Daniel Amokachi
Encyclopedia
Daniel Owefin Amokachi nicknamed "The Bull" (born December 30, 1972 in Kaduna
) is a former football
striker
from Nigeria
.
, who brought the talented player to the 1990 African Nations Cup, and soon Amokachi moved to play for Club Brugge
in Belgium
. He competed in the new format of the Champions League, and became the first player to score in the competition, after his goal secured a 1–0 win in the opening match in the group stage against CSKA Moscow. Performing well in Belgium and at the 1994 World Cup, Everton
became interested in Amokachi and their manager Mike Walker
signed him for a fee of £3,000,000 ($4,700,000).
He went on to win the FA Cup
with Everton in 1995, famously infuriating manager Joe Royle
by bringing himself on as a substitute then proceeding to score two goals in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur
. He appeared in the final only briefly, late on, as a substitute but is remembered fondly for his beret wearing celebrations.
He remained at Everton until the end of the 1995–96 season
, when he was transferred to Beşiktaş
of Turkey
for a fee of £1.75million. He had failed to make the impact at Goodison Park
that many fans had been hoping for, and had been unable to win a regular place in the first team, as Paul Rideout
and Duncan Ferguson were firmly established as Everton's two strikers at this stage. He did, however, stand in for Ferguson while he spent six weeks in prison during the autumn of 1995 for an offence committed in Scotland
18 months earlier.
. On April 10, 2008 Amokachi was re-appointed to Nigeria's national team, the Super Eagles, as assistant coach to Shuaibu Amodu.
|1990/91||rowspan="5"|Brugge||rowspan="5"|First Division||3||0
|-
|1991/92||26||12
|-
|1992/93||23||9
|-
|1993/94||28||14
|-
|1994/95||1||0
|-
|1994/95||rowspan="2"|Everton
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||18||4
|-
|1995/96||25||6
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="3"|Beşiktaş
||rowspan="3"|First League||30||7
|-
|1997/98||27||8
|-
|1998/99||20||4
81||35
43||10
77||19
201||64
|}
|-
|1990||||
|-
|1991||||
|-
|1992||||
|-
|1993||||
|-
|1994||||
|-
|1995||||
|-
|1996||||
|-
|1997||||
|-
|1998||4||0
|-
|1999||1||0
|-
!Total||||
|}
, and was part of the team that participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
and 1998 FIFA World Cup
and won the 1994 African Nations Cup. He also helped win the Olympic gold medal in 1996
, scoring in the Gold Medal game itself against Argentina.
Amokachi sustained an injury just ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup
, played one game, but struggled with knee problems thereafter. After leaving Beşiktaş in 1999, his playing career more or less ended. He signed with 1860 Munich, but the contract was cancelled after he failed a medical test. In turn he was rejected by Tranmere Rovers
for the same reason. Amokachi trained with French second division side US Créteil, but the deal was hampered by injuries. American MLS
team Colorado Rapids
signed him in 2002, but seeing as he was not fit enough they released him before a single match was played. He went to play in the United Arab Emirates
, but was denied again due to his medical condition.
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 football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Career
While playing for Ranchers Bees, Amokachi was discovered by Nigerian national team coach Clemens WesterhofClemens Westerhof
Clemens Westerhof is a Dutch football manager, who has worked in various football positions on the African continent since 1989.He is most noted for his success with the Nigerian national team...
, who brought the talented player to the 1990 African Nations Cup, and soon Amokachi moved to play for Club Brugge
Club Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
in 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...
. He competed in the new format of the Champions League, and became the first player to score in the competition, after his goal secured a 1–0 win in the opening match in the group stage against CSKA Moscow. Performing well in Belgium and at the 1994 World Cup, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
became interested in Amokachi and their manager Mike Walker
Mike Walker (football manager)
Michael Stewart Gordon "Mike" Walker is a Welsh former footballer and manager. After starting his career at Reading, Walker played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for five clubs, most notably Watford and Colchester United. He later managed Colchester, Norwich City, Everton and APOEL...
signed him for a fee of £3,000,000 ($4,700,000).
He went on to win 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...
with Everton in 1995, famously infuriating manager Joe Royle
Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
by bringing himself on as a substitute then proceeding to score two goals in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. He appeared in the final only briefly, late on, as a substitute but is remembered fondly for his beret wearing celebrations.
He remained at Everton until the end of the 1995–96 season
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
, when he was transferred to Beşiktaş
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
for a fee of £1.75million. He had failed to make the impact at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
that many fans had been hoping for, and had been unable to win a regular place in the first team, as Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout is a retired English professional football player who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He is a youth coach with Sporting Kansas City, heading their U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams.-Playing career:...
and Duncan Ferguson were firmly established as Everton's two strikers at this stage. He did, however, stand in for Ferguson while he spent six weeks in prison during the autumn of 1995 for an offence committed in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
18 months earlier.
Managerial career
Amokachi managed Nigerian club Nasarawa United F.C. and later Enyimba Aba. In April 2007 he quit his role as assistant coach of the Nigeria national teamNigeria 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...
. On April 10, 2008 Amokachi was re-appointed to Nigeria's national team, the Super Eagles, as assistant coach to Shuaibu Amodu.
Statistics
|-|1990/91||rowspan="5"|Brugge||rowspan="5"|First Division||3||0
|-
|1991/92||26||12
|-
|1992/93||23||9
|-
|1993/94||28||14
|-
|1994/95||1||0
|-
|1994/95||rowspan="2"|Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||18||4
|-
|1995/96||25||6
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="3"|Beşiktaş
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
||rowspan="3"|First League||30||7
|-
|1997/98||27||8
|-
|1998/99||20||4
81||35
43||10
77||19
201||64
|}
|-
|1990||||
|-
|1991||||
|-
|1992||||
|-
|1993||||
|-
|1994||||
|-
|1995||||
|-
|1996||||
|-
|1997||||
|-
|1998||4||0
|-
|1999||1||0
|-
!Total||||
|}
International
He played many international matches for NigeriaNigeria 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...
, and was part of the team that participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and 1998 FIFA World Cup
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...
and won the 1994 African Nations Cup. He also helped win the Olympic gold medal in 1996
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....
, scoring in the Gold Medal game itself against Argentina.
Amokachi sustained an injury just ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup
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...
, played one game, but struggled with knee problems thereafter. After leaving Beşiktaş in 1999, his playing career more or less ended. He signed with 1860 Munich, but the contract was cancelled after he failed a medical test. In turn he was rejected by Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
for the same reason. Amokachi trained with French second division side US Créteil, but the deal was hampered by injuries. American MLS
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...
team Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado 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, having competed in the league...
signed him in 2002, but seeing as he was not fit enough they released him before a single match was played. He went to play in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, but was denied again due to his medical condition.