International Football
With Portugal clash, Nigeria would have played against all global icons – Pele, Maradona, Messi and now Ronaldo
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Just a day after the 38th anniversary of Nigeria meeting England on the sacred turf of the Old Wembley Stadium in London, the Super Eagles are up against Portugal in a prestige friendly match in Lisboa.
Both teams are former continental champions as Nigeria ruled Africa in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Portugal were European champions in 2016.
The match is unique in a way most observers may not have thought. With the match, the Nigerian national team will have played all teams habouring the most iconic footballers of the world – Pele, Diego Maradona, Neymar and now Cristiano Ronaldo, if fielded.
Nigeria national team, then called Green Eagles played a Santos team that feaured the legendary Pele in Lagos in 1969. The match played at Onikan ended 2-2. Pele scored the two goals for Santos.
The Super Eagles played Argentina that had the legendary Diego Maradona as a player in 1994 and as coach in 2010.
The team also played Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina in 2010, 2014 and 2018, apart from the Olympic squad also having encounter with Messi in 2008.
The cycle is comleted this Thursday with the game against a Ronaldo inspired Portugal.
It will be the first time Nigeria and Portugal will clash at Grade A level. Past encounters of both countries have been at men’s age-grade competitions.
There have been nine of such. Three are at the U-17 level of which each won one and drew another one.
At the U20 level, the pendulum swings overwhemingly in favour of Porugal who won five of the six clashes. Nigeria only managed a goalless draw in a 13 July 2011 clash.
This Thursday’s match is an encounter with contrasting fortunes for the teams. Portugal are heading to Qatar 2022 while Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be absent.
Portugal go into the game against the background of winning three of their last six matches. The beat Czech Republic 4-0 and 2-0 in UEFA Nations League and Switzerland 4-0 in the same competition.
They however lost 0-1 at home to Spain and and away to Switzerland. They drew 1-1 away to Spain in the Nations .
For Nigeria, the Super Eagles lost four of their last four matches: 0-2 to Costa Rica, 1-2 to Algeria, 0-1 to Ecuador and 1-2 to Mexico.
PORTUGAL V GOLDEN EAGLETS
- 7 Feb.1997 Portugal 0 -2 Nigeria
- 1 Feb.1999 Portugal 2-2 Nigeria
- 27 Jan.2001 Portugal 6-0 Nigeria
PORTUGAL VS FLYING EAGLES
- 20 Feb.1989 Portugal 1-0 Nigeria
- 3 Mar. 1989 Portugal 2-0 Nigeria
- 13 July 2011 Portugal 0-0 Nigeria
- 20 July 2011 Portugal 2-0 Nigeria
- 6 June 2013 Portugal 2-1 Nigeria
- 21 June 2013 Portugal 3-2 Nigeria
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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