Tunde Folawiyo

With a rich team history dating back to 1949, the Nigeria National Football Team, – nicknamed the Super Eagles – are the 3-time Africa Cup of Nations champions, honours demonstrating the team’s vast talents in the sport of football. Inspiring millions of fans such as Tunde Folawiyo, the Super Eagles have housed some of Africa’s greatest athletes. Among their many revered accomplishments, the Super Eagles once ranked 5th in the FIFA World Rankings in 1994 – the highest ranking in history for an African football team – solidifying the team’s significant role in the world of African sports.

Controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the Nigerian National Football Team has accomplished great fetes in their 70-year team history. These various honours include, most notably, a gold medal win in the 2nd All-Africa games. The Super Eagles, formally nicknamed the Green Eagles, have twice qualified for the FIFA World Cup round of 16 and have appeared in five of the past six World Cups. With this, they became the first African football team to win gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, before going on to win the Silver Medal in Beijing.

Throughout their accomplished history in the world of football, the Super Eagles have served as home to some of football’s most respected athletic talents including Kanu Nwankwo, who – as a striker – remains one of Africa’s most decorated footballers. Kanu Nwankwo is one of few footballers to win the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal. As a two-time African Footballer of the year, Nwankwo served his team from 1994 until 2010, concluding his international career following the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. His time as captain of the Super Eagles is forever embedded in the team’s history. Amidst his athletic accomplishments with the Super Eagles, Kanu Nwankwo was diagnosed with a serious heart defect and underwent heart surgery in November of 1996. Known throughout Africa for his philanthropic work, Kanu Nwankwo founded the Kanu Heart Foundation, an organisation that helps predominantly young African children who suffer heart defects and whose work was expanded to provide aid for homeless children in 2008. He, along with other revered Nigerian players such as Patrick Olusegun Odegbami and Augustine Azuka “Jay-Jay” Okocha will forever be cemented in the team’s history as some of the greatest players to wear the green jersey. Through the support of fans like Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others throughout the continent and beyond, the Super Eagles will continue to showcase their immense talent to the masses.

With a rich team history spanning over 70 years, Nigeria’s football team holds a vibrant, loyal fan base of millions, including Nigerian Tunde Folawiyo. Controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation, the Nigerian national football team (NFF) – nicknamed the Super Eagles – has won many distinctions in their history as a franchise. The team currently ranks 37th in the FIFA World Cup Rankings – a greatly significant accomplishment for an African sports team. The Super Eagles won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, a title they’ve won 3 times in their history, demonstrating the team’s immense talent on the field.

The Nigerian national football team became the first African football team to win gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, an accomplishment of vast significance for African sports. Twice qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, the team later went on to win a Silver Medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 after suffering a 0-1 defeat against Argentina. The Super Eagles won a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games and later went on to win third place in the 1976 and 1978 African Cup of Nations.

The Nigerian National Football team has been home to players of immense talent in the sport of football. Patrick Olusegun Odegbami, often shortened to Segun Odegbami was born August 27, 1952, in Abeokuta. Brought up in the northern city of Jos, Plateau State guided Nigeria to its first Africa Cup of Nations title at the 1980 tournament. Famed for his skill on the ball, speed and precision of his crosses from the right wing, Ogedbami earned the nickname “Mathematical”, partly because he attended The Polytechnic – Nigeria’s premier technical institution – and graduated with a degree in Engineering. His last game was the 1984 African Champions Cup final defeat to Zamalek of Egypt. Throughout his career, Segun Odegbami exuded tremendous skill on the field, assisting in the team in many honours. Years after his retirement, Segun Odegbami played a charity game with the much loved Zebrudaya and donated his entire winnings to The Little Saints’ Orphanage on the Strong Tower Mission, further exemplifying the character and integrity of some of the team’s most respected players. With their long-standing devotion and success throughout their history as a team, the Super Eagles have forever impacted the world of African sports. As they embark on a new year of play, the Super Eagles continue to inspire millions of fans throughout the world, including native Nigerian Tunde Folawiyo.