Wilfred Agbonavbare facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilfred Agbonavbare | ||
| Date of birth | 5 October 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Date of death | 27 January 2015 (aged 48) | ||
| Place of death | Alcalá de Henares, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.89 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1983–1989 | New Nigeria Bank | ||
| 1990 | BCC Lions | ||
| 1990–1996 | Rayo Vallecano | 177 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Écija | 23 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1983–1994 | Nigeria | 15 | (0) |
|
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Wilfred Agbonavbare (born October 5, 1966 – died January 27, 2015) was a talented Nigerian professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper, which means he was the player who protected the goal and tried to stop the other team from scoring. Wilfred spent most of his football career playing for a Spanish club called Rayo Vallecano. He played in 189 games for them over six seasons, including three seasons in Spain's top football league, La Liga.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Wilfred Agbonavbare was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He started his football journey playing for teams like New Nigeria Bank F.C. and BCC Lions FC in his home country.
Moving to Spain
In 1990, Wilfred moved to Spain. This is where he would spend the rest of his playing career. His first Spanish team was Rayo Vallecano, which played in the Segunda División, Spain's second division.
Success with Rayo Vallecano
In his second season with Rayo Vallecano, Wilfred played in every single one of the 38 league games. He was a key player, helping his team finish second in the league. This amazing performance meant that Rayo Vallecano moved up to La Liga, the top football league in Spain, after two years away.
Wilfred continued to be the main goalkeeper for Rayo Vallecano. In 1995, he helped them get promoted to La Liga again. He played in 31 matches that season, showing his importance to the team.
Later Career
During the 1995–96 season, Wilfred lost his starting spot to another great goalkeeper, Abel Resino. The next summer, he joined Écija Balompié, another team in the second division. He played a lot for Écija, but unfortunately, his team was moved down to a lower league that season.
After playing for Écija, Wilfred returned to Nigeria. He trained for a year to stay fit, hoping to find another team. However, he didn't receive any new offers and decided to retire from football at the age of 31.
Playing for Nigeria
Wilfred also represented his country, Nigeria, in international football.
Youth Team
He played for the Nigerian under-20 team in the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Mexico.
Senior Team
Wilfred played for the senior Nigerian national team for more than ten years. He was part of the squad for two major tournaments in 1994: the 1994 African Cup of Nations and the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In both tournaments, he was a backup goalkeeper to Peter Rufai.
Personal Life and Legacy
After he stopped playing football, Wilfred Agbonavbare stayed in Spain, near Madrid. He worked as a delivery person and also as a coach for goalkeepers, sharing his skills with new players.
In early 2015, it was shared that Wilfred was very sick. He received treatment at a hospital in Alcalá de Henares. His former team, Rayo Vallecano, and their opponents, Atlético Madrid, showed their support for him during a match. They displayed a banner that said "Fuerza Wilfred," which means "You Can Do It Wilfred" or "Strength Wilfred." Sadly, Wilfred passed away three days later at the age of 48.
