33·Legends

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Nigeria

The thirty-three greatest. Build your eleven, then settle the duels.

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The 33 of Nigeria

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1 JO 91 Jay-Jay Okocha 75 caps · 14 goals · Eintracht Frankfurt, Paris Saint-GermainFive Karlsruhe defenders, some of them twice, then Oliver Kahn: that was Okocha's route to goal in Frankfurt on 31 August 1993, a strike Kahn still calls dizzying and Jürgen Klopp rates the best in Bundesliga history. The 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and Olympic gold at Atlanta in 1996 head his list, followed by the 2000 AFCON final with Nigeria, three World Cups, the captaincy of the Super Eagles, and a 1998 move to Paris Saint-Germain that made him the most expensive African footballer of his day. CAM1993–2000

2 NK 90 Nwankwo Kanu 87 caps · 12 goals · Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion · Hall of FameTrailing Brazil 3-1 in the Atlanta semi-final on 31 July 1996, Kanu equalised in the last minute and then struck the golden goal four minutes into extra time to win it 4-3. He captained Nigeria to Olympic gold days later, won the 1995 Champions League and three Dutch titles with Ajax, two Premier Leagues and two FA Cups with Arsenal, scored Portsmouth's 2008 FA Cup final winner, and was African Footballer of the Year in 1996 and 1999. CAM1995–2008

3 RY 89 Rashidi Yekini 58 caps · 37 goals · Shooting Stars SC, VitóriaTwenty-one minutes into Nigeria's first World Cup match, against Bulgaria on 21 June 1994, he ran on into the goal, grabbed the netting with both fists and bellowed through it. Yekini won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations as both top scorer and player of the tournament, was African Footballer of the Year in 1993, took the Portuguese golden boot with 21 goals for Vitória Setúbal, and remains Nigeria's record scorer with 37 goals in 58 caps. ST1993–94

4 FG 88 Finidi George 62 caps · 6 goals · AFC Ajax, Real Betis BalompiéAgainst Greece on 30 June 1994 he dinked the ball over Christos Karkamanis, then dropped onto all fours, crawled towards the corner flag and cocked a leg like a dog marking its patch. Finidi started the whole of Ajax's 1995 European Cup final win over Milan, added the Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup that year, took three straight Eredivisie titles from 1994 and reached the 1996 final too, and won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria. RM1994–96

5 SO 88 Sunday Oliseh 54 caps · R.F.C. de Liège, 1. FC KölnFernando Hierro's clearing header dropped 25 yards out on 13 June 1998, and Oliseh hit it early and low past Andoni Zubizarreta to beat Spain 3-2. He took Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, won the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund in 2002 and the Eredivisie with Ajax in 1998, added two KNVB Cups and the 1999 Intertoto Cup at Juventus, and finished with 55 caps. CDM1994–2002

88 Victor Osimhen 51 caps · 35 goals · Lille OSC, SSC Napoli · African Footballer of the YearThe protective mask dates from November 2021, when a collision at Inter fractured his cheekbone and eye socket, and he says it stays on for the rest of his career. Osimhen won Serie A with Napoli in 2023 and the capocannoniere with 26 goals, the most an African has scored in a season there, was African Footballer of the Year, has two Süper Lig titles with Galatasaray, and scored a record ten at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup. ST2015–23

86 John Obi Mikel 91 caps · Chelsea, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger · Hall of FameOn 26 June 2018, the day Nigeria played Argentina at the World Cup, he learned his father had been kidnapped, said nothing to the dressing room and played the full ninety minutes. Mikel won the Champions League and then the Europa League with Chelsea in 2012 and 2013, two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups, the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, and Olympic bronze in Rio as captain. CDM2012–18

8 TW 86 Taribo West AJ Auxerre, Inter MilanHe dyed his braids to match the shirt, green and white at France 98, and he played every minute of Nigeria's six matches at Atlanta 1996. West took that gold, the UEFA Cup with Inter in 1998 despite a red card in the final, the French title and two Coupes de France with Auxerre, the Serbian league with Partizan, and a runner-up medal at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations. CB1996–2000

9 VI 86 Victor Ikpeba 31 caps · 7 goals · R.F.C. de Liège, AS MonacoArsène Wenger signed him for Monaco in 1993, and in the 1996-97 title season he scored 16 in the league and 22 in all competitions alongside Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet. Ikpeba was African Footballer of the Year in 1997, won Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996 and the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, finished runner-up in 2000 after his shootout penalty came back off the bar in Lagos, and left Monaco with 77 goals in 223 games. SS1993–2000

10 VE 86 Vincent Enyeama 101 caps · Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, HeartlandArgentina beat him only through Gabriel Heinze's header on 12 June 2010; Enyeama made six more saves, four from Lionel Messi, who called the display phenomenal. Enyeama won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, African Champions Leagues with Enyimba in 2003 and 2004, league titles in Nigeria and Israel, and Ligue 1's African player of the year in 2014 after eleven consecutive clean sheets and 1,062 minutes without conceding for Lille, and he finished with 101 Nigeria caps. GK2003–14

11 DA 85 Daniel Amokachi 44 caps · 13 goals · Club Brugge K.V., EvertonEverton's physio was still checking Paul Rideout in the 1995 FA Cup semi-final when Amokachi put himself on, against Joe Royle's wishes, and scored twice to sink Tottenham 4-1. Olympic gold followed in 1996, with his equaliser in the final against Argentina, on top of the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, that FA Cup, and the first goal ever scored in the Champions League, for Club Brugge in November 1992. SS1992–96

12 EA 85 Emmanuel Amunike 27 caps · 9 goals · Zamalek SC, Sporting CPArgentina held their offside line one beat too long in the 90th minute of the 1996 Olympic final, and Amunike ran clear to slide Nigeria's winner past Carlos Roa. That gold was Africa's first in football, and he had already scored both goals in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final against Zambia, the year he was named African Footballer of the Year; Zamalek's 1993 African Cup of Champions Clubs and a Copa del Rey at Barcelona sit alongside. LM1993–96

13 SO 85 Segun Odegbami 47 caps · 22 goals · Shooting Stars SCThe terraces called him Mathematical, and on 22 March 1980 at the National Stadium in Lagos he scored in the second minute and again in the 42nd as Nigeria beat Algeria 3-0. That was Nigeria's first Africa Cup of Nations, and Odegbami shared the tournament's scoring award, made the team of the tournament in 1978 and 1980, and won the African Cup Winners' Cup with Shooting Stars alongside three Nigerian league titles. RM1978–80

14 SK 85 Stephen Keshi New Nigeria Bank, R.S.C. AnderlechtNigeria conceded three goals in the whole of the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, and the defender organising that back line in Tunisia was the captain everyone called Big Boss. Keshi won that title as a player and the 2013 one as Nigeria's coach, the second man after Mahmoud El-Gohary to manage both, captained the Super Eagles at their first World Cup in 1994, and took two Belgian championships and two cups with Anderlecht. CB1994–2013

15 UO 84 Uche Okechukwu 46 caps · Brøndby IF, Fenerbahçe IstanbulIstanbul knew him as Deniz Uygar, the name he took with Turkish citizenship, and Fenerbahçe played him 191 times at centre-back, where he also scored 19 goals. He won Olympic gold with Nigeria in Atlanta in 1996, the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, played at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, and took Turkish league titles in 1996 and 2001 after two Danish championships with Brøndby. CB1994–2001

84 Yakubu Aiyegbeni 58 caps · 21 goals · Maccabi Haifa, MiddlesbroughBlackburn were heading for relegation on 3 December 2011 and Yakubu scored all four in a 4-2 win over Swansea, his second four-goal game in England after the one at Portsmouth in May 2004. He scored 21 times in 58 Nigeria caps, took bronze at the 2002, 2004 and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, played at the 2010 World Cup, and won two Israeli titles with Maccabi Haifa. ST2002–11

83 Joseph Yobo 101 caps · Standard Liège, EvertonHis hundredth cap came in Brasília on 30 June 2014, captaining Nigeria against France in the last sixteen, and it ended with a late cross turned into his own net and a retirement announced the same evening. He won 101 caps, the Nigeria record when he stopped, took the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, became Everton's first African captain in 2007 during a decade at Goodison, and won the Turkish title with Fenerbahçe in 2011. CB2007–14

83 Obafemi Martins Inter Milan, Newcastle UnitedSubstitute for the last seven minutes of the 2011 League Cup final, Martins was in the right place when Arsenal's goalkeeper and centre-back collided, and he rolled the loose ball into an empty net, a goal he called the easiest of his career. Serie A and two Coppa Italia titles came first at Inter, then the Supporters' Shield and the US Open Cup with Seattle in 2014, the year he set the club record with 17 league goals. ST2011–14

83 Taye Taiwo 53 caps · Olympique de Marseille, FC Dynamo KyivTwenty-five yards, 84th minute, Port Said, 23 January 2006: Taiwo's free kick beat Ghana 1-0 and was Nigeria's first goal of that Africa Cup of Nations. He won Ligue 1 with Marseille in 2010 along with two French League Cups and a Trophée des Champions, took bronze at that 2006 tournament, and was voted third best player at the 2005 Under-20 World Cup behind Messi and John Obi Mikel. LB2005–10

83 Wilfred Ndidi 66 caps · K.R.C. Genk, Leicester CityNobody in the Premier League made more tackles than his 142 in the 2018-19 season, and against Liverpool on 27 February 2017 he won eleven of the fourteen he went into as Leicester won 3-1. He started the 2021 FA Cup final that Youri Tielemans settled against Chelsea, added the Community Shield that August and the Championship title in 2024, and finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria in 2019 and 2025. CDM2017–25

21 CB 82 Celestine Babayaro 27 caps · R.S.C. Anderlecht, ChelseaHe was 16 years and 86 days old when Anderlecht put him into a Champions League tie against Steaua Bucharest in November 1994, and no younger player appeared in the competition for the next 26 years. Olympic gold followed in Atlanta in 1996, where he scored in the final against Argentina, and Chelsea brought the Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the FA Cup in 2000. LB1994–2000

22 CC 82 Christian Chukwu 54 caps · Enugu RangersThey called him the Chairman, and on 22 March 1980 at the National Stadium in Lagos he became the first Nigerian to lift the Africa Cup of Nations, after a 3-0 win over Algeria. Chukwu was named player of that tournament and picked in its best eleven, won the African Cup Winners' Cup with Enugu Rangers in 1977, and captained Nigeria across 54 caps between 1974 and 1981. CB1974–81

23 MA 82 Mutiu Adepoju 48 caps · 6 goals · Real Madrid Castilla, Racing de SantanderNigerian fans called him the Headmaster for what he did in the air, and in Nantes on 13 June 1998 he showed why, rising to head the equaliser against Spain in a group match Nigeria went on to win 3-2. He won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, played at three World Cups in 1994, 1998 and 2002, and made 175 La Liga appearances for Racing Santander and Real Sociedad after coming through Real Madrid's reserves. CM1994–2002

24 TB 82 Tijani Babangida 36 caps · 5 goals · Roda JC Kerkrade, VVV-VenloAjax were level with Atlético Madrid deep into extra time at the Vicente Calderón in March 1997 when a deflected pass reached Babangida on the right of the box and he lifted it over the goalkeeper for 3-2 and a place in the semi-finals. Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996 heads his honours, with the 1998 Eredivisie and two KNVB Cups at Ajax, and a brace against South Africa that carried Nigeria to the 2000 Nations Cup final. LM1996–2000

25 PR 81 Peter Rufai 65 caps · Go Ahead Eagles, S.C. FarenseWhen Nigeria won 6-0 against Ethiopia on 24 July 1993, the penalty was taken by the goalkeeper, and Rufai became the first man in Super Eagles gloves to score for his country. Dodo Mayana to the crowd, he kept goal in the 2-1 final win over Zambia that took the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, started Nigeria's campaigns at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, and finished on 65 caps. GK1993–98

26 HN 80 Henry Nwosu 60 caps · 8 goals · New Nigeria Bank, ACB LagosHe was the youngest man in the Green Eagles squad when Nigeria beat Algeria 3-0 in Lagos in March 1980 to win the country's first African Cup of Nations, and the fans took to calling him the Youngest Millionaire. That title stands beside runner-up finishes in 1984 and 1988, a place in the team of the tournament as a midfielder in 1988, and sixty caps for Nigeria between 1980 and 1991. CAM1980–91

27 CN 79 Chidi Nwanu 20 caps · K.S.K. Beveren, R.S.C. AnderlechtFoxboro Stadium, 5 July 1994: Nwanu was in the Nigeria back line that held a lead over Italy until the 88th minute, when Roberto Baggio equalised and took the tie to extra time. He had come up through the Belgian lower divisions to Anderlecht, where the club won the championship in 1994 and 1995 and the Belgian Cup in 1994, and Nigeria's run to that last 16 came at the country's first World Cup. RB1994–95

28 EO 79 Emmanuel Okala 51 caps · Enugu RangersSix foot six in the Rangers goal, Okala was nicknamed Iroko after the forest's tallest tree, and his saves against AS Police of Senegal in the Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final carried Enugu towards their first African trophy. In 1978 he became the first goalkeeper voted African Footballer of the Year, and he collected a winner's medal at the 1980 Nations Cup in Lagos, that Cup Winners' Cup with Rangers in 1977, All-Africa Games gold in 1973 and 59 Nigeria caps. GK1973–80

29 TO 79 Thompson Oliha 31 caps · 2 goals · Bendel Insurance, Maccabi Ironi AshdodTwenty minutes into a qualifier in Lagos on 25 September 1993, Oliha put Nigeria ahead against Ivory Coast, and the 4-1 win that followed carried them toward their first World Cup. He won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, played at USA 94, collected league titles with Iwuanyanwu Nationale, and made 31 appearances for Nigeria before a knee injury ended his career at 27. CM1993–94

30 OO 78 Ogenyi Onazi SS LazioAged twenty, he held the centre of the Rome derby that settled a cup final on 26 May 2013, the night Senad Lulic scored and Lazio beat Roma 1-0. Three months earlier he had played every minute of Nigeria's knockout run to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations title, and to that he added the Coppa Italia from that derby, a Turkish Cup with Trabzonspor in 2020, 52 caps, and four starts at the 2014 World Cup. CM2013–20

31 YS 77 Yisa Sofoluwe 42 caps · Shooting Stars SC, Abiola BabesNigeria and Egypt could not be separated in the 1984 Nations Cup semi-final in Ivory Coast, and when the shootout stretched to 8-7 Sofoluwe was among the men who kept scoring. The commentator Ernest Okonkwo called him the Dean of Defence, and he reached two Nations Cup finals, losing to Cameroon in 1984 and 1988, won the Nigerian FA Cup with Abiola Babes in 1985 and 1987, and finished with more than 40 caps before moving to Belgium. RB1984–88

32 GO 76 Godwin Odiye San Francisco Dons football, Greek-American A.C.On 12 November 1977 at the National Stadium in Lagos, a cross from the right glanced off Odiye's head and past his own goalkeeper, the only goal of the night against Tunisia, and Nigeria's first World Cup went with it. He was in the squad that won the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations at home, made 39 appearances for Nigeria, and later took two US Open Cups with Greek American AC in 1985 and 1994. CB1977–94

33 SK 74 Sani Kaita 22 caps · 0 goals · Sparta Rotterdam, FC Kuban KrasnodarTwice in three years Argentina stood between him and a gold medal, first through Lionel Messi's two penalties in the 2005 World Youth Championship final in Utrecht, then through Ángel Di María's goal in the 58th minute in Beijing on 23 August 2008. Olympic silver in 2008 is his highest honour, with that youth runner-up medal from seven matches played in the Netherlands, and Africa Cup of Nations bronze with Nigeria in 2006 and 2010 across 22 caps. CM2005–10

About this XI

Jay-Jay Okocha tops Nigeria's all-time pool, ahead of Nwankwo Kanu and Rashidi Yekini. The 33 covers 3 goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 14 midfielders and 6 forwards. Jay-Jay Okocha leads the pool at 91 overall. Pick a formation, drag your eleven onto the pitch, then settle the duels below. Your votes reorder the people's ranking of these 33 in real time.

Who is the greatest Nigeria footballer of all time?

In the 33 Legends editorial ranking, Jay-Jay Okocha leads Nigeria with an overall rating of 91. The editorial top five: Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George, Sunday Oliseh. The people's ranking on this page moves with every duel vote and can disagree.

How were these 33 Nigeria players chosen?

The pool covers every position across Nigeria's football history. Ratings weigh peak level, longevity, honours and historical standing, then the full methodology page explains the tiers. Fan votes in the duels build a second, independent ranking.

Which Nigeria players reach the Immortal tier or higher?

None yet. Jay-Jay Okocha leads the Nigeria pool at 91, in the Legend tier.

Can I build and share my own Nigeria all-time XI?

Yes. Pick one of eight formations, drag any of the 33 onto the pitch, and export your lineup as a PNG. There is no account and no sign-up.