International Football
FIFA’s latest Centurion, Ahmed Musa clocks 29
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Super Eagles’ skipper and one of the three most capped international footballers from Nigeria, Ahmed Musa is 29 today. Last Sunday, in leading Nigeria to a soul-lifting 2-0 win away from home over Central African Republic, he officially clocked 101 caps, even though Fifa had initially denied his 100th cap which was supposed to be at the 2-1 defeat of Cape Verde last month.
But in an instagram post on Sunday, Fifa congratulated him for his 101. The first match with Central African Republic in Lagos may have been taken as his 100th match.
Nigeria lost the match. Sports Village Square recalls that in the past two two instances that Nigerian players clocked 100th cap, Super Eagles ended up as the losing side.
First it was at the Round of 16 World Cup 2014 match of Nigeria and France. Despite putting up spirited efforts, Nigeria lost 2-0 even as Skipper Joseph Yobo clocked 100 international games.
That was followed by that of his immediate successor, Vincent Enyeama who even had the benefit of an elaborate preparation for his 100th cap in front of his home fans in his native Akwa Ibom State.
Alas! He had the heavy task of picking the ball from his own net as Nigeria lost 1-0 to visiting Uganda at the sumptuous Uyo stadium.
It may therefore have been a convention that Nigeria loses matches when its player clocks 100th cap. But the 1-0 loss to Central African Republic in Lagos, on what turned to be Ahmed Musa’s 100th cap since his debut against Madagascar on 5 September 2010, has not discredited the Nigerian player who marks his birthday a week later.
He is an African Record holder in goal-scoring at the World Cup. Musa’s feat against Iceland means that he is the first African player to ever score multiple goals in more than one game in consecutive World Cups. Neither Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan (6 goals) nor Cameroon’s legend Roger Milla (5 goals) can boast of that record..
By the virtue of his braces in matches against Argentina (2014) and Iceland (2018), Musa became the first Nigerian player to have scored in, at least, two editions of World Cup. And the first to score multiple goals in more than one game.
He is the second African player to register two goals in two World Cup matches since Cameroon’s Roger Milla in 1990.
Ahmed Musa’s fourth minute goal against Argentina in 2014 was the fastest of the 23 goals Nigeria had scored in 21 World Cup matches from 1994 to 2018.
At the last World Cup, he became the first Leicester City player to score at a FIFA World Cup finals, netting twice in Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Iceland in Volgograd.
Beyond that, he has scored two braces on two occasions he played against Lionel Messi’s teams – the first being the double strikes against Argentina in Brazil 2014 and the brace for Leicester against Barcelona on August 4, 2016.
International Football
German Thomas Tuchel becomes 3rd foreign manager for England
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.
The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
-Reuters
International Football
Factbox on England head coach Thomas Tuchel
German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.
Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.
PLAYING CAREER
* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.
* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.
* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.
* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.
COACHING CAREER
* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.
* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.
* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.
* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.
* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.
* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.
* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.
* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.
* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
-Reuters
International Football
Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
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