan national football team
The Uzbekistan national football team represents Uzbekistan in association football and is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Uzbekistan...
. The following year he was part of the Nigeria Olympic gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
winning team at the Atlanta 96
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
football event
Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The association football competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was held in Birmingham, Alabama; Washington, D.C; Orlando, Florida; Miami, Florida; and Athens, Georgia....
, making the tournament's all-star team. He scored in the Gold Medal game itself against Argentina. After missing the entire 1997/98 Premier League season with a knee injury, Babayaro recovered just in time to make the France 98
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
squad. He was also Nigeria's captain at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and took part in the Korea/Japan 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Babayaro was part of Nigeria's squad for the 2004 African Nations Cup in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, but was controversially sent home, alongside Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Yakubu Aiyegbeni , generally known simply as Yakubu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a striker for Blackburn Rovers and the Nigerian national football team. His nickname is "The Yak".-Early career:...
and Victor Agali
Victor Agali
Victor Okechukwu Agali is a Nigerian footballer who last played for Jiangsu Sainty.-Career:At the age of 17, Agali was the top goalscorer in the Nigerian second division, and was picked up by French club Olympique Marseille. Finding it hard to establish a first team place, he played for Toulon,...
for indiscipline. Although never officially announcing his retirement from international football, he has not played for the national team ever since.
Statistics
|-|1994/95||rowspan="3"|Anderlecht||rowspan="3"|First Division||22||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||28||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||25||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="8"|Chelsea||rowspan="8"|Premier League||8||0||0||0||2||0||3||0||13||0
|-
|1998/99||28||3||5||0||3||0||7||1||44||4
|-
|1999/00||25||0||1||0||0||0||15||2||41||2
|-
|2000/01||24||0||2||0||1||0||0||0||28||0
|-
|2001/02||18||0||4||0||4||0||2||0||28||0
|-
|2002/03||19||1||3||0||2||0||0||0||24||1
|-
|2003/04||6||1||2||0||3||0||3||0||14||1
|-
|2004/05||4||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|2004/05||rowspan="4"|Newcastle United||rowspan="4"|Premier League||7||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005/06||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006/07||12||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007/08||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2008||Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
||Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
||0||0||||||||||||||||
75||8||||||||||||||||
179||5||||||||||||||||
0||0||||||||||||||||
254||13||||||||||||||||
|}
Statistics include 2 Charity Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
appearances in 1998 and 2000.
|-
|1995||||
|-
|1996||||
|-
|1997||||
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||2||0
|-
|2000||7||0
|-
|2001||2||0
|-
|2002||4||0
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||1||0
|-
!Total||||
|}
Honours
With Nigerian Football National TeamU - 17 World Cup: 1993
Olympic Gold Medal: 1996
With RSC Anderlecht
Jupiler League: 1995
Belgian Supercup: 1995
With Chelsea
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1998
UEFA Supercup: 1998
FA Cup: 2000
Individual
Belgian Young Footballer of the Year 1995 & 1996
Personal life
Babayaro's brother, EmmanuelEmmanuel Babayaro
Emmanuel Hyacinth Babayaro is a Nigerian footballer. He is a goalkeeper, best known for being older brother of former Chelsea and Newcastle United player Celestine Babayaro....
, a goalkeeper, was also part of Nigeria's 1996 Olympics gold medal winning team.
Facts
He is the youngest player to play in the UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. He was acquitted of indecent assault in 1999. He later sued the Daily Star for a headline suggesting he had been charged with rape and won an apology and damages He was declared bankrupt on 4 January 2011, despite selling his sheep.
Trivia
- Celestine Babayaro is also the youngest player to receive a red card in the UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. He was sent off in a match between Steaua Bucuresti and his club AnderlechtR.S.C. AnderlechtRoyal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
(1-1) at an age of 16 years and 86 days.