The 10 Greatest Sports-Persons In the History of Nigeria

One of the things that unite the Nigerian people irrespective of tribe, ethnicity, or religion is Sports. There is always this sense of unity whenever Nigeria is participating in any international sports competition.

The country is also Notable for producing some of the greatest sportspersons in history. In anticipation of the 61st Nigeria Independence, here is a list of the 10 greatest sports-person in the history of Nigeria

#1. Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun (Football)

Teslim Balogun is one of the greatest Nigerian footballers and coaches. He played football from the late 40s to the early 60s and then switched to coaching. Teslim started his career as a footballer, playing for various Nigerian clubs, then moved to the UK, where he scored for Skegness Town and Queens Park Rangers, and others. Then Balogun became the first qualified professional football coach in Africa. He led the Nigerian national team to the Olympic Games in 1968. The Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos is named after the great footballer.

#2. Nojeem Maiyegun (Boxing)

Nojeem Maiyegun is a light-middleweight Boxer who won Nigeria’s first-ever Olympic medal when he claimed bronze at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. Two years later he won another bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica before turning pro and moving to Austria.

#3. Chioma Ajunwa (Multi-Sport)

Chioma Ajunwa, Nigeria’s first Olympic gold medalist is a multi-talented athlete who played soccer for the Super Falcons briefly, then competed in the 100m sprint before switching over to the long jump, where she won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games.

#4. Mercy Akide (Football)

Mercy Akide was a football player in the super Falcon. She won the African Women Championship three times and was the top scorer for two consecutive years. She was included in All-Star Selection by FIFA three times. Mercy Akide played for Nigeria at three World Cups, two Olympic Games, and three African Women’s Nations Cups. Also, Akide became the first African Woman Footballer of the Year in 2000 – 2002.

#5. Innocent Egbunike (Athletics)

Innocent Egbunike was a sprinter, who made an impression at the 1983 Summer Universiade Games, where he won gold in the 200m. But his real breakout came at the 1984 Olympic Games where he led Nigeria to a 4x400m bronze medal.

#6. D. Tiger (Boxing)

Richard Ihetu, popularly known as the Dick Tiger was a professional boxer who held the world middleweight boxing championship and the world light-heavyweight world championship in the 1950s and 1960s. At middleweight, he was a two-time undisputed world champion. he was named boxer of the year in 1962 and 1965.

#7. Hogan ‘Kid’ Bassey (Boxing)

Okon Asuquo Bassey popularly known as Hogan ‘Kid’ Bassey is the first man of Nigerian origin to become a world boxing champion, he did so by defeating French-Algerian Cherif Hamia in Paris in 1957. He held the Nigeria flyweight title, Nigeria bantamweight title, then the West Africa flyweight and bantamweight titles before going on to win the Empire featherweight title (what is now the equivalent of the Commonwealth title), and then going on to claim the world title. He was awarded an MBE by Britain after his world title and an OON by Nigeria in his latter years.

#8. Kanu Nwankwo (Football)

Kanu Nwankwo, who is one of the most decorated African players in history due to the fact that he has won almost all possible prestigious Trophies in Football including, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Premier League, FA Cup, Dutch League as well as Nigerian League. He also won gold at the Olympic Games in 1996,  the  FIFA Under-17 World Cup, and the Afro-Asia Cup on the national level. He was recognized as African Player of the Year and the BBC African Player of the Year two times. The Nigerian forward played for prominent European clubs such as Ajax,  Inter Milan, Arsenal,  West Brom, and Portsmouth,

#9. Jay-Jay  Okocha

Austin Jay-Jay Okocha is one of the most prominent Nigerian footballers of all time.  He was part of the Super Eagles squad that won the African Nations Cup in 1994, the Olympic gold Medals in 1996, and qualified for a first-ever World Cup. He was named BBC African Player of the Year and controversially missed out twice on the African Player of the Year title. Okocha played in such prestigious clubs as ‘Fenerbahce’ (Turkey), ‘PSG’ (France), and ‘Bolton Wanderers’ (England).

#10. Stephen Keshi

Stephen Keshi is one of the best football players and managers of Nigerian origin. When he played for NNB, he got the WAFU Cup two times. Then Keshi moved to Cote d’Ivoire and wpn the League and Cup playing for ‘Stade d’Abidjan’ and ‘Africa Sports.’ After that, he went to ‘Anderlecht’ (Belgium) and won Jupiler League one time and the Belgian Cup two times. He occupied the post of Nigeria team captain and won the African Nations Cup in 1994.

After completing his playing career, he became a coach. Stephen Keshi was the coach of the Nigeria youth team, Togo, Mali, and Nigerian teams. In 2013, Super Eagles won the African Cup with him as a coach. Stephen Keshi was one of two people with Egyptian Mahmoud El-Gohary who won the Africa Cup both as a player and as a coach