Finidi George facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Finidi George | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1971 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Port Harcourt, Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1989 | Calabar Rovers | |||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Iwuanyanwu Nationale | |||||||||||||||
| 1991–1993 | Sharks | |||||||||||||||
| 1993–1996 | Ajax | 86 | (18) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–2000 | Betis | 130 | (38) | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Mallorca | 31 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Ipswich Town | 35 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 2004 | Mallorca | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 296 | (68) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–2002 | Nigeria | 62 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Enyimba | |||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Finidi George was born on April 15, 1971, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He is a famous Nigerian football coach and a former player. He played as a winger, which is a player who runs along the sides of the field.
Many people think he is one of the best African footballers ever. Finidi became well-known while playing for Ajax in the Netherlands. There, he helped his team win many important titles, including the Champions League in 1995.
After his time at Ajax, he played for several years in Spain with Real Betis. He also had a short period playing in England before he stopped playing professionally. Finidi was an important part of the Nigerian national team in the 1990s. He played in two World Cups.
Contents
Finidi George's Club Career
Playing for Ajax
Finidi started his football journey playing for three different clubs in Nigeria. In 1993, he moved to AFC Ajax in the Netherlands. He joined the team with another Nigerian player, Nwankwo Kanu.
Finidi quickly made a big impact at Ajax. He scored four goals in 27 games. This helped his team win the Eredivisie title, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. They won this title for three seasons in a row.
He also played in two UEFA Champions League finals. He helped Ajax win the 1994–95 Champions League against AC Milan. This was a huge achievement for the team.
Playing for Real Betis
On July 10, 1996, Finidi moved to Spain to play for Real Betis. He scored many goals for the team almost every season. In his first year, Real Betis finished fourth in the league.
He also helped them reach the Copa del Rey final in 1997. Although they lost to FC Barcelona, Finidi scored a goal in that exciting match. Real Betis saw Finidi as one of their most amazing players. He was a key part of a great team. Fans even gave him the nickname "the playful shadow."
Time at Mallorca and Ipswich Town
In 2000, Real Betis was moved down to a lower league. Finidi stayed in Spain for another year, playing for RCD Mallorca. After that, he joined Premier League team Ipswich Town in England.
He scored two goals in one game for Ipswich Town against Derby County. However, the team struggled and was also moved down to a lower league. Finidi left Ipswich Town in June 2003.
In November 2003, Finidi returned to his former club, Mallorca. He helped them finish in 11th place in the league. This was a good result after they had been struggling to avoid being moved down.
In 2010, Finidi went back to Real Betis. He became their director of international football. He continued to live in Palma, Majorca, where he had settled after he stopped playing.
Finidi George's International Career
Finidi first played for the Nigerian national team in 1991. This was in a game against Burkina Faso. He helped his team win 7–1 by setting up three goals and scoring one himself.
He helped Nigeria win the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994. He also helped them finish second once and third twice in the tournament.
Finidi played for Nigeria in two FIFA World Cups: in 1994 and 1998. In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Nigeria won their group. They were knocked out in the next round by Italy. Finidi scored a goal against Greece in a 2–0 win during that tournament.
In the 1998 World Cup in France, Finidi played in all the matches. Nigeria was again knocked out in the early stages, this time by Denmark. Finidi had decided to stop playing for the national team before this competition. He played a total of 62 games for Nigeria.
Finidi George's Managerial Career
In September 2021, Enyimba F.C. named Finidi as their new head coach. He won his first title as a coach on June 11, 2023. He led Enyimba to win the Nigeria Premier League at Onikan Stadium in Lagos.
In April 2024, Finidi was appointed as the coach of the Nigeria national football team. Before this, he was an assistant coach. He also served as the temporary coach who led the Super Eagles to beat Ghana 2-1. This ended 18 years of Nigeria not being able to defeat the Black Stars.
Finidi George's Style of Play
Finidi is known as one of Nigeria's best wingers. He was a strong and tall player. He was famous for his surprising speed and his accurate passes into the penalty area. He was also very good at dribbling the ball past opponents.
Finidi was also known for his accurate free kicks. He had great technical skills and a smart way of thinking about the game. His dribbling skills were also very strong.
Finidi George's Personal Life
The name Finidi means "a future full of sun" in English. He has 11 brothers, and two of them, Igeniwari and Celestine, also played football. Sadly, Igeniwari passed away during crowd problems at a match.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax | 1993–94 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 34 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | 30 | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 9 | ||
| 1995–96 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | 10 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 44 | 9 | ||
| Betis | 1996–97 | 36 | 10 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 42 | 11 | |||
| 1997–98 | 34 | 9 | 4 | 2 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 43 | 12 | |||
| 1998–99 | 36 | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | — | 43 | 13 | |||
| 1999–2000 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 8 | ||||
| Mallorca | 2000–01 | 31 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 35 | 7 | |||
| Ipswich Town | 2001–02 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 29 | 7 | |
| 2002–03 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| Mallorca | 2003–04 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 1991 | 1 | 1 |
| 1992 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 12 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 62 | 6 | |
Managerial Record
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Enyimba | 15 September 2021 | 12 May 2024 | 65 | 29 | 15 | 21 | 44.6 |
| Nigeria | 29 April 2024 | 15 June 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Rivers United | 4 July 2024 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Total | 67 | 29 | 16 | 22 | 43.3 | ||
Honours and Achievements
With Ajax
- Eredivisie (Dutch League Title): 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
- Johan Cruyff Shield (Dutch Super Cup): 1994, 1995
- UEFA Champions League: 1994–95 (and runner-up in 1995–96)
- UEFA Super Cup: 1995
- Intercontinental Cup: 1995
With Betis
- Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) runner-up: 1996–97
With Nigeria National Team
- Africa Cup of Nations: 1994 (and runner-up in 2000; third place in 1992, 2002)
See also
In Spanish: Finidi George para niños
