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Vincent Enyeama

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Vincent Enyeama
Enyeama playing for Lille in 2014
Personal information
Full name Vincent Enyeama[1]
Date of birth (1982-08-29) 29 August 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth Aba, Abia State, Nigeria
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2001 Ibom Stars 56 (1)
2001–2004 Enyimba 100 (10)
2004–2005 Iwuanyanwu Nationale 36 (0)
2005–2007 Bnei Yehuda 56 (0)
2007–2011 Hapoel Tel Aviv 113 (9)
2011–2018 Lille 143 (0)
2012–2013 → Maccabi Tel Aviv (loan) 27 (0)
Total 531 (20)
International career
2002–2015 Nigeria 101 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Nigeria
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner 2013 South Africa
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Vincent Enyeama playing for Hapoel Tel-Aviv

Vincent Enyeama MON (pronunciationⓘ; born 29 August 1982) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Despite his below-average height for a goalkeeper, he is popularly regarded as one of the greatest African goalkeepers of all time and the greatest of his era.[3]

During his senior career, which spanned nearly 20 years, Enyeama played for Ibom Stars, Enyimba, Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Bnei Yehuda, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Lille and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was also a member of the Nigeria national team from 2002 until October 2015, serving as its captain from 2013 until his retirement from international football in 2015. With 101 caps, he was Nigeria's most capped player until November 2021 when he was surpassed by Ahmed Musa.

Club career

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Enyimba International

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During his spell with Enyimba International F.C., he won the CAF Champions League twice, with one noteworthy distinction: 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."[4]

Bnei Yehuda

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After three seasons with Enyimba International F.C. and one with Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now known as Heartland F.C.), Enyeama moved to the Israeli club Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv. In his first season, the team qualified for the final of the Israel State Cup and, having finished fourth in the Israeli Premier League, for the 2006 UEFA Cup competition as well.

Hapoel Tel Aviv

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Enyeama signed for Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2007. Hapoel endured a poor season in 2007/2008, but Enyeama helped the team avoid relegation and reach the state cup final.

During the 2008–09 season, Enyeama became Hapoel's penalty kicker, won the "Player of The Year" award, and just missed out on leading Hapoel to the league title.[clarification needed]

In the 2009–10 season, Hapoel won the league and cup double, with Enyeama featuring prominently. He scored a goal in the Cup Final but missed a penalty in the last fixture of the year, which Hapoel eventually won by scoring in the 92nd minute, thereby capturing the league title.

On 18 August 2010, he scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season with a penalty against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League qualifiers.

Enyeama played well on the Champions League Group Stage, especially against Lyon and Schalke 04. Hapoel also won the Israeli cup again.

Lille

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In June 2011, Enyeama moved to French side Lille for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract. He made his debut on 18 October 2011 against Inter Milan in the 2012 UEFA Champions League group stage, where Inter managed a 1–0 victory.

In August 2012, Enyeama agreed a one-year loan deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv and was presented to the media by Maccabi's Sports Director Jordi Cruyff on 8 August 2012. He appeared in 27 Israeli Premier League fixtures and Maccabi went on to win the championship title.

During the 2013–14 Ligue 1 season, club manager René Girard picked Enyeama as his first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Steeve Elana, who had previously been the first-choice goalkeeper under Rudi Garcia. With the help of his two centre-backs, Marko Baša and Simon Kjær, Enyeama kept 11 consecutive clean sheets in Ligue 1 matches during the first half of the season. On 8 December 2013, Enyeama finally conceded a goal after playing 1,062 minutes of Ligue 1 football in an away match against Bordeaux, during which he was beaten by Landry N'Guémo's deflected strike in the 27th minute. He thus came within 114 minutes of equalling Gaëtan Huard's Ligue 1 goalkeeping record, set in 1993, of playing 1,176 minutes without conceding a goal.

In the 2017–18 season, Enyeama did not make a league appearance having been left out of the first team due to "a disagreement between the player and the club's management".[5] He joined the first team's pre-season training in July 2018.[6]

He was released by mutual consent on 31 August 2018.[7] In January 2019 he said he was keen to play again,[8] and in July 2019 he went on trial with French club Dijon.[9] Despite not being offered a contract by Dijon he expressed gratitude to the club.[10] While at the start of the 2019–20 season Enyeama stated that he hoped to find a new club and continue playing, he finally retired after the end of the campaign.[11]

International career

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After making his debut for the Nigeria national football team against Kenya in May 2002,[12] Enyeama was selected for the 2002 FIFA World Cup as a cover for Ike Shorunmu. He made his competitive debut in that tournament, keeping a clean sheet against England in the third group match. After the retirement of Shorunmu, he became the first-choice goalkeeper for the national team, helping the Super Eagles to third place finishes in the 2004, 2006, 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, and captaining the team to victory of in the 2013 edition. He has also participated in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.[12]

In the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Enyeama stopped three kicks in the quarter-final penalty shootout against Tunisia but could not prevent a loss to Ivory Coast in the semi-final. In the 2010 tournament, he was again Nigeria's shootout hero at the quarter-final stage, saving from Zambia's Thomas Nyrienda and scoring the winning kick himself.[13]

Enyeama made his second FIFA World Cup appearance in the 2010 tournament in South Africa. He was named man of the match in Nigeria's first game of the tournament, a defiant display that restricted 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. Enyeama was also awarded man of the match in the team's next fixture, a 2–1 loss to Greece but was at fault for Vasilis Torosidis' winning goal.[14]

At the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Enyeama deputised for regular captain Joseph Yobo, who stayed on the bench for most of the competition.[12] 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.[15]

In June 2014, Enyeama was named in Nigeria's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[16] In the Super Eagles' first fixture, he kept the second FIFA World Cup clean sheet of his career as Nigeria drew 0–0 with Iran.[17] He subsequently recorded a second consecutive shutout in the fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a 1–0 win which gave Nigeria its first win at the tournament since the 1998 edition.[18] He conceded three goals in the last match of the first round against Argentina, a game which ended in a 3–2 defeat for Nigeria, placing them second in the group and thus qualifying them for the second round for the first time in 16 years.[19]

On 26 March 2015, Enyeama won his 100th cap for Nigeria in a 1–0 loss to Uganda. He retired from international football on 8 October 2015.[20]

Personal life

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A Christian from Ika Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Enyeama is married and a father of three.[21] In 2004, he was involved in a car accident in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State southern Nigeria, in which two motorcycle passengers were killed. The driver of the car in which Enyeama was travelling was left in critical condition. Despite the severity of the accident, Enyeama suffered only bruises after the car somersaulted twice as it swerved to avoid the motorbike.[22]

His son Godswill Enyeama signed for Lille academy in 2024. A 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in) goalkeeper, he grew up in France where his father moved in 2011. Godswill first played for Lille area amateur club Croix for 8 years before joining his former father's professional club.[23]

Honours

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Enyimba

Hapoel Tel-Aviv

Maccabi Tel-Aviv

Nigeria

Individual

Orders

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2010 Africa Cup of Nations Angola: Finalists: Nigeria" (PDF). CAF. 10 January 2010. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2010.
  2. ^ Vincent Enyeama at National-Football-Teams.com
  3. ^ "Six Greatest African Goalkeepers In History". 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Afrofootball - Nigeria - Vincent Enyeama". www.afrofootball.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Lille coach explains exactly why Vincent Enyeama has been axed". Goal. 24 April 2018. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Vincent Enyeama drops hint on LOSC Lille future". Kwesé ESPN. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Vincent Enyeama: Lille release goalkeeper by mutual consent". BBC Sport. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Vincent Enyeama: Nigeria keeper wants to play again". BBC Sport. 11 January 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Nigerian Vincent Enyeama aims to return after two years out". BBC Sport. 26 July 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  10. ^ "Vincent Enyeama: Former Nigeria goalkeeper 'grateful' for Dijon chance". BBC Sport. 31 July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Former Nigeria goalkeeper Enyeama reveals retirement plan after 20-year career". Goal. 1 November 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  12. ^ a b c "Vincent Enyeama". FIFA. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  13. ^ Dave Lee (25 January 2010). "Zambia 0–0 Nigeria (Nigeria win 5–4 on penalties)". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
  14. ^ "Greece 2-1 Nigeria". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  15. ^ "2013 Afcon Team of the Tournament". Kick Off. 11 February 2013. Archived from the original on 14 February 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  16. ^ Oluwashina Okeleji (3 June 2014). "World Cup 2014: Nosa Igiebor cut from Nigeria squad". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  17. ^ "Iran 0-0 Nigeria". BBC Sport. 16 June 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  18. ^ "Nigeria 1-0 Bosnia-Herce". BBC Sport. 22 June 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  19. ^ Saj Chowdhury (25 June 2014). "Nigeria 2-3 Argentina". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  20. ^ "Uganda spoil Enyeama's 100th cap for Nigeria". BBC. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  21. ^ Oluwashina Okeleji (17 November 2013). "Nigeria v Ethiopia: We can win World Cup - Victor Enyeama". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  22. ^ "Enyeama escapes fatal crash". BBC News. 19 October 2004. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  23. ^ "[FORMATION] Le fils de Vincent Enyeama rejoint le centre de formation du LOSC". Allez Lille (in French). 25 July 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  24. ^ "Palmarès". Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  25. ^ Kalfa, David (12 May 2014). "Les dessous du Prix Marc-Vivien Foé 2014" [The underside of the 2014 Marc-Vivien Foé Prize] (in French). Radio France Internationale. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  26. ^ "AFCON 2004: CAF Team of the Tournament". www1.rfi.fr. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Orange CAF Africa Cup of Nations Awards". Orange Africa Cup of Nations South Africa 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  28. ^ "IFFHS (International Federation of Football for History & Statistics". IFFHS. 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  29. ^ Agberebi, James (13 March 2023). "Enyeama Named Greatest African Goalkeeper Of All Time". Complete Sports. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  30. ^ Okeleji, Oluwashina (13 February 2013). "Presidential reward for Super Eagles". Sport. BBC. Lagos. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
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