Finidi George facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| 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) | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | 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) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–2002 | Nigeria | 62 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Enyimba | |||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Finidi George (born April 15, 1971) is a famous Nigerian football coach and former player. He was known for playing as a winger, which is a player who runs along the sides of the field.
Finidi became very well-known while playing for Ajax in the Netherlands. He was a key player in a team that won many big titles, including the Champions League in 1995. After his time in the Netherlands, 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 member of the Nigerian national team in the 1990s. He played in two World Cups, which are the biggest football tournaments in the world.
Contents
Club Career: Finidi's Journey in Football
Ajax: Winning Big in the Netherlands
Finidi George was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He started his career playing for three different clubs in his home country. In 1993, he moved to AFC Ajax in the Netherlands. He joined the team along with another Nigerian player, Nwankwo Kanu.
Finidi quickly made a big impact at Ajax. In his first season, he scored four goals in 27 games. This helped his team win the Eredivisie title, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. Ajax also won the Eredivisie title in the next two seasons.
Finidi was a regular starter for Ajax. He played in two UEFA Champions League finals in a row. The Champions League is Europe's most important club football competition. He helped Ajax win the 1994–95 tournament against AC Milan.
Real Betis: A Star in Spain
On July 10, 1996, Finidi moved to Spain and joined Real Betis. He was a very important player for the team. He scored many goals almost every season. In his first year, Real Betis finished fourth in the Spanish league.
Finidi also helped Real Betis reach the Copa del Rey final in 1997. The Copa del Rey is Spain's main knockout football competition. They lost the final to FC Barcelona after extra time, but Finidi scored a goal in that match.
Real Betis considers Finidi one of their most exciting players ever. He was a big part of a fantastic team. While playing for the club, Finidi was given the nickname "the playful shadow." Before joining Real Betis, he was almost going to join Real Madrid, another huge Spanish club, but the deal didn't happen.
Mallorca and Ipswich Town: New Challenges
After Real Betis was relegated from the top Spanish league in 2000, Finidi stayed in Spain for one more year. He played for RCD Mallorca. After that, he moved to England to join Premier League team Ipswich Town.
He scored two goals in a 3–1 win against Derby County. However, the team struggled and was also relegated. Finidi left Ipswich Town in June 2003.
In November 2003, Finidi, then 32 years old, returned to his former club Mallorca. He signed with them and helped the team finish in 11th place after they had been struggling to avoid relegation.
International Career: Playing for Nigeria
Finidi played his first game for the Nigerian national team in 1991. It was an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso. He made three assists (passes that lead to a goal) for Rashidi Yekini and scored one goal himself in a huge 7–1 win.
He helped the Nigerian team win the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, which was held in Tunisia. He also helped his country finish second once and third twice in the same tournament.
Finidi represented Nigeria in two FIFA World Cups: 1994 and 1998. In the 1998 World Cup in France, Finidi played in all of Nigeria's matches. Nigeria was knocked out by Denmark. Finidi had decided to stop playing for the national team before this competition. He played a total of 62 games for Nigeria.
Managerial Career: From Player to Coach
In September 2021, Enyimba F.C. named Finidi George 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, he was chosen to be the coach of the Nigeria national football team. Before this, he was an assistant coach. He also served as the interim (temporary) coach. During that time, he led the Super Eagles (Nigeria's national team nickname) to a 2–1 victory over Ghana. This win was special because Nigeria had not beaten Ghana in 18 years.
Style of Play: A Talented Winger
Finidi George is considered one of Nigeria's greatest wingers. He was a physically strong and tall player. He was known for his amazing speed and excellent dribbling skills. Dribbling is when a player moves the ball around opponents using their feet.
Personal Life: Family and Name Meaning
The name Finidi means "a future full of sun" in English. Finidi has 11 brothers, and two of them, Igeniwari and Celestine, were also footballers. Sadly, Igeniwari was killed during crowd problems at a match.
Honours
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 1994, 1995
- UEFA Champions League: 1994–95; runner-up 1995–96
- UEFA Super Cup: 1995
- Intercontinental Cup: 1995
Betis
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 1996–97
Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations: 1994; runner-up 2000; third place 1992, 2002
