CREDIT: REUTERS/AFOLABI SOTUNDE
(Reuters) – Nigeria’s squad for the World Cup finals is likely to comprise the following 23 players: Goalkeepers:
Vincent Enyeama (Lille) Age 31; 89 caps. Captained Nigeria to the 2013 African Nations Cup title. Was in goal against England at the 2002 World Cup and played in all three Nigeria games at the 2010 World Cup. Named best player in the Israeli league in 2009 and moved to France in 2011.
Austin Ejide (Hapoel Beer Sheva) Age 32; 29 caps. Long standing deputy who has been to eight previous tournaments, including two World Cups, but played only three matches. He has been based in Israel for the last five years, having previously been on the books of French club Bastia. Won his first cap for Nigeria in 2001. Chigozie Agbim (Gombe United) Age 29; 5 caps. Third choice goalkeeper who is among a larger than usual contingent of locally-based players in the current Nigeria squad. Made his debut in a friendly against Angola in early 2012 and all his other four caps have come in similar non-competitive matches. Moved in February from Enugu Rangers back to his home town club Gombe United.
Defenders:Efe Ambrose (Celtic) Age 25; 35 caps. Won a first cap in 2008 but did not play again for three years before quickly securing a regular right back berth in the Nigeria line-up. Signed for the Scottish champions Celtic in 2012 after two years playing in Israel. Says he spends his holidays playing soccer.
Elderson Echiejile (AS Monaco) Age 26; 40 caps. First choice left back, who started his career at a Nigerian soccer academy aged 11 and played at the Under-20 World Cup in Canada in 2007. That led to his signing by Stade Rennes, for whom he played in the 2009 French Cup final. In 2010 he moved to Braga in a 2.5 million euros deal but returned to Ligue 1 with high-flying Monaco in January, signing a four-and-a-half year deal.
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Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves) Age 24; 22 caps. Home-based defender who has had several trials in Europe and South Africa in a bid to move to a bigger league but still to be offered a contract. Imposing defender but lacks pace. A squad member in the 2013 Nations Cup winning team but made three substitute appearances at last year’s Confederation Cup in Brazil. Scored a vital last minute equalizer against Malawi in the World Cup qualifiers.
Godfrey Oboabona (Caykur Rizespor) Age 23; 31 caps. A surprise regular, given his inexperience, at the Nations Cup in South Africa last year which the Nigerians won and the stats show he has missed only two of Nigeria’s last 33 games -– both low key friendlies. Moved to Turkey at the start of the season, signing a four-year contract. Played in all eight of the qualifying games Nigeria needed to get to Brazil.
Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough) Age 20; 16 caps. Property of Chelsea who last season loaned him out to ADO Den Haag in the Dutch league and this campaign to Middlesbrough in the English Championship. Was sidelined with a shoulder injury for four months after the Confederation Cup. Is mostly used as a fullback at club level but Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi switched him to central defense for the national team.
Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod) Age 23; 7 caps. Will provide cover at left back, having been a regular squad member without commanding a starting line-up berth. Moved in 2012 on a four-year deal from Nigerian club Sharks to Israel and last year was in the Nations Cup winning squad but did not play.
Joseph Yobo (Norwich City) Age 33; 89 caps. Nigeria’s most capped international returned to the squad in March after a year-long hiatus, coinciding with his move back to the Premier League from Turkey. Strong central defender who is the commander of the back four but prone to the occasional gaffe. Captain of the side for last year’s Nations Cup success but made just a cameo appearance at the finals tournament. Played at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.
Midfielders:Nosa Igiebor (Real Betis) Age 23; 11 caps. Had a starting berth at the beginning of last year’s African Nations Cup tournament but then lost his midfield place. Has already had a transient career with spells at clubs in Norway, Israel and now the top flight in Spain.
John Mikel Obi (Chelsea) Age 27; 58 caps. He is used in a more attacking role by his country who do not have a playmaker but is much more effective as crunching midfielder. Obi Mikel, who as a teenager was the subject of a tug of war over his services between Chelsea and Manchester United, has not been able to command a regular berth at his London club. His real name is John Obinna but the Obi Mikel tag has stuck since the Nigeria Football Association botched his paperwork ahead of a FIFA youth tournament. Missed the last World Cup through injury.Victor Moses (Liverpool) Age 23; 19 caps. Former England under-21 international who changed his allegiance after growing up as an asylum seeker in Britain. Was first spotted by Crystal Palace, who sold him for 2.5 million pounds to Wigan Athletic, who in turn sold him to Chelsea. This season he has been on loan at Liverpool, featuring mainly in his favorite left wing position.
Nnamdi Oduamadi (Brescia) Age 23; 12 caps. Left winger with outrageous tricks and dribbling skills who is the property of AC Milan but has been loaned out to several Italian clubs over the last few seasons. Nigeria like to sometimes also use him in a position just behind the central strikers, where he scored a hat-trick in last year’s Confederation Cup against Tahiti. Injury kept him out of last year’s Nations Cup winning squad.
John Agu (Academica Coimbra) Age 26; 10 caps. Tall central midfielder, who has emerged after taking the less travel led route for Nigerian internationals, moved to Europe not as a teenage prodigy nor with an agent. He played in the lower leagues in Portugal and Spain before signing for Academica. Provides cover for Obi Mikel.
Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio) Age 21; 19 caps. Right-sided midfielder, who has also been shifted to right back for his country. Lazio signed him straight after the U-17 World Cup in 2009 where Nigeria were runners-up. Injury ruled him out of last year’s Confederation Cup in Brazil.
Forwards:
Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United) Age 32; 5 caps. After years of flirting with the possibility of playing for the Super Eagles, finally threw in his lot with Nigeria at the age of 31. Born in Zaria, he moved to England aged five and won 20 caps for England at Under-21 level. Two brothers of this self-confessed computer games addict are also professional footballers.
Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce) Age 26; 19 caps. Top scorer at the African Nations Cup finals last year despite suffering serious injury in the semi-final that robbed him of a chance to feature in the final. Also scored the vital goals for Nigeria in the World Cup qualification play-offs. Arrested but later released in Turkey for alleged match fixing.
Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev) Age 25; 24 caps. A glut of missed chances at last year’s Confederations Cup has been a setback to his chances of a starting berth. Made his national team debut just after the last World Cup and won the Nations Cup with Nigeria last year. Says Zlatan Ibrahimovic is his role model.
Ezekiel Imoh (Standard Liege) Age 20; 1 cap. Won his first cap in March when called up for the friendly against Mexico. Goals for Standard Liege in Belgium this season aided their title challenge there has been a bid in Belgium to try and fast track him a passport so he could be in their squad for Brazil.
Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow) Age 21; 37 caps. Speedy winger who played in all of the World Cup qualifiers and has rarely missed an international over the last three years. Often used off the bench as an impact player. Played at junior world championships after which he was signed by Dutch club VVV Venlo.
Victor Obinna (Chievo Verona) Age 27; 44 caps. Exciting talent who has scored vital goals for his country after winning almost all of his caps as an impact substitute. Played at three successive Nations Cup finals from 2006 to 2010 but missed the 2013 triumph in South Africa. Formerly with Inter Milan, West Ham United and Malaga, and now on loan in Italy from Lokomotiv Moscow.
Peter Odemwingie (Stoke City) Age 32; 57 Caps. Soviet-born right-winger, whose father went to study medicine in Tashkent and married a Russian woman. Odemwingie’s family had moved back in Nigeria when his professional career started and he played for clubs in Romania, Belgium, France and Russia before moving to England after appearing at the 2010 World Cup. A prolific user of twitter, it saw an ill-advised outburst after being left out of the Nigerian side since early 2012 and a period in the cold since, but recent discussions with coach Stephen Keshi look to have him back in World Cup selection contention.
(Compiled by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town, editing by Mike Collett)
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