Tijjani Babangida
Encyclopedia
Tijani Babangida is a retired Nigeria
n footballer, who played as a winger. Known for his pace, his playing style was sometimes compared to that of Marc Overmars
. Babangida spent the majority of his playing career at Ajax. Overall, he has played in five different countries on three different continents. At club level, Babangida spent nine years in Netherlands
, playing for VVV-Venlo, Roda JC and Ajax, winning the Eredivisie
plus KNVB Cup
double with the latter side.
He played over 30 games for his national side, including four at the 1998 World Cup
in France
. He participated in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and won the 1996 Olympics with Nigeria. Babangida made his international debut in 1994. He lost his place in the squad right before the 2002 World Cup
. After a two-year lay-off from international football, Babangida was recalled to the Nigeria team for the 2004 African Cup of Nations
preparations in Tunisia
.
in 1970. He is married to Rabah, the sister of Daniel Amokachi
's wife. Two of his nine brothers, Ibrahim
and Haruna
are also footballers. The former spent five years at Volendam
, while the latter became the youngest ever player in the history of Spanish
football to have a buy-out clause in his contract and the second youngest player to appear for FC Barcelona
, when he made his debut in 1998 as a fifteen year-old.
In 2004, Babangida signed a $2 million contract to bring new footballs to Nigeria. The same year, he opened a shopping mall in Kaduna. Upon retiring from professional football, Babangida has also been working as a football agent
.
Eredivisie
side Roda JC, after performing well at the 1991 All-Africa Games
. He was loaned out to Roda's league rivals VVV-Venlo until the end of the season. Babangida made a total of six league appearances, scoring three times in the 1991–92 season. Despite Venlo's relegation to Eerste Divisie
, Babangida remained at the club for another year.
Babangida received his breakthrough in the 1992–93 season as he scored 16 goals, helping Venlo to achieve promotion to Eredivisie. The following season, Babangida returned to Roda, immediately becoming a first-team regular with the Kerkrade
side. Babangida made a total of 29 league appearances for Roda that season, scoring 11 goals.
Babangida spent two more seasons at Roda JC. Babangida's 10 league goals in 1995–96, made him the club's top scorer that season. In 1995, Babangida made his European debut, scoring a goal in the UEFA Cup
first-round win over Olimpija Ljubljana
, Roda's first European campaign in five years. Roda went on to beat the Slovenia
n side 5–2 on aggregate, but lost to Benfica in the second round. Solid performances at both international and club level led to interest from Dutch side Ajax, as Louis van Gaal
was looking to replace Babangida's compatriot Finidi George
, who had recently departed to Real Betis
.
in the group stages, and the winning goal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League
encounter with Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium
, that put Ajax through to the semi-finals of the competition.
Babangida had a successful second season with the club as he helped Ajax to another Eredivisie title with a 39 point gap over PSV Eindhoven, while his 13 league goals in 26 games made him the club's third top scorer, behind Shota Arveladze
and Jari Litmanen
. Ajax clinched the second title of the season with a 5–0 victory over PSV in the KNVB Cup
final, with the Nigerian scoring the first goal.
Babangida's fortunes started to change towards the end of 1998. Having missed the start of the season with malaria, Babangida gradually lost his starting line-up position as Morten Olsen
was looking to improve on the team's inconsistent performances both in the domestic league and in Europe. Babangida started two of his team's opening Champions League
games. The European season, however, ended in disappointment as Ajax finished bottom of their group behind Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb and Porto. Overall, Babangida appeared in 18 league games for Ajax that season, starting only seven. He didn't feature in the Dutch Cup
final where Ajax managed to retain the trophy after beating Fortuna Sittard
in the final.
Babangida saw even less playing time after the 1999 season, as he made a mere eight appearances the following year and didn't play a single game in the first half of the 2000–01 season. In an attempt to offload the player, Ajax came to an agreement with the Turkish
Süper Lig side Gençlerbirliği, who signed Babangida on a half-year loan deal until the end of the season.
side chose no to pursue their interest in the player once the loan deal expired. Looking for a move away from Netherlands, Babangida came close to signing with AJ Auxerre
, but received a last-minute call from Ronald Koeman
and agreed to join him at Vitesse instead. Another loan move followed. First team player under Koeman, Babangida subsequently lost his place in the starting line-up, when Ronald Koeman left for Ajax and was replaced by Edward Sturing
.
He then signed a six-month loan deal with Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in 2002, joining Bebeto
and Titi Camara
, but walked out of the team in November after disagreements with José Oscar Bernardi
. Looking to resolve the deadlock with Ajax, Babangida returned to Amsterdam to continue negotiating a termination of his contract with the club. On April 30, 2003, three years since Babangida played his last game for the club, it was announced that both sides had come to an agreement and the player's contract was finally terminated.
As a free agent
, Babangida underwent a successful trial at Chinese
side Tianjin Teda in the summer of 2003. The move, however, was put off due to the outbreak of SARS
in China, and Babangida signed with the second-tier side Changchun Yatai shortly after. His four goals in the second part of the season helped his team to the Jia B
title and earned him a recall to the national team for their preparations for the 2004 African Cup of Nations
. Babangida scored four more goals for Yatai the following season before retiring in 2004.
for a pre-World Cup
friendly against Romania
in 1994. He then played in a friendly against Georgia
, but did not make the final squad for 1994 World Cup
.
Babangida's international chances were partly limited due to the fact that he often found himself behind Finidi George
in the pecking order. He played an important role in his team's Olympic
triumph in Atlanta
in 1996, as Nigeria overcame tough resistance from Brazil
and Argentina
, packed with the likes of Dida, Roberto Carlos, Bebeto
, Ronaldo
, Rivaldo
, Hernan Crespo
, Claudio López, Ariel Ortega
and Diego Simeone among others. Babangida took part in Nigeria's 1998 World Cup
campaign, playing a total of 120 minutes as he started one game and came on as a sub in the other three. He scored his team's only goal in the second-round defeat to Denmark
. In January 2001, Babangida appeared in an exhibition game
at the Yokohama International Stadium (known as the Nissan Stadium nowadays), playing for FIFA XI in a game against the unified team of Japan
and South Korea
.
Babangida only made his African Nations Cup debut in 2000 as Nigeria withdrew from the 1996 edition
in South Africa
due to political reasons and missed out on 1998 African Cup of Nations
through disqualification. Babangida scored two spectacular goals against South Africa
to put Nigeria through to the final against Cameroon
, where they drew 2–2, before being narrowly defeated 3–4 on penalties. He appeared in all of his team's five games, starting two.
He then featured in Nigeria's run to the 2002 World Cup finals
, scoring two important first-half goals against Ghana
on the final day of the 2002 World Cup qualification
, helping Nigeria seal the final African region World Cup berth. Babangida played in all of his team's games at the 2002 Nations Cup, but was dropped ahead of the World Cup, alongside several other experienced players like Sunday Oliseh and Finidi George
. He was recalled to the national team for the pre-Nations Cup training camp in Faro, Portugal
in 2004, but did not make the final squad, making the 2002 Cup of Nations his last major international tournament.
|1991–92||rowspan="2"|VVV-Venlo||Eredivisie
||6||3
|-
|1992–93||Eerste Divisie
||28||16
|-
|1993–94||rowspan="3"|Roda||rowspan="3"|Eredivisie
||29||11
|-
|1994–95||20||5
|-
|1995–96||29||10
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="4"|Ajax||rowspan="4"|Eredivisie
||25||4
|-
|1997–98|||26||13
|-
|1998–99||18||2
|-
|1999–2000||8||1
|-
|2000–01||Gençlerbirliği||Turkish First Football League||12||2
|-
|2001–02||Vitesse||Eredivisie
||14||1
|-
|2002–03
||Al-Ittihad||Premier League
||5||0
|-
|2003||rowspan="2"|Changchun Yatai||Jia-B League||9||4
|-
|2004||League One||20||4
203||66
12||2
5||0
29||8
249||76
|}
|1994||2||0
|-
|1995||0||0
|-
|1996||0||0
|-
|1997||2||0
|-
|1998||7||1
|-
|1999||3||0
|-
|2000||10||2
|-
|2001||7||2
|-
|2002||5||0
|-
!Total||36||5
|}
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...
n footballer, who played as a winger. Known for his pace, his playing style was sometimes compared to that of Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars is a retired Dutch footballer. He is best known as a right-footed left winger, although he is able to use both his feet with equal precision and power...
. Babangida spent the majority of his playing career at Ajax. Overall, he has played in five different countries on three different continents. At club level, Babangida spent nine years in Netherlands
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...
, playing for VVV-Venlo, Roda JC and Ajax, winning the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
plus KNVB Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
double with the latter side.
He played over 30 games for his national side, including four at the 1998 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...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He participated in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and won the 1996 Olympics with Nigeria. Babangida made his international debut in 1994. He lost his place in the squad right before the 2002 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...
. After a two-year lay-off from international football, Babangida was recalled to the Nigeria team for the 2004 African Cup of Nations
2004 African Cup of Nations
The 2004 African Cup of Nations was the 24th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Tunisia. Just like in 2002, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
preparations 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...
.
Personal life
Babangida, sometimes nicknamed "TJ", was born into a large family in the city of KadunaKaduna
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...
in 1970. He is married to Rabah, the sister of Daniel Amokachi
Daniel Amokachi
Daniel Owefin Amokachi nicknamed "The Bull" is a former football striker from Nigeria.- Career :While playing for Ranchers Bees, Amokachi was discovered by Nigerian national team coach Clemens Westerhof, who brought the talented player to the 1990 African Nations Cup, and soon Amokachi moved to...
's wife. Two of his nine brothers, Ibrahim
Ibrahim Babangida (footballer)
Ibrahim Babangida is a retired Nigerian footballer.-Career:Babangida played for Katsina United, Stationery Stores F.C...
and Haruna
Haruna Babangida
Haruna Babangida is a Nigerian footballer who currently is free agent.Babangida is a hard working, quick right wing who can also play on the left side.He is the younger brother of Tijani Babangida and Ibrahim Babangida...
are also footballers. The former spent five years at Volendam
FC Volendam
Football Club Volendam is a Dutch football club based in Volendam, North Holland, Edam-Volendam. Founded on June 1, 1977, as a result of a split up with RKSV . It currently plays in the Eerste Divisie, holding home games at Kras Stadion, with a 6,260-seat capacity.-History:Football Club Volendam...
, while the latter became the youngest ever player in the history of Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
football to have a buy-out clause in his contract and the second youngest player to appear for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, when he made his debut in 1998 as a fifteen year-old.
In 2004, Babangida signed a $2 million contract to bring new footballs to Nigeria. The same year, he opened a shopping mall in Kaduna. Upon retiring from professional football, Babangida has also been working as a football agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
.
Early career
In 1991, Babangida, at the age of seventeen, left local club Niger Tornadoes to sign with DutchNetherlands
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...
Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
side Roda JC, after performing well at the 1991 All-Africa Games
1991 All-Africa Games
The 5th All-Africa Games were held from September 20 to October 1, 1991 in Cairo, Egypt. Forty-three countries participated in eighteen sports....
. He was loaned out to Roda's league rivals VVV-Venlo until the end of the season. Babangida made a total of six league appearances, scoring three times in the 1991–92 season. Despite Venlo's relegation to Eerste Divisie
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
, Babangida remained at the club for another year.
Babangida received his breakthrough in the 1992–93 season as he scored 16 goals, helping Venlo to achieve promotion to Eredivisie. The following season, Babangida returned to Roda, immediately becoming a first-team regular with the Kerkrade
Kerkrade
Kerkrade is a town and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.It is the western half of the divided region and de facto city, taken together with the eastern half, the German town of Herzogenrath...
side. Babangida made a total of 29 league appearances for Roda that season, scoring 11 goals.
Babangida spent two more seasons at Roda JC. Babangida's 10 league goals in 1995–96, made him the club's top scorer that season. In 1995, Babangida made his European debut, scoring a goal in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
first-round win over Olimpija Ljubljana
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (1911)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana was a Slovenian association football club based in Ljubljana. The club had traced its origin back to 1911 when it was originally founded as SK Ilirija. It had gone through a series of mergers in the first half of the 20th century before adopting the name Olimpija in 1962...
, Roda's first European campaign in five years. Roda went on to beat the Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n side 5–2 on aggregate, but lost to Benfica in the second round. Solid performances at both international and club level led to interest from Dutch side Ajax, as Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
was looking to replace Babangida's compatriot Finidi George
Finidi George
Finidi George is a retired Nigerian footballer who played as a right winger.After making a name for himself at Ajax in the Netherlands – being a leading figure in a team which won eight major titles, including the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League – he played several years in Spain with Real Betis,...
, who had recently departed to Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
.
Ajax
Babangida joined Ajax in the summer of 1996 in a long-anticipated €5 million move. He appeared in 29 league games, scoring four goals in his first season with Ajax. Babangida played an important role in Ajax's European campaign, scoring three goals, including one against AuxerreAJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
in the group stages, and the winning goal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA 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...
encounter with Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium
Vicente Calderón Stadium
The Vicente Calderón Stadium is the home stadium of La Liga football club Atlético Madrid and is located in the Arganzuela district of Spanish capital Madrid. The stadium was originally called the Manzanares Stadium, but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, after the famous...
, that put Ajax through to the semi-finals of the competition.
Babangida had a successful second season with the club as he helped Ajax to another Eredivisie title with a 39 point gap over PSV Eindhoven, while his 13 league goals in 26 games made him the club's third top scorer, behind Shota Arveladze
Shota Arveladze
Shota Arveladze is a former Georgian professional football player and currently the manager of Kayserispor. He is Georgia’s all-time top scorer with 291 goals in his 410 league games for his clubs and 26 goals during his 61 games on the national team...
and Jari Litmanen
Jari Litmanen
Jari Olavi Litmanen is a Finnish footballer, currently playing for HJK. He is the current vice-captain of Finland national football team, where he served as a first choice captain between 1996–2008...
. Ajax clinched the second title of the season with a 5–0 victory over PSV in the KNVB Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
final, with the Nigerian scoring the first goal.
Babangida's fortunes started to change towards the end of 1998. Having missed the start of the season with malaria, Babangida gradually lost his starting line-up position as Morten Olsen
Morten Olsen
Morten Per Olsen is a Danish football manager and former football player. He has been the head coach of the Danish national team since 2000, guiding Denmark to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 European Championship and 2010 FIFA World Cup...
was looking to improve on the team's inconsistent performances both in the domestic league and in Europe. Babangida started two of his team's opening Champions League
UEFA 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...
games. The European season, however, ended in disappointment as Ajax finished bottom of their group behind Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb and Porto. Overall, Babangida appeared in 18 league games for Ajax that season, starting only seven. He didn't feature in the Dutch Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
final where Ajax managed to retain the trophy after beating Fortuna Sittard
Fortuna Sittard
Fortuna Sittard is a football club in Sittard, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Trendwork Arena and features in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. The club was a merger of former clubs 'Fortuna 54' and 'Sittardia' to merge as the Fortuna Sittard Combinatie on July 1,...
in the final.
Babangida saw even less playing time after the 1999 season, as he made a mere eight appearances the following year and didn't play a single game in the first half of the 2000–01 season. In an attempt to offload the player, Ajax came to an agreement with the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Süper Lig side Gençlerbirliği, who signed Babangida on a half-year loan deal until the end of the season.
Later career
The spell in Turkey, however, proved to be an unhappy time for Babangida and the AnkaraAnkara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
side chose no to pursue their interest in the player once the loan deal expired. Looking for a move away from Netherlands, Babangida came close to signing with AJ Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
, but received a last-minute call from Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
and agreed to join him at Vitesse instead. Another loan move followed. First team player under Koeman, Babangida subsequently lost his place in the starting line-up, when Ronald Koeman left for Ajax and was replaced by Edward Sturing
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing is former footballer defender from the Netherlands, who obtained three caps for the Dutch national team. He played for De Graafschap and Vitesse Arnhem . After his career he became a football manager, first as an assistant and later as head coach...
.
He then signed a six-month loan deal with Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in 2002, joining Bebeto
Bebeto
José Roberto Gama de Oliveira, known as 'Bebeto', is a former football forward, a World Champion for Brazil in the 1994 World Cup...
and Titi Camara
Titi Camara
Aboubacar Sidiki Camara, more commonly known as Titi Camara , is the Sports Minister of Guinea. He is a former football player who was also the coach of the Syli National , the Guinean national team, which he captained and played for.-Club career:Camara was once a highly-touted prospect, spending...
, but walked out of the team in November after disagreements with José Oscar Bernardi
José Oscar Bernardi
José Oscar Bernardi , nicknamed Oscar, is a noted association footballer, having been on the Brazil national football team and a member of São Paulo Futebol Clube and Associação Atlética Ponte Preta, and having played in defence at the Football World Cup in 1978, 1982, and as a reserve in 1986...
. Looking to resolve the deadlock with Ajax, Babangida returned to Amsterdam to continue negotiating a termination of his contract with the club. On April 30, 2003, three years since Babangida played his last game for the club, it was announced that both sides had come to an agreement and the player's contract was finally terminated.
As a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
, Babangida underwent a successful trial at Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
side Tianjin Teda in the summer of 2003. The move, however, was put off due to the outbreak of SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . Between November 2002 and July 2003 an outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong nearly became a pandemic, with 8,422 cases and 916 deaths worldwide according to the WHO...
in China, and Babangida signed with the second-tier side Changchun Yatai shortly after. His four goals in the second part of the season helped his team to the Jia B
Chinese Football Association Jia League
The China League One is the second tier professional league for Chinese football clubs. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association. Above the League One is Chinese Super League....
title and earned him a recall to the national team for their preparations for the 2004 African Cup of Nations
2004 African Cup of Nations
The 2004 African Cup of Nations was the 24th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Tunisia. Just like in 2002, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
. Babangida scored four more goals for Yatai the following season before retiring in 2004.
International career
Babangida received his first call-up to the senior 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...
for a pre-World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
friendly against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in 1994. He then played in a friendly against Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
, but did not make the final squad for 1994 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...
.
Babangida's international chances were partly limited due to the fact that he often found himself behind Finidi George
Finidi George
Finidi George is a retired Nigerian footballer who played as a right winger.After making a name for himself at Ajax in the Netherlands – being a leading figure in a team which won eight major titles, including the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League – he played several years in Spain with Real Betis,...
in the pecking order. He played an important role in his team's Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
triumph in Atlanta
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....
in 1996, as Nigeria overcame tough resistance from Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
and Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, packed with the likes of Dida, Roberto Carlos, Bebeto
Bebeto
José Roberto Gama de Oliveira, known as 'Bebeto', is a former football forward, a World Champion for Brazil in the 1994 World Cup...
, Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
, Rivaldo
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
, Hernan Crespo
Hernán Crespo
Hernán Jorge Crespo is an Argentine footballer who plays for Parma in the Italian Serie A. Crespo has scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 18 years. His honors include an Olympic Games silver medal, a Copa Libertadores, an English Premier League title and three Scudettos. He was topscorer in...
, Claudio López, Ariel Ortega
Ariel Ortega
Arnaldo Ariel Ortega is an Argentine football attacking midfielder. His nickname is "El Burrito" , thus he is called "Burrito Ortega"....
and Diego Simeone among others. Babangida took part in Nigeria's 1998 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...
campaign, playing a total of 120 minutes as he started one game and came on as a sub in the other three. He scored his team's only goal in the second-round defeat to Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
. In January 2001, Babangida appeared in an exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
at the Yokohama International Stadium (known as the Nissan Stadium nowadays), playing for FIFA XI in a game against the unified team of Japan
Japan
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...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
Babangida only made his African Nations Cup debut in 2000 as Nigeria withdrew from the 1996 edition
1996 African Cup of Nations
-Group B:---------------------Group C:------------ withdrew, so their three matches were canceled.*vs. , January 16, 1996*vs. , January 19, 1996*vs...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
due to political reasons and missed out on 1998 African Cup of Nations
1998 African Cup of Nations
The 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso was the 21st edition of the African Cup of Nations , the national football championship of Africa, administered by the Confederation of African Football . Just like in 1996, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
through disqualification. Babangida scored two spectacular goals against South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
to put Nigeria through to the final against Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
, where they drew 2–2, before being narrowly defeated 3–4 on penalties. He appeared in all of his team's five games, starting two.
He then featured in Nigeria's run to the 2002 World Cup finals
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...
, scoring two important first-half goals against Ghana
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
on the final day of the 2002 World Cup qualification
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African Zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....
, helping Nigeria seal the final African region World Cup berth. Babangida played in all of his team's games at the 2002 Nations Cup, but was dropped ahead of the World Cup, alongside several other experienced players like Sunday Oliseh and Finidi George
Finidi George
Finidi George is a retired Nigerian footballer who played as a right winger.After making a name for himself at Ajax in the Netherlands – being a leading figure in a team which won eight major titles, including the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League – he played several years in Spain with Real Betis,...
. He was recalled to the national team for the pre-Nations Cup training camp in Faro, Portugal
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
in 2004, but did not make the final squad, making the 2002 Cup of Nations his last major international tournament.
Career statistics
|-|1991–92||rowspan="2"|VVV-Venlo||Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||6||3
|-
|1992–93||Eerste Divisie
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
||28||16
|-
|1993–94||rowspan="3"|Roda||rowspan="3"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||29||11
|-
|1994–95||20||5
|-
|1995–96||29||10
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="4"|Ajax||rowspan="4"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||25||4
|-
|1997–98|||26||13
|-
|1998–99||18||2
|-
|1999–2000||8||1
|-
|2000–01||Gençlerbirliği||Turkish First Football League||12||2
|-
|2001–02||Vitesse||Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||14||1
|-
|2002–03
Saudi Premier League 2002–03
-Stadia and locations:Regular SeasonTable: 1.Al-Ittihad 22 15 4 3 53-24 49 Qualified [Jeddah] 2.Al-Ahly 22 15 2 5 54-23 47 Qualified [Jeddah] 3.Al-Nasr 22 12 6 4 49-26 42 Qualified [Riyadh]...
||Al-Ittihad||Premier League
Saudi Premier League
The Saudi Professional League, officially known as , is the main football competition in Saudi Arabia. The first competition was held in the year of 1976–77...
||5||0
|-
|2003||rowspan="2"|Changchun Yatai||Jia-B League||9||4
|-
|2004||League One||20||4
203||66
12||2
5||0
29||8
249||76
|}
National team statistics
|-|1994||2||0
|-
|1995||0||0
|-
|1996||0||0
|-
|1997||2||0
|-
|1998||7||1
|-
|1999||3||0
|-
|2000||10||2
|-
|2001||7||2
|-
|2002||5||0
|-
!Total||36||5
|}
International goals
- Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 28 June 1998 Stade de France Stade de FranceThe Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
, Saint-DenisSaint-DenisSaint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
1–4 1–4 1998 World Cup 1998 FIFA World CupThe 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...2. 10 February 2000 National Stadium, Lagos LagosLagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
1–0 2–0 2000 African Cup of Nations 2000 African Cup of NationsThe 2000 African Cup of Nations was the 22nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa . It was co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, who jointly replaced Zimbabwe as host. Just like in 1998, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...3. 2–0 4. 29 July 2001 Liberation Stadium Liberation StadiumLiberation Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Elekahia area of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Dolphins F.C.. The stadium has a capacity of 25,000 people....
, Port Harcourt2–0 3–0 2002 World Cup qualifier 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African Zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....3. 3–0