everyone knows he’s an African and a Nigerian to be
precise. I guess you also know he’s an international
goal keeper, and that he plays for both the Nigeria
National Team and French Lille OSC. But there are so
many other interesting things about him that have
never crossed your mind. Let’s have a look at some
interesting things about Vincent Enyeama.
A. Personal Life
1. He was born on 8th August, 1982, in Kaduna,
Northern Nigeria. He will soon be 33 years old.
2. He is from Akwa Ibom state, in the Southern part of
Nigeria. This has brought so much hatred and tribal
criticism to his side but he is not worried about that as
he said it even makes him stronger.
3. In 2004 Enyeama was involved in a car accident in
Uyo, the capital of his state, Akwa Ibom, in which two
motorcycle passengers were killed. The driver of the
car, of which Enyeama was in, was left in critical
condition. Although the accident was fatal and the car
somersaulted twice as it swerved to try to avoid the
motorbike, Enyeama came out with only bruises.
B. Career
4. Vincent made his debut for the Nigeria national
football team against Kenya in May 2002. Since then
he has been playing for Nigeria and that’s over ten
years now. During these years, he has played in three
FIFA World Cup tournaments (2002, 2010, and 2014),
and several Africa Cup of Nations tournaments,
including the 2013 edition in which he was captain and
helped secure Nigeria’s championship win.
5. During his spell with Enyimba International F.C. he
won the CAF Champions League twice, with one
noteworthy mention: He was always substituted
before penalty shootouts. “I don’t know why I was
substituted before penalties, but it worked,” he said in
an interview in 2006. “In Israel I stopped many
penalties and now everyone knows that I can handle
penalties.”
6. He won a Player of the Year as goalkeeper
despite not playing for the championship-winning team
During the 2008-2009 season while playing for Hapoel
Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League. Enyeama was
named the Player of the Year. This was quite unusual.
Goalkeepers rarely receive the award, and Hapoel did
not win the championship that season.
7. Enyeama made his second FIFA World Cup
participation in the 2010 tournament in South Africa. In
Nigeria’s opening match, he was named man of the
match, producing a defiant display to restrict Argentina
to a 1–0 win. Enyeama, who was playing his 56th
international for the Super Eagles, made six fine saves
against the two-time world champions, four of them
from Lionel Messi. Argentine coach Diego Maradona
praised him as the reason Messi was not able to score
a goal.
8. He kept clean sheets in the first 11 consecutive
matches he played for Lille OSC, Enyeama didn’t let in
any goals. And in total, he has kept goals in 21
matches without letting any goal.
9. Enyeama’s saves made to goals conceded ratio
stands at seven, well ahead those of established
goalkeepers like Victor Valdés (FC Barcelona), Manuel
Neuer (Bayern Munich), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
and Morgan de Sanctis (AS Roma).
10. At the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Enyeama
deputised for regular captain Joseph Yobo, who stayed
on the bench for most of the competition. On 10
February, Enyeama led Nigeria to its third continental
victory, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 defeat of
Burkina Faso in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Final.
He was named to the team of the tournament as first
choice goalkeeper, conceding only four goals in six
matches.
11. He compromised his words to strip naked if
Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in
2013. Before the 2013 AFCON tournament, Enyeama
said he would dance naked if that happened.
Afterwards, however, he compromised, saying, “I never
said I would strip but I remember I did say I would take
(off) my jersey but would celebrate with my
underpants on but I was advised by well-meaning
people against doing so and I changed my mind.”
12. Statistics shows that Vincent Enyeama is the best
goalkeeper in the major leagues across Europe in the
2013/14 football season. In June 2014, Enyeama was
named in Nigeria’s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Answerafrica.com
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