Friday Ekpo speaks on Finidi George

[Lolly]

Finidi never solely carried any of the teams he played for, maybe Sharks. Odegbami carried IICC on his back for a fair period until it destroyed his knees.

I am going for Odegbami with this one due to that.

Finidi was voted the best right sided midfielder in the WORLD in 1998 ahead of Figo and Zanetti!!

Dammy,

David Beckham was voted second best player in the world twice. This was a person that wasn't even the second best midfielder at any point at his clubside then. That is also why all of this voting by whoever doesn't register with me.

Finidi was a cog in the wheel with every Naija team he played in. Segun Odegami was the wheel at times.

To those who see fit to denigrate African football of the 70's and 80's just to belittle Segun Odegbami's ability and give fuel to pro-Finidi arguments, how come Finidi's CV doesn't show him at clubs like Milan, Inter, Juve, Barcelona or Real Madrid. The cream of football clubs when he was at the top of his game.


Finidi was a good player but even as a right winger that made it in Europe, I cannot rate him above Segun Odegbami.

The above highlighted sentence is a funny one. Just answer this straight forward question. Between the years of 1995 & 1996, which club was the strongest & most successful in Europe for that period? Aswani, abeg answer the question.

Adisboy,

Two answers (By the way Damunk, I wasn't ignoring you. I didn't respond because you rounded things up perfectly by saying we respect each others views but we can't agree):

1) Two years is nowhere near enough to be claiming a team as the consistently absolute best in anything, extend it to a 4 year period at least.

2) You surely are not putting forward an argument that because Ajax was dominant, so was Finidi. The Ajax team had super players all over the pitch, Finidi didn't carry or make Ajax.

I hate to repeat this, as it sounds like Finidi bashing, but there is a reason why the big spending top clubs in Europe didn't splurge out for him as they did for the rest of his team mates when that Ajax team broke up. Some of those guys also played for multiple "big" clubs.

Also, Van Gaal went to Barcelona and although a fair few of his Ajax players ended up there, Finidi didn't. Let's bear that in mind too when we start making Finidi out to be greater than he was.

I also have vague recollections of reading somewhere about Allan Hawkes looking to take both Segun Odegbami and one other (might be Muda Lawal) back to England after his first stint at Shooting ended. Who knows what direction their careers would have gone but again I would paraphrase Oloye, they did not need to better their lives playing abroad.

Finidi was a great player but Odegbami was even greater and the margin isn't a small one, that is my humble opinion.

Thank you sir.

Anyone who watched and studied both players and knows football cannot come to a different conclusion. The margin isn't a small one.

[Dammy]

Segun Odegbami played in 2 WCQ campaigns (1978 & 1982) for Nigeria and we qualified for neither.
Finidi played in 3 WCQ campaigns ( 1994, 1998 & 2002) and we qualified for all 3.
If that should reveal who had the greater impact. In 1981, we brought back virtually all our professional players to join a squad that were African champions in the final WCQ against Algeria. Odegbami played both matches and had no impact as we lost 2-0 and 2-1 to crash out.
In 1993, Nigeria played the most important match in it's football history against Algeria away from home. Nigeria got the result in needed, a 1-1 draw to qualify for it's first ever world cup. Guess who scored the crucial goal? Finidi, now that's IMPACT!!!

You surprise me with this your analysis. I wouldn't have expected it from someone like you wey sabi bolu.

Qualifying berths for Africa

1978 - 1
1982 - 2
1994, 1998, 2002 - 5

George Weah did not qualify Liberia for W/C and only for one ANC, so we can conclude he wasn't a great player. Is that so?

My bro, whether it was 1 or 10, Big Seg didn't help Nigeria qualify for any world cup, yet Finidi helped us to qualify for THREE world cups! If that doesn't reveal who had the bigger impact on our national team, then I don't what other metrics will provide the answer.

[Lolly]

Segun Odegbami played in 2 WCQ campaigns (1978 & 1982) for Nigeria and we qualified for neither.
Finidi played in 3 WCQ campaigns ( 1994, 1998 & 2002) and we qualified for all 3.
If that should reveal who had the greater impact. In 1981, we brought back virtually all our professional players to join a squad that were African champions in the final WCQ against Algeria. Odegbami played both matches and had no impact as we lost 2-0 and 2-1 to crash out.
In 1993, Nigeria played the most important match in it's football history against Algeria away from home. Nigeria got the result in needed, a 1-1 draw to qualify for it's first ever world cup. Guess who scored the crucial goal? Finidi, now that's IMPACT!!!

You surprise me with this your analysis. I wouldn't have expected it from someone like you wey sabi bolu.

Qualifying berths for Africa

1978 - 1
1982 - 2
1994, 1998, 2002 - 5

George Weah did not qualify Liberia for W/C and only for one ANC, so we can conclude he wasn't a great player. Is that so?

My bro, whether it was 1 or 10, Big Seg didn't help Nigeria qualify for any world cup, yet Finidi helped us to qualify for THREE world cups! If that doesn't reveal who had the bigger impact on our national team, then I don't what other metrics will provide the answer.

Please tell me you are joking?

[Damunk]

Finidi never solely carried any of the teams he played for, maybe Sharks. Odegbami carried IICC on his back for a fair period until it destroyed his knees.

I am going for Odegbami with this one due to that.

Finidi was voted the best right sided midfielder in the WORLD in 1998 ahead of Figo and Zanetti!!

Dammy,

David Beckham was voted second best player in the world twice. This was a person that wasn't even the second best midfielder at any point at his clubside then. That is also why all of this voting by whoever doesn't register with me.

Finidi was a cog in the wheel with every Naija team he played in. Segun Odegami was the wheel at times.

To those who see fit to denigrate African football of the 70's and 80's just to belittle Segun Odegbami's ability and give fuel to pro-Finidi arguments, how come Finidi's CV doesn't show him at clubs like Milan, Inter, Juve, Barcelona or Real Madrid. The cream of football clubs when he was at the top of his game.


Finidi was a good player but even as a right winger that made it in Europe, I cannot rate him above Segun Odegbami.

The above highlighted sentence is a funny one. Just answer this straight forward question. Between the years of 1995 & 1996, which club was the strongest & most successful in Europe for that period? Aswani, abeg answer the question.

Adisboy,

Two answers (By the way Damunk, I wasn't ignoring you. I didn't respond because you rounded things up perfectly by saying we respect each others views but we can't agree):

1) Two years is nowhere near enough to be claiming a team as the consistently absolute best in anything, extend it to a 4 year period at least.

2) You surely are not putting forward an argument that because Ajax was dominant, so was Finidi. The Ajax team had super players all over the pitch, Finidi didn't carry or make Ajax.

I hate to repeat this, as it sounds like Finidi bashing, but there is a reason why the big spending top clubs in Europe didn't splurge out for him as they did for the rest of his team mates when that Ajax team broke up. Some of those guys also played for multiple "big" clubs.

Also, Van Gaal went to Barcelona and although a fair few of his Ajax players ended up there, Finidi didn't. Let's bear that in mind too when we start making Finidi out to be greater than he was.

I also have vague recollections of reading somewhere about Allan Hawkes looking to take both Segun Odegbami and one other (might be Muda Lawal) back to England after his first stint at Shooting ended. Who knows what direction their careers would have gone but again I would paraphrase Oloye, they did not need to better their lives playing abroad.

Finidi was a great player but Odegbami was even greater and the margin isn't a small one, that is my humble opinion.

Thank you sir.

Anyone who watched and studied both players and knows football cannot come to a different conclusion. The margin isn't a small one.

Na only una 'know' football for here.

I know you are joking sha.
"Odegbami was better than Finidi" is not a universal, incontrovertible truth no matter what you say or even believe.

Y'all should be humble enough to remember it is just your subjective opinions, even if you believe only you guys 'know' football and the rest of us don't.

That alone my friend, is a delusion in itself.

[1naija]

Finidi never solely carried any of the teams he played for, maybe Sharks. Odegbami carried IICC on his back for a fair period until it destroyed his knees.

I am going for Odegbami with this one due to that.

Finidi was voted the best right sided midfielder in the WORLD in 1998 ahead of Figo and Zanetti!!

Dammy,

David Beckham was voted second best player in the world twice. This was a person that wasn't even the second best midfielder at any point at his clubside then. That is also why all of this voting by whoever doesn't register with me.

Finidi was a cog in the wheel with every Naija team he played in. Segun Odegami was the wheel at times.

To those who see fit to denigrate African football of the 70's and 80's just to belittle Segun Odegbami's ability and give fuel to pro-Finidi arguments, how come Finidi's CV doesn't show him at clubs like Milan, Inter, Juve, Barcelona or Real Madrid. The cream of football clubs when he was at the top of his game.


Finidi was a good player but even as a right winger that made it in Europe, I cannot rate him above Segun Odegbami.

The above highlighted sentence is a funny one. Just answer this straight forward question. Between the years of 1995 & 1996, which club was the strongest & most successful in Europe for that period? Aswani, abeg answer the question.

Adisboy,

Two answers (By the way Damunk, I wasn't ignoring you. I didn't respond because you rounded things up perfectly by saying we respect each others views but we can't agree):

1) Two years is nowhere near enough to be claiming a team as the consistently absolute best in anything, extend it to a 4 year period at least.

2) You surely are not putting forward an argument that because Ajax was dominant, so was Finidi. The Ajax team had super players all over the pitch, Finidi didn't carry or make Ajax.

I hate to repeat this, as it sounds like Finidi bashing, but there is a reason why the big spending top clubs in Europe didn't splurge out for him as they did for the rest of his team mates when that Ajax team broke up. Some of those guys also played for multiple "big" clubs.

Also, Van Gaal went to Barcelona and although a fair few of his Ajax players ended up there, Finidi didn't. Let's bear that in mind too when we start making Finidi out to be greater than he was.

I also have vague recollections of reading somewhere about Allan Hawkes looking to take both Segun Odegbami and one other (might be Muda Lawal) back to England after his first stint at Shooting ended. Who knows what direction their careers would have gone but again I would paraphrase Oloye, they did not need to better their lives playing abroad.

Finidi was a great player but Odegbami was even greater and the margin isn't a small one, that is my humble opinion.

You guys must be smoking some real powerful stuff. So Finidi was not great enough because bigger clubs in Europe did not sign him, but Segun who did not even know where Europe is except in Geography class was a greater player. As lolly Mohammed would say, continue...

[YemiBrazil]

Some people just argue anyhow. This is exactly how one yeye boy was comparing Yobo with Fikayo Tomori when we were drinking Stout last weekend. Did Yobo ever play for any club as big as Chelsea?? Tomori is far better. Yobo's mates today are the likes of Adarabioyo and Semi Ajayi, and Ajayi scores, not own goals - at least not that I'm aware of at the moment .

[1naija]

Some people just argue anyhow. This is exactly how one yeye boy was comparing Yobo with Fikayo Tomori when we were drinking Stout last weekend. Did Yobo ever play for any club as big as Chelsea?? Tomori is far better. Yobo's mates today are the likes of Adarabioyo and Semi Ajayi, and Ajayi scores, not own goals - at least not that I'm aware of at the moment .