Nwabali: “Destiny Child”, Sports Administrator Shares Story of Super Eagles Goalkeeper's Rise
- Stanley Nwabali earned Nigeria a place in the AFCON semi-final after saving two penalties in a 4-2 shootout success over South Africa
- Nigeria had lost five of their previous six semis at the continental finals but survived some nervous moments to book a place in the final where they will face Ivory Coast
- After Nwabali helped the Super Eagles to victory in Bouake, Nigerians, including a prominent sports administrator, Shehu Dikko, hailed his heroics
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering sports and football.
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire - Former chairman of the defunct League Management Company (LMC), Shehu Dikko, on Thursday, February 8, shared the story of how Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, developed.
Legit.ng reports that Nwabali, 27, has been one of the standout performers at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire.
Source: Getty Images
The Chippa United shot-stopper is a serious contender for the goalkeeper of the tournament following his super displays.
In Nigeria's clash against South Africa which went to penalties after extra-time, Nwabali saved twice as the Eagles zoomed into the final.
Amid praise for Nwabali on social media, Dikko made a flashback to Nwabali's days in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Quoting a tweet, Dikko recalled how current Super Eagles third-choice goalkeeper, Olorunleke Ojo, was ahead of Nwabali at club level.
Legit.ng reports that Nwabali was on the books of Enyimba between 2020 and 2021.
Dikko wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle:
"DESTINY CHILD!! May God bless Mr. Jude Anyadufu, the Sporting Director of Enyimba FC… Nwabali was unfortunately relegated from the NPFL with Go-Round FC of Portharcourt in 2018. But Mr. Jude saw he is something special in the games he kept for Go Round FC and so didn’t allow him to go down and signed up for Enyimba FC to start as 3rd choice keeper behind LEKE and FATAHU DAUDA (a Ghana International Goalkeeper)… the rest they say is history!!
"The Enyimba head coach, Usman Abdallah trust him and made him Number 1 and when he left Enyimba to Wikki and later Katsina Utd he always goes with Nwabili as his top keeper … Now in the Super Eagles setup, at the AFCON Nwabili is first choice while LEKE is the 3rd choice. That’s life."
More to read about Stanley Nwabali:
- AFCON 2023: Super Eagles goalkeeper, Nwabali, under fire over pre-Angola match post
- "Nwabali for president": Nigerians hail goalie as he performs superbly against South Africa
- Nwabali named man of the match as Nigeria defeats South Africa to reach AFCON final
AFCON 2023: Shettima joins Super Eagles' celebration
In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that the vice president of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, joined the joyous Super Eagles team after their win over South Africa in the AFCON semifinal on Wednesday, February 7.
Shettima was among the dignitaries that watched the game at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké.
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Source: Legit.ng
