Vincent Enyeama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Vincent Enyeama

Enyeama playing for Lille in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth	(1982-08-29) 29 August 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	Aba, Abia State, Nigeria
Height	1.80 m
Playing position	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)
National team
2002–2015	Nigeria	101	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing  Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations Winner 2013 South Africa
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Vincent Enyeama playing for Hapoel Tel-Aviv

Vincent Enyeama (born 29 August 1982) is a Nigerian former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. Even though he wasn't very tall for a goalkeeper, many people think he is one of the best African goalkeepers ever.

During his almost 20-year career, Enyeama played for several clubs. These included Ibom Stars, Enyimba, Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Bnei Yehuda, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Lille, and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was also a key player for the Nigeria national team from 2002 to 2015. He was even the team captain from 2013 until he stopped playing for his country in 2015. With 101 games played for Nigeria, he was the player with the most "caps" (appearances) until 2021.

Vincent Enyeama's Club Career Highlights

Playing for Enyimba International

While playing for Enyimba International, Vincent Enyeama helped his team win the CAF Champions League twice. This is a very important football competition in Africa.

He had a unique situation: he was often taken out of the game before penalty shootouts. He once said, "I don't know why I was substituted before penalties, but it worked." Later in his career, he became known for being good at stopping penalties.

Time with Bnei Yehuda

After playing for Enyimba International and Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now called Heartland F.C.), Enyeama moved to an Israeli club named 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 at Hapoel Tel Aviv

Enyeama joined Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2007. In his first season, Hapoel had a tough time, but Enyeama helped them avoid being moved down to a lower league. He also helped them reach the state cup final.

In the 2008–09 season, Enyeama started taking penalty kicks for Hapoel. He was named "Player of The Year" and almost led his team to win the league title.

During the 2009–10 season, Hapoel won both the league and the cup, which is called a "double." Enyeama was a big part of this success. He even scored a goal in the Cup Final.

In August 2010, he scored another goal from a penalty kick in a Champions League qualifying game. He played very well in the Champions League group stage, especially against strong teams like Lyon and Schalke 04. Hapoel also won the Israeli cup again that year.

Moving to Lille in France

In June 2011, Enyeama moved to the French team Lille. He played his first game for Lille in October 2011 against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League.

In August 2012, Enyeama went on a one-year loan to Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. He played in 27 league games and helped Maccabi win the championship title that season.

During the 2013–14 Ligue 1 season, Lille's coach chose Enyeama as the main goalkeeper. He had an amazing run, keeping 11 "clean sheets" (meaning no goals were scored against him) in a row in league matches. On 8 December 2013, he finally let in a goal after playing for 1,062 minutes without conceding. This was very close to the all-time French league record.

In the 2017–18 season, Enyeama did not play in any league games. He later left Lille in August 2018. In 2019, he tried to find a new club and even had a trial with Dijon, but he didn't sign a contract. He officially retired from playing football after the 2019–20 season.

Vincent Enyeama's International Career for Nigeria

Vincent Enyeama first played for the Nigeria national team in May 2002. He was chosen for the 2002 FIFA World Cup as a backup goalkeeper. He played his first World Cup game against England, where he kept a clean sheet.

After the main goalkeeper retired, Enyeama became Nigeria's first-choice goalkeeper. He helped the "Super Eagles" (Nigeria's team nickname) 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, and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

In the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Enyeama saved three kicks in a penalty shootout during the quarter-finals. In the 2010 tournament, he was again a hero in a penalty shootout, saving a kick and then scoring the winning kick himself!

Enyeama played very well in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was named "man of the match" in Nigeria's first game against Argentina, where he made many great saves against players like Lionel Messi. Argentina's coach, Diego Maradona, even praised Enyeama for his amazing performance.

At the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Enyeama was the captain for most of the tournament. On 10 February, he led Nigeria to win their third continental title, keeping a clean sheet in the final against Burkina Faso. He was chosen as the best goalkeeper in the tournament.

In June 2014, Enyeama was part of Nigeria's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He kept two clean sheets in the group stage, helping Nigeria get their first World Cup win since 1998. Nigeria made it to the second round for the first time in 16 years.

On 26 March 2015, Enyeama played his 100th game for Nigeria. He stopped playing for the national team on 8 October 2015.

Personal Life

Vincent Enyeama is a Christian. He is married and has three children.

In 2024, his son, Godswill Enyeama, joined the Lille academy. Godswill is also a goalkeeper and grew up in France. He played for a local amateur club for eight years before joining his father's former professional club.

Honours

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

• Africa Cup of Nations: 2013

Individual

• 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