Finidi George
Finidi George (born 15 April 1971) is a former Nigerian football player. He has played for Nigeria national team. He was a player with great speed who could play as a winger on the right or left. He was a physically strong and tall player, He was known for his dribbling and free-kicks. He is known by his name, Finidi. Considered as one of Nigeria's greatest wingers of all time.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Finidi | ||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1971 (aged 54) | ||
| Place of birth | Port Harcourt, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1990 | Calabar Rovers | 26 | (10) |
| 1990–1991 | Iwuanyanwu Nationale | 35 | (7) |
| 1991–1993 | Sharks | 77 | (47) |
| 1993–1996 | Ajax | 85 | (18) |
| 1996–2000 | Betis | 130 | (38) |
| 2000–2001 | Mallorca | 31 | (5) |
| 2001–2003 | Ipswich Town | 35 | (7) |
| 2003–2004 | Mallorca | 14 | (8) |
| Total | 433 | (133) | |
| National team | |||
| 1991–2002 | Nigeria | 62 | (6) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2021–2024 | Enyimba | ||
| 2024 | Nigeria | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Club career
After playing for three different clubs in his home country, Finidi George joined Ajax club together with Nwankwo Kanu in 1993. During this period, Ajax's Eredivisie championship also contributed to the UEFA Champions League championship against Milan in the 1994-1995 season. In 1996, Finidi went to Spain and signed a contract with Real Betis. Although Finidi had previously held talks with Real Madrid, nothing came of them. He always scored double-digit goals during his years at Real Betis, and helped the club finish the league in fourth place in his first year at Real Betis. In the same year, the Andalusian team reached the final of the Copa del Rey, but although Finidi scored a goal, the cup was lost to Barcelona.
Finidi was transferred to RCD Mallorca in 2000. The following year, he moved from Spain to England and signed for Ipswich Town FC, one of the Premier League teams. However, his career here was not very bright and his contract was terminated in June 2003. Finidi re-signed for his former team Mallorca in November 2003. That season, Mallorca finished the league in 11th place. In the summer of 2004, he ended his active football career. Finidi returned to Real Betis as Director of International Football in November 2010.
International career
Finidi started to take part in the Nigerian national team in 1991. He made three assists to Rashidi Yekini in the 7-1 win against Burkina Faso in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers. He was again part of the team when they won the African Cup of Nations championship in Tunisia in 1994 . In subsequent tournaments, Nigeria, including Finidi, came second once and third twice.
Finidi participates in the FIFA World Cup twice with Nigeria. In the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the USA , Nigeria reached the second round as the group winner, but lost to Italy, one of the finalists. Finidi scored a goal in the 2-0 cup match against Greece and celebrated his goal as a peeing dog. In the 1998 cup in France , Nigeria was eliminated again in the second round, this time by Denmark, and Finidi played in all the matches. Finidi left the Nigeria jersey in 2002, which he wore 62 times, scoring 6 goals.
Career statistics
Club
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
- Johan Cruijff Shield: 1994, 1995
- UEFA Champions League: 1994–95;[1]
- Runner-up 1995–96[2]
- UEFA Super Cup: 1995
- Intercontinental Cup: 1995
Betis
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 1996–97[3]
International
Nigeria
Managerial
- As of 30 August 2024[8]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Enyimba | 15 September 2021 | 12 May 2024 | 65 | 29 | 15 | 21 | 44.6 |
| Nigeria | 29 April 2024 | 15 June 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Rivers United | 4 July 2024 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Total | 67 | 29 | 16 | 22 | 43.3 | ||
Honours
References
- ↑ "Kluivert strikes as Ajax force changing of the guard". UEFA. 24 May 1995. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ↑ "1995/96 AFC Ajax 1–1 Juventus, Juve win 4–2 on pens: Report". UEFA. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ↑ Domènech, Joan (29 June 1997) (in es). Barça de titanes. http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1997/06/29/pagina-2/1395977/pdf.html. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ↑ Bobrowsky, Josef; Stokkermans, Karel; Mazet, François. "African Nations Cup 1994". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ↑ Courtney, Barrie. "African Nations Cup 2000 – Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ↑ Bobrowsky, Josef; Mazet, François. "African Nations Cup 1992". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ↑ Duret, Sébastien. "African Nations Cup 2002 – Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ↑ Template:Sofascore