Vincent Enyeama facts for kids
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Enyeama playing for Lille in 2014
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Vincent Enyeama | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 29 August 1982 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Aba, Abia State, Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Ibom Stars | 56 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Enyimba | 100 | (10) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Iwuanyanwu Nationale | 36 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Bnei Yehuda | 56 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 113 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2018 | Lille | 143 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | → Maccabi Tel Aviv (loan) | 27 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 531 | (20) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2015 | Nigeria | 101 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Vincent Enyeama is a famous Nigerian former footballer. He was a fantastic goalkeeper. He was born on August 29, 1982.
Vincent played professional football for almost 20 years. He played for many clubs like Ibom Stars, Enyimba, and Lille. He also played for the Nigerian national team from 2002 to 2015. He was even the team captain from 2013 until he retired from international football. With 101 games played for his country, he was Nigeria's most capped player for a long time.
Contents
Vincent Enyeama's Club Journey
Playing for Enyimba
Vincent Enyeama played for Enyimba for three seasons. During this time, he helped them win the CAF Champions League twice. This is a very important football competition in Africa.
Interestingly, he was often taken out of the game before penalty shootouts. He said he didn't know why, but it worked for the team. Later in his career, he became very good at stopping penalties.
Time at Bnei Yehuda
After playing for Enyimba and another Nigerian club, Vincent moved to Israel. He joined the club Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv. In his first year there, his team reached the final of the Israel State Cup. They also finished fourth in the league, which meant they could play in the UEFA Cup competition.
Success with Hapoel Tel Aviv
In 2007, Enyeama joined Hapoel Tel Aviv. In his first season, he helped the team avoid being moved down to a lower league. He also helped them reach the state cup final.
During the 2008–09 season, Vincent started taking penalties for Hapoel. He was even named "Player of The Year" for his great performance. In the 2009–10 season, Hapoel won both the league title and the cup. Enyeama scored a goal in the Cup Final. He was a key player in their success.
He also played very well in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2010. Hapoel won the Israeli cup again that year.
Moving to Lille in France
In June 2011, Enyeama moved to France to play for Lille. He signed a three-year contract with the team. He played his first game for Lille in October 2011 in the UEFA Champions League.
In August 2012, he went on loan to Maccabi Tel Aviv for one year. He played in 27 games and helped Maccabi win the championship title.
When he returned to Lille for the 2013–14 Ligue 1 season, he became the main goalkeeper. He had an amazing run, keeping 11 clean sheets in a row in league matches. This means he didn't let any goals in for 11 games! He almost broke a league record for not letting in a goal for the longest time.
Vincent Enyeama left Lille in August 2018. He later tried to find a new club but decided to retire from playing football after the 2019–20 season.
Vincent Enyeama's International Career
Vincent Enyeama started playing for the Nigerian national team, known as the Super Eagles, in May 2002. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and kept a clean sheet against England.
After the main goalkeeper retired, Vincent became Nigeria's first-choice goalkeeper. He helped the Super Eagles finish third in the Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2004, 2006, and 2010. He also captained the team to victory in the 2013 tournament. He played in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.
In the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, he saved three penalties in a shootout against Tunisia. In the 2010 tournament, he was a hero again in a shootout, saving a penalty and scoring the winning kick himself.
At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he was named "man of the match" in Nigeria's first game against Argentina. He made six great saves, including four from Lionel Messi. The Argentine coach, Diego Maradona, even praised him for his amazing performance.
In the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Enyeama was the captain. He led Nigeria to win their third continental title. He was chosen as the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he kept two clean sheets in the group stage. This helped Nigeria reach the second round for the first time in 16 years.
On March 26, 2015, Enyeama played his 100th game for Nigeria. He retired from international football in October 2015.
Player Profile
How Vincent Enyeama Played
Vincent Enyeama was known for being a very athletic and quick goalkeeper. He had amazing reflexes and was great at stopping shots. Even though he wasn't the tallest goalkeeper, he was very good in the air. He was also fast when running out to challenge attackers, which made him strong in one-on-one situations.
He was also a great leader on the field. He helped organize his team's defense.
Vincent Enyeama's Legacy
Many people consider Vincent Enyeama to be one of the greatest African goalkeepers ever. In 2023, the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics) named him the greatest African goalkeeper in history. When he played in France, he was also seen as one of the best goalkeepers in their league.
Personal Life
Vincent Enyeama is a Christian. He is married and has three children.
In 2004, he was in a car accident in Nigeria. He only had bruises, even though the car flipped over.
His son, Godswill Enyeama, joined the Lille academy in 2024. Godswill is also a goalkeeper and is taller than his father. He grew up in France and played for a local club before joining Lille.
Honours and Awards
Enyimba
- Nigerian Premier League: 2001, 2002, 2003
- CAF Champions League: 2003, 2004
Hapoel Tel-Aviv
- Israeli Premier League: 2009–10
- Israel State Cup: 2009–10, 2010–11
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
- Israeli Premier League: 2012–13
Nigeria
Individual Awards
- CAF Champions League Player of the Year: 2003, 2004
- Footballer of the Year in Israel: 2009
- UNFP Player of the Month: October 2013, November 2013
- Prix Marc-Vivien Foé: 2013–14
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2004, 2013
- Goalkeeper of the year Nigeria Pitch Awards: 2013, 2014
- King of the pitch Nigeria Pitch Awards: 2014
- Goal Nigeria Player of the Year: 2014
- IFFHS CAF Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020
- IFFHS 2023 March: Greatest African Goalkeeper of all Time.
Orders
Member of the Order of the Niger
See also
In Spanish: Vincent Enyeama para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
