Cybereagles

“Despite being described as one of the greatest players and goal scorers in Nigeria’s football history, Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun, only scored 2 goals for Nigeria during his entire career. He scored both goals in a single match against Gold Coast (Ghana) in 1954.”
https://mathematical7.com/m7/what-do-yo ... ew_id=2404

Plus other interesting facts about Nigerian football

demystification

16. Sunday Oliseh, played 35 times, and scored only 2 goals during his entire career in the national team.

That's surprising. With all the myths we heard growing up about his lethal shots.

olu wrote:That's surprising. With all the myths we heard growing up about his lethal shots.

not surprise at all; falls into case of 'seeing 2 balls' stories peddled in those days of no camera, no tv

...he is famed for thunderous shots not scoring goals hence the name "Thunder". We heard his shots tear nets (that's side netting tear)

mcal wrote:...he is famed for thunderous shots not scoring goals hence the name "Thunder". We heard his shots tear nets (that's side netting tear)

Actually he take shot tear pesin belle

gochino wrote:16. Sunday Oliseh, played 35 times, and scored only 2 goals during his entire career in the national team.

One of which was the bulala against Spain in the 1998 world cup.

Also surprising that Christian Madu, for all his trickery, and Taiwo Ogunjobi played only once each for the National team.

That surprises me about Madu. Isn't he meant to be a legend?

ukwala wrote:Also surprising that Christian Madu, for all his trickery, and Taiwo Ogunjobi played only once each for the National team.

olu wrote:That surprises me about Madu. Isn't he meant to be a legend?

ukwala wrote:Also surprising that Christian Madu, for all his trickery, and Taiwo Ogunjobi played only once each for the National team.

how did we start talking about goals scored and now to appearances by midfielders

This is what happens when very very old people like yemibrassiere narrate eye witness accounts of games they saw in their 30s ...they make up and embellish the facts.

jette1 wrote:

olu wrote:That surprises me about Madu. Isn't he meant to be a legend?

ukwala wrote:Also surprising that Christian Madu, for all his trickery, and Taiwo Ogunjobi played only once each for the National team.

how did we start talking about goals scored and now to appearances by midfielders

It’s all in the referenced Odegbami’s article, part of the “plus other interesting facts about Nigerian football”.
This post is not only about Thunder Balogun but the whole article by Odegbami. The title block can only take so many letters.

olu wrote:That surprises me about Madu. Isn't he meant to be a legend?

ukwala wrote:Also surprising that Christian Madu, for all his trickery, and Taiwo Ogunjobi played only once each for the National team.

He is a legend who came back to Nigeria in his twilight years and had to contend with the sitting legend in Muda Lawal

paj wrote:

mcal wrote:...he is famed for thunderous shots not scoring goals hence the name "Thunder". We heard his shots tear nets (that's side netting tear)

Actually he take shot tear pesin belle

That's the one I heard.

Clearly these guys were in the 40s, yet were still under tutelage. Explains 3SC tutelage system...

Prince wrote:

I get this feeling that the Yoruba/West would just be another Togo or Benin if it were not for Lagos, 1naija's people and Nigeria.

ANC wrote:I get this feeling that the Yoruba/West would just be another Togo or Benin if it were not for Lagos, 1naija's people and Nigeria.

You mean the likes of Adebayor, Alaba etc would get a chance to play for Nigeria Just wondering what you mean

People said that Ghana won African Cup of Nations.

Prince wrote:

ANC wrote:I get this feeling that the Yoruba/West would just be another Togo or Benin if it were not for Lagos, 1naija's people and Nigeria.

You mean the likes of Adebayor, Alaba etc would get a chance to play for Nigeria Just wondering what you mean

don't mind that ghanian

I am surprised by the comments made here. It only shows how much many do not know about Nigeria's football history. First of all, Balogun played in only 11 games for Nigeria which isn't many but it also explains why he scored few goals. Although, you could argue that the average per game is also low. However, bear in mind, that Balogun's legendary status was never with the Nigerian national team but was accomplished in the Challenge Cup. Furthermore, it is remarkable that his career started before Nigeria even had a national team and yet he ended up playing 11 years in the national team, a feat that even today's players will have difficulty achieving.

Enugu II wrote:I am surprised by the comments made here. It only shows how much many do not know about Nigeria's football history. First of all, Balogun played in only 11 games for Nigeria which isn't many but it also explains why he scored few goals. Although, you could argue that the average per game is also low. However, bear in mind, that Balogun's legendary status was never with the Nigerian national team but was accomplished in the Challenge Cup. Furthermore, it is remarkable that his career started before Nigeria even had a national team and yet he ended up playing 11 years in the national team, a feat that even today's players will have difficulty achieving.

Oga Enugu II:
Similar to you, Kunle Solaja in his book (Super Eagles: Through the Ages) also wrote about Balogun's legendary status in the Challenge Cup as well as Balogun's professional soccer career in England (with Peterborough United, Queens Park Rangers and etal). The 11 years timeline was also stated. The key difference between the two of you is the number of caps. He noted that the Balogun had 6 international caps ( Debut: Oct 8, 1949: Nigeria vs Sierra Leone). For my own personal "edification", just wondering if there were some games that he missed or the ones you added that might have been omitted by Kunle Solaja?

Nonetheless, his explanation for Balogun' small number caps, despite the legendary status, is that Nigerian national team had fewer fixtures or relatively small number of international games in those days.