Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Where Eagles dare! Discuss Nigerian related football (soccer) topics here.

Moderators: Moderator Team, phpBB2 - Administrators

User avatar
Bell
Egg
Egg
Posts: 7032
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:43 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Bell »

TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:
Ezesportsworld wrote:Ranked: The 5 best attacking midfielders #10
1. JJ Okocha
2. Etim Esin
3. Haruna Ilerika.
4. Henry Nwosu.
5. Chibuzor Ehilegbu.

Honourably mentioned Albert Onyeanwuna
I beg to differ...

1. JJ Okocha
2. Henry Nwosu.
3. Samson Siasia.
4. Sam Garba Okoye
5. Mathias Obianika.

Must honorably mention:

6. Haruna Ilerika.
7. Christian Madu.
8. Dan Amokachi.


Cheers.
THE ONLY ONES ON YOUR LIST I DIDN'T SEE ARE NWOSU & MADU


That said Haruna Ilerika (if you actually saw him) and JayJay should be 1a. and 1b, or 1b and 1a. I saw all the others. I heard of the exploits of Madu though who spent much of his time in Ghana.
Bell
Image
Ezesportsworld
Egg
Egg
Posts: 1206
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 5:56 am
Contact:
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Ezesportsworld »

Bell , Josiah played from the left.. Madu played on one for Nigeria . Muda kept them all out
www.ezesportsworld.net

Chesapeake sports Academy
User avatar
Bell
Egg
Egg
Posts: 7032
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:43 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Bell »

TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:
Bell wrote:
TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:
Ezesportsworld wrote:Goalkeepers
1.Emma Okala
2.Vin Enyeama
3.Peter Fregene
4. Inua lawal Rigogo.
5. Peter Rufia.

Central defenders.
1 Christian Chukwu
2.Stephen Keshi
3. Okechukwu Uche.
4. Godwin Achebe.
5. Chidi Nwanu

More to come, book coming out soon.
1.Emmanel Okala
2.Vincent Enyeama.
3.Peter Rufai.
4.Perter Fregene.
5.Best Ogedegbe

Central defenders.
1 Christian Chukwu.
2.Godwin Achebe.
3.Taribo West.
4.Stephen Keshi.
5.Dominic Ezeani.


Cheers.
UNLESS MY MEMORY HAS FAILED ME...

...Godwin Achebe was a fullback, not a CD. And Dominic Ezeani was definitely a (left) half back at No. 6.
Bell
Indeed, your memory has failed you. He was forever a number 5, center half back under the old dispensation of 2-3-5. He played that central position for every major team he ever played for; ECN, Black Rocks, Rangers International and the Green Eagles. With respect to Dominic Ezeani, you are making a very common mistake, confusing terminology with formation. Long after Nigeria discarded the old fashioned sixties formation of 2-3-5 in favor of the more mordern and popular 4-2-4 formation of the seventies, the terminology still stuck around. The “half-back” terminology came from the 2-3-5 era. When the formation changed, the 6 essentially became a central defender and there were two; the 5 and the 6. The 2 and the 3 remained unchanged, the 4 and the 8 became the central midfielders, the 7 and the 11 were still wingers, the 10 became the supporting striker/attacking midfielder (and was usually the designated playmaker), while the 9 basically remained the same functionally. It is instructive to note that the 3–5-2 era had just about become extinct by the time Ezeani became a professional football player :!:


Cheers.
YES, IT'S POSSIBLE MY MEMORY FAILS ME ON ACHEBE, BUT...


...yours may have failed you on Ezeani. He was a left half back and wore the No. 6 jersey. In those days, the position dictated the number, and players did not own numbers. That's why it was rare to see a number beyond 12, nothing like the No. 77 you see today.

When Ezeani came to the scene in the first half of the 70's, the 2-3-5 formation was still in use, and the preferred lineup in those days was:

1. E. ESSIEN (E. OKALA) - Goalkeeper
2. A. IGWE (M. OWOLO), 3. S. EGBORGE - Fullbacks
4. SANNI MOHAMMED, 5. V. ODUAH, 6. D. EZEANI - Halfbacks
7. G. NJOKU, 8. S. OYAREKHUA, 9. H. ILERIKA, 10. Y. MAMBO, 11. J. DONBRAYE - Forwards

After years of ravaging Nigeria, this was the lineup Nigeria used to finally gain the upper hand in AA Games of 1972. For Ezeani to have been a CD, he would have had to take the place of Oduah and I know they played alongside each other.
Bell
Image
Enugu II
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 23614
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 2:39 am
Location: Super Eagles Homeland
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Enugu II »

Bell and TTTK

This argument is surprising because I think you guys actually agree on certain points. For instance, Ezeani was indeed a centreback and #6 for the Eagles at the All Africa Games. Oduah was the other centerback. In some games the aging Achebe was brought in to pair Oduah because Ezeani was a rookie. Now the formation had already moved on to a 4-2-4 by then. Consider that 4-2-4 had become widely known after England used it in 1966 to win the World Cup and Brazil operated with it in 1970 if my recollection is accurate.
The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
User avatar
Gotti
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 32049
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:20 am
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Gotti »

Bell wrote:YES, IT'S POSSIBLE MY MEMORY FAILS ME ON ACHEBE, BUT...


...yours may have failed you on Ezeani. He was a left half back and wore the No. 6 jersey. In those days, the position dictated the number, and players did not own numbers. That's why it was rare to see a number beyond 12, nothing like the No. 77 you see today.

When Ezeani came to the scene in the first half of the 70's, the 2-3-5 formation was still in use, and the preferred lineup in those days was:

1. E. ESSIEN (E. OKALA) - Goalkeeper
2. A. IGWE (M. OWOLO), 3. S. EGBORGE - Fullbacks
4. SANNI MOHAMMED, 5. V. ODUAH, 6. D. EZEANI - Halfbacks
7. G. NJOKU, 8. S. OYAREKHUA, 9. H. ILERIKA, 10. Y. MAMBO, 11. J. DONBRAYE - Forwards

After years of ravaging Nigeria, this was the lineup Nigeria used to finally gain the upper hand in AA Games of 1972. For Ezeani to have been a CD, he would have had to take the place of Oduah and I know they played alongside each other.
Bell
The LHB (#6) was indeed a CD...
While the RHB (#4) was today's DM.

In the England national team of those days...
The CD pair was Bobby Moore at CHB (#5) and Jack Charlton at LHB (#6).
#ENDSARS #BLM
#ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY


#FREESENEGAL
User avatar
Gotti
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 32049
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:20 am
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Gotti »

Ezesportsworld wrote:Bell , Josiah played from the left.. Madu played on one for Nigeria . Muda kept them all out
Christian Madu started one game for Nigeria (vs S/Leone) and was FANTASTIC...
It was shocking therefore when Father Tiko subbed him off at HT never to be seen again!

Father Tiko wanted more speed and grit in the RHB/holding midfield role, and there was none better at it than Muda Lawal. The perfect solution in the opinion of many would have been to move Madu to the #10 (inside-left/attacking-creative midfielder) role that he played with Accra Great Olympics, particularly following the departure of Godwin Iwelumo to the US collegiate system, but the obstinate Tiko (who publicly cited Madu's lack of pace, which Europeans valued so much more in those days in contrast South Americans) instead drafted the even more immobile and bulky CD Kelechi "Caterpillar" Emetoele to the #10 role. That singular decision (plus the preference of an aging and slowing Sam Ojebode over a young Felix "Owoblow" Owolabi) IMHO conspired to cost us the 1978 WC ticket!
#ENDSARS #BLM
#ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY


#FREESENEGAL
User avatar
TonyTheTigerKiller
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 12334
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2003 7:55 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by TonyTheTigerKiller »

Bell wrote:
TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:
Ezesportsworld wrote:Ranked: The 5 best attacking midfielders #10
1. JJ Okocha
2. Etim Esin
3. Haruna Ilerika.
4. Henry Nwosu.
5. Chibuzor Ehilegbu.

Honourably mentioned Albert Onyeanwuna
I beg to differ...

1. JJ Okocha
2. Henry Nwosu.
3. Samson Siasia.
4. Sam Garba Okoye
5. Mathias Obianika.

Must honorably mention:

6. Haruna Ilerika.
7. Christian Madu.
8. Dan Amokachi.


Cheers.
THE ONLY ONES ON YOUR LIST I DIDN'T SEE ARE NWOSU & MADU


That said Haruna Ilerika (if you actually saw him) and JayJay should be 1a. and 1b, or 1b and 1a. I saw all the others. I heard of the exploits of Madu though who spent much of his time in Ghana.
Bell
They were all very good. Ilerika was played most often as a 9 but he was a heck of a show-boater like JJ and Sam Garba. Statistically, he wasn’t as effective. In the absence of JJ, Henry Nwosu is the best darned 10 and, quite possibly, the most athletic we ever had :!:


Cheers.
Ezesportsworld
Egg
Egg
Posts: 1206
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 5:56 am
Contact:
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Ezesportsworld »

Gotti you are on point about Madu
www.ezesportsworld.net

Chesapeake sports Academy
User avatar
TonyTheTigerKiller
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 12334
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2003 7:55 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by TonyTheTigerKiller »

Gotti wrote:
Ezesportsworld wrote:Bell , Josiah played from the left.. Madu played on one for Nigeria . Muda kept them all out
Christian Madu started one game for Nigeria (vs S/Leone) and was FANTASTIC...
It was shocking therefore when Father Tiko subbed him off at HT never to be seen again!

Father Tiko wanted more speed and grit in the RHB/holding midfield role, and there was none better at it than Muda Lawal. The perfect solution in the opinion of many would have been to move Madu to the #10 (inside-left/attacking-creative midfielder) role that he played with Accra Great Olympics, particularly following the departure of Godwin Iwelumo to the US collegiate system, but the obstinate Tiko (who publicly cited Madu's lack of pace, which Europeans valued so much more in those days in contrast South Americans) instead drafted the even more immobile and bulky CD Kelechi "Caterpillar" Emetoele to the #10 role. That singular decision (plus the preference of an aging and slowing Sam Ojebode over a young Felix "Owoblow" Owolabi) IMHO conspired to cost us the 1978 WC ticket!
Gotti, Sam Ojebode and Felix Owolabi were not competing for the same role. Sam was a fullback while Felix was a winger... and it was Godwin Odiye who cost us the ‘78 World Cup ticket :mrgreen: :!:


Cheers.
User avatar
Gotti
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 32049
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:20 am
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Gotti »

TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:Gotti, Sam Ojebode and Felix Owolabi were not competing for the same role. Sam was a fullback while Felix was a winger... and it was Godwin Odiye who cost us the ‘78 World Cup ticket :mrgreen: :!:
Owolabi was like Cameroon’s Olembe and regularly played at LB for the Eagles (in fact I believe his Eagles’ debut was at LB), in addition to the outside left and even inside left positions.

Meanwhile, while Godwin Odiye got the own-goal header against Tunisia, Samuel Ojebode was REPEATEDLY beaten (mostly for pace) down that right side of the Tunisian attack - until the cross that came in from that flank that Odiye ill-fatedly headed past Okala into the Nigerian net. Nonetheless, my analysis was not limited to just the Tunisian game (which was the final qualifier for Nigeria) but the entire final qualification phase (between Nigeria, Egypt and Tunisia). The consensus was the Tom Usiyen’s absence was the single most important factor in that ill-fated campaign, but I still believe that Nigeria would have still scrapped through but for the shortcomings of Ojebode (see also away tie against Egypt) and the virtual non-factor that Emetoele proved in the middle of the park.
#ENDSARS #BLM
#ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY


#FREESENEGAL
User avatar
Bell
Egg
Egg
Posts: 7032
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:43 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Bell »

Enugu II wrote:Bell and TTTK

This argument is surprising because I think you guys actually agree on certain points. For instance, Ezeani was indeed a centreback and #6 for the Eagles at the All Africa Games. Oduah was the other centerback. In some games the aging Achebe was brought in to pair Oduah because Ezeani was a rookie. Now the formation had already moved on to a 4-2-4 by then. Consider that 4-2-4 had become widely known after England used it in 1966 to win the World Cup and Brazil operated with it in 1970 if my recollection is accurate.
enuguii, THANKS BECAUSE...


...I almost forgot Achebe was in the AAG squad.
Bell
Image
User avatar
Bell
Egg
Egg
Posts: 7032
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:43 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Bell »

TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:
Bell wrote:
TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:
Ezesportsworld wrote:Ranked: The 5 best attacking midfielders #10
1. JJ Okocha
2. Etim Esin
3. Haruna Ilerika.
4. Henry Nwosu.
5. Chibuzor Ehilegbu.

Honourably mentioned Albert Onyeanwuna
I beg to differ...

1. JJ Okocha
2. Henry Nwosu.
3. Samson Siasia.
4. Sam Garba Okoye
5. Mathias Obianika.

Must honorably mention:

6. Haruna Ilerika.
7. Christian Madu.
8. Dan Amokachi.


Cheers.
THE ONLY ONES ON YOUR LIST I DIDN'T SEE ARE NWOSU & MADU


That said Haruna Ilerika (if you actually saw him) and JayJay should be 1a. and 1b, or 1b and 1a. I saw all the others. I heard of the exploits of Madu though who spent much of his time in Ghana.
Bell
They were all very good. Ilerika was played most often as a 9 but he was a heck of a show-boater like JJ and Sam Garba. Statistically, he wasn’t as effective. In the absence of JJ, Henry Nwosu is the best darned 10 and, quite possibly, the most athletic we ever had :!:


Cheers.
THAT WOULD DEPEND ON THE STATS YOU'RE LOOKING AT BECAUSE...


...while it's true Ilerika wasn't a great goal scorer with the Eagles, you cold say he was the most important forward. As I said earlier in this thread he made Mambo and Oyarekhua the goal scorers they were by dismantling defenses. I recall that in a match away at Zambia in which Haruna was ejected, the Eagles lost 5-0. Unfortunately in soccer, like many sports, no one knows what you're doing unless you score. Except, maybe, your team mates
Bell
Image
BAP
Egg
Egg
Posts: 3290
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:08 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by BAP »

Gotti wrote:
BAP wrote:Honestly this list get as e be and I think a combination of old age and an apparent lack of familiarity with players playing west of the Niger is causing ezeaportsworld to come up
With a funny funnny list

For best Ogedebge 1976 African club champion with IICC and later anc 80 champion who benched the likes of Okala and Erico along the way not to make the top five goalkeepers squad while goalkeepers Like fregene and Rigogo make the list leaves one scratching ones head. But then again subjective topics like this are often rooted in nostalgia so I have to respect the mans right to his list

Also for the left back position , not a single person on that left back list imho could match Felix Owolabi ( Owo Blow) the one man riot squad himself . Also an anc winner and in reality led shooting stars to the 84 African club championship final against zamalek which IICC would have likely won had he
Not been injured for the final

And in all honesty I just don’t see anybody on that list whoWas better than Taiye Taiwo in his hey day . Meanwhile we are seeing the likes of Bright (10-10) Omokaro on the list ? Don’t get me wrong I was. An Omokaro fan but the likes of Omokaro and Egboigbe were simply red cards waiting to happen at least as far as the mordern game goes


Anyway sha it’s subjective topic and ezesportsworld has the right to his list as he sees fit but since he put it out for public commentary all
I can say is My two cents
Best "benched" Okala at the tail END of Okala's career...
At each prime's Best is best suited to logging around Okala's jockstrap. :lol:
Or perhaps he retired him early at the ripe old age of 29 :mrgreen: which for on field players would be equivalent to maybe 21 :mrgreen: ..

No disrespect to Okala (Rangers fans sheathe your swords) . But Best Ogedegbe was nothing to sneeze at. An ANC Championship and African Club Championship with several league and FA Cup Championships to boot speaks for itself nostalgia aside.

Only Vince Enyeama and Perhaps Peter Rufai have comparable records
BAP
Egg
Egg
Posts: 3290
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:08 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by BAP »

furiously frank wrote:Eze's list seems to be more of Coal City top 55.
Any top 55 that will excludes any of these folks is a wash: Owoblow, Khadri Ikhana, Leotis Boateng, Ayo Ogunlana, Shefiu Mohammed, Baba #$% Mohammed, Daniel Amokachi, Tarila okorowanta, Edebor, Nwosu, Sofoluwe, Hadji Muda Ben Ugwu, Yekini.

What we should do is have people list one reason why the player mentioned made the list:
Won ANC, Made WC, won club championship or challenge cup. Or Redefined the position he played forever:

Sunday Oliseh for instance changed the holding midfielder role for our national team
. Yekini won ABP and scored Nigeria first WC goal.
Hadji Muda redefined out #10
. Leotis Boateng scored the best goal for Nigeria
. Surugede won BCC its continental cup thru his goal and leadership.
When we lost Da Bull, Nigeria national team could not recover for more than a decade
. Keshi redefined libero role and he's the reason why Chidi Nwanu will not make the list
Shefiu consistency defines his generation
Ugbade played all age grade tournament and qualified Nigeria at the highest level= playing the same or similar role: u17, U21, u23, and senior national team. He won the first 3 and made 2nd round of the last!
:agree: :agree:
BAP
Egg
Egg
Posts: 3290
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:08 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by BAP »

Cellular wrote:
txj wrote:
Ezesportsworld wrote:Best 5 defensive midfielders for both club and country.
1.Muda lawal
2.Mikel Obi.
3. Sunday Oliseh
4. Sam Garba Okoye.
5. Wilfred Ndidi..

Ndidi after 2yrs?

What about the likes of Waidi Akanni or Ademola Adeshina?
Demola was a heck of a midfielder.
I think the most complete footballer I have witnessed for Naija is Muda Lawal. Capable of playing any position at a very high level.
Muda just made anyone he played with better.

Loved Oliseh and Mikel as well... I like their cerebral way of playing the game.

Give me Muda then throw in anyone else.
Demola Was initially a striker(#9) then converted to a cenrtal defender(#4). Dont recall him ever being a midfielder
User avatar
Gotti
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 32049
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:20 am
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Gotti »

BAP wrote:Or perhaps he retired him early at the ripe old age of 29 :mrgreen: which for on field players would be equivalent to maybe 21 :mrgreen: ..

No disrespect to Okala (Rangers fans sheathe your swords) . But Best Ogedegbe was nothing to sneeze at. An ANC Championship and African Club Championship with several league and FA Cup Championships to boot speaks for itself nostalgia aside.

Only Vince Enyeama and Perhaps Peter Rufai have comparable records
All due (emphasis on “due” :lol: ) respect to Best (Sootin fans sheat your sword abegi)...

But Okala won EVERYTHING that you just listed that Best won (in fact, MORE - since Rangers dominated the local scene during the Okala era and won MORE domestic trophies than Sootin), PLUS All-Africa Games GOLD and silver medals, as well as the Africa Footballer of the Year 1978 (awarded by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa)! Meanwhile, the sight of Best floppingly flapping at basic shots at the 1980 Olympic Games (particularly against minnows Kuwait) is still haunting. LMAO!!
#ENDSARS #BLM
#ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY


#FREESENEGAL
Ezesportsworld
Egg
Egg
Posts: 1206
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 5:56 am
Contact:
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Ezesportsworld »

Best won’t even make the best 10 Nigerian goalkeepers. I will choose Shoronmu before him
www.ezesportsworld.net

Chesapeake sports Academy
User avatar
Gotti
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 32049
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:20 am
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Gotti »

Gotti wrote:Or perhaps he retired him early at the ripe old age of 29 :mrgreen: which for on field players would be equivalent to maybe 21 :mrgreen: ..

No disrespect to Okala (Rangers fans sheathe your swords) . But Best Ogedegbe was nothing to sneeze at. An ANC Championship and African Club Championship with several league and FA Cup Championships to boot speaks for itself nostalgia aside.

Only Vince Enyeama and Perhaps Peter Rufai have comparable records
BTW, what each of them won was the Africa Cup Winners Cup...
But of course, Okala also additionally won an Africa Club Champions Cup runners-up medal! :lol:
#ENDSARS #BLM
#ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY


#FREESENEGAL
Ezesportsworld
Egg
Egg
Posts: 1206
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 5:56 am
Contact:
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by Ezesportsworld »

Ranked:The 5 best attacking midfielders #8
1.Kanu Nwankwo.
2. Dan Amokachi.
3. Sam Okwaraji.
4. Samson Siasia
5.Aloy Atuegbu.

Honourably mentioned Adepoju, Baby Anieke, Paul Hamilton, Mathias Obianika
www.ezesportsworld.net

Chesapeake sports Academy
BAP
Egg
Egg
Posts: 3290
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:08 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by BAP »

Gotti wrote:
BAP wrote:Or perhaps he retired him early at the ripe old age of 29 :mrgreen: which for on field players would be equivalent to maybe 21 :mrgreen: ..

No disrespect to Okala (Rangers fans sheathe your swords) . But Best Ogedegbe was nothing to sneeze at. An ANC Championship and African Club Championship with several league and FA Cup Championships to boot speaks for itself nostalgia aside.

Only Vince Enyeama and Perhaps Peter Rufai have comparable records
All due (emphasis on “due” :lol: ) respect to Best (Sootin fans sheat your sword abegi)...

But Okala won EVERYTHING that you just listed that Best won (in fact, MORE - since Rangers dominated the local scene during the Okala era and won MORE domestic trophies than Sootin), PLUS All-Africa Games GOLD and silver medals, as well as the Africa Footballer of the Year 1978 (awarded by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa)! Meanwhile, the sight of Best floppingly flapping at basic shots at the 1980 Olympic Games (particularly against minnows Kuwait) is still haunting. LMAO!!
All said and done ,Otto Gloria chose to put his Nations Cup Hopes in Best's Hands and not 29 year old Okala's or Erico's or any other :mrgreen:

I certainly dont recall any flapping at the Moscow Olympics but I do recall PK saves during the 82 WCQ against Tunisia . It was a wonderful sight to behold :mrgreen:

Again no direspect to Okala but the fact remains that Best belongs in the Top 5 right there with Okala and both behind Enyeama and Rufai

PS: perhaps I missed it but where was this Flapping :) :mrgreen:
[/video]
User avatar
TonyTheTigerKiller
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 12334
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2003 7:55 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by TonyTheTigerKiller »

BAP wrote:
Gotti wrote:
BAP wrote:Or perhaps he retired him early at the ripe old age of 29 :mrgreen: which for on field players would be equivalent to maybe 21 :mrgreen: ..

No disrespect to Okala (Rangers fans sheathe your swords) . But Best Ogedegbe was nothing to sneeze at. An ANC Championship and African Club Championship with several league and FA Cup Championships to boot speaks for itself nostalgia aside.

Only Vince Enyeama and Perhaps Peter Rufai have comparable records
All due (emphasis on “due” :lol: ) respect to Best (Sootin fans sheat your sword abegi)...

But Okala won EVERYTHING that you just listed that Best won (in fact, MORE - since Rangers dominated the local scene during the Okala era and won MORE domestic trophies than Sootin), PLUS All-Africa Games GOLD and silver medals, as well as the Africa Footballer of the Year 1978 (awarded by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa)! Meanwhile, the sight of Best floppingly flapping at basic shots at the 1980 Olympic Games (particularly against minnows Kuwait) is still haunting. LMAO!!
All said and done ,Otto Gloria chose to put his Nations Cup Hopes in Best's Hands and not 29 year old Okala's or Erico's or any other :mrgreen:

I certainly dont recall any flapping at the Moscow Olympics but I do recall PK saves during the 82 WCQ against Tunisia . It was a wonderful sight to behold :mrgreen:

Again no direspect to Okala but the fact remains that Best belongs in the Top 5 right there with Okala and both behind Enyeama and Rufai

PS: perhaps I missed it but where was this Flapping :) :mrgreen:
[/video]
Enyeama the flapper is not as good as Okala was. Just because the present day Nigerian athlete is getting noticed on the international stage doesn’t mean they have better skills than the athletes of yesteryears. Who do you think got the Europeans to start noticing African talent? ... and please, refrain from mentioning Rufai’s name in the same breadth as Okala’s. What, are you kidding me :roll: :?: :!:


Cheers.
BAP
Egg
Egg
Posts: 3290
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:08 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by BAP »

TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:
Enyeama the flapper is not as good as Okala was. Just because the present day Nigerian athlete is getting noticed on the international stage doesn’t mean they have better skills than the athletes of yesteryears. Who do you think got the Europeans to start noticing African talent? ... and please, refrain from mentioning Rufai’s name in the same breadth as Okala’s. What, are you kidding me :roll: :?: :!:


Cheers.
As they say .. Ones perception is his reality :mrgreen:
https://www.thecable.ng/enyeama-ranked- ... -the-world

Vincent Enyeama, former Super Eagles goalkeeper, has made the list of top 10 goalkeepers in the world.

Enyeama is the sixth on the list, compiled by Swiss-based CIES football observatory, ahead of the likes of David De Gea of Manchester United, Petr Cech of Arsenal and Joe Hart of Manchester City.

also behind Enyeama are Hugo Lloris of Tottenham, Alphonse Areola of Villareal, Keylor Navas of Real Madrid and Pepe Reina of Napoli.

But ahead of the Lille FC goalkeeper are Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich, Jan Oblak of Athletico Madrid, Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus, Kevin Trapp of PSG and Claudio Bravo of Barcelona.

CIES ranked the players taking into account the number of goals conceded per match, number of minutes per goal, number of passes per match, number of saves per match, number of saves per goal conceded and the percentage of saves.
I keep hearing about flapping but from all indications flapping may be a good thing cos all these "flapping" goalies kept making achievements

Perhaps you should ask Lionel Messi about Enyeama the flapper :mrgreen:
http://www.kickoff.com/news/16090/lione ... nt-enyeama

Lionel Messi described Vincent Enyeama as "phenomenal" after the Nigeria goalkeeper produced what he described as his 'best performance' to keep the Argentine forward at bay on numerous occasions in their Group B game on Saturday.

"The goalkeeper was phenomenal," Messi said after he and his Argentina mates were limited to a 1-0 win mostly thanks to Enyeama's series of stunning saves.

"He takes all the credit. We played a great game today and created a lot of chances. We just couldn't get the second goal."
Last edited by BAP on Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
BAP
Egg
Egg
Posts: 3290
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:08 pm
Re: Book:Ranked Nigeria’s best 55 players ever

Post by BAP »

Gotti wrote:
BAP wrote:Or perhaps he retired him early at the ripe old age of 29 :mrgreen: which for on field players would be equivalent to maybe 21 :mrgreen: ..

No disrespect to Okala (Rangers fans sheathe your swords) . But Best Ogedegbe was nothing to sneeze at. An ANC Championship and African Club Championship with several league and FA Cup Championships to boot speaks for itself nostalgia aside.

Only Vince Enyeama and Perhaps Peter Rufai have comparable records
All due (emphasis on “due” :lol: ) respect to Best (Sootin fans sheat your sword abegi)...

But Okala won EVERYTHING that you just listed that Best won (in fact, MORE - since Rangers dominated the local scene during the Okala era and won MORE domestic trophies than Sootin), PLUS All-Africa Games GOLD and silver medals, as well as the Africa Footballer of the Year 1978 (awarded by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa)! Meanwhile, the sight of Best floppingly flapping at basic shots at the 1980 Olympic Games (particularly against minnows Kuwait) is still haunting. LMAO!!
To be exact Sooting won both the FA Cup and the League Twice during the Best Era (76-82) , while rangers won the FA Cup once and the league twice during that era .

Post Reply