Sports

Mane, Ronaldo Missing As EPL Releases Player Of The Season Nominees

Published

2 years ago

May 13, 2022

Editor

Mohamed Salah, Heung-Min Son and Kevin De Bruyne are among an eight-man shortlist for the Premier League Player of the Season award.

However, Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool’s forward Sadio Mane were not among the nominees.

Also, no Super Eagles player in the English Premier League made the list.

Among the top Nigerians playing in the Premier League are Lookman, Leicester City; William Troost-Ekong, Watford; Emmanuel Dennis, Watford; Etebo, Watford; Alex Iwobi, Everton; Wilfred Ndidi, Leicester City, and Kelechi Ịheanachọ.

Full-backs Joao Cancelo and Trent Alexander-Arnold also represent the title-tussling titans, with Jarrod Bowen, Bukayo Saka and James Ward-Prowse completing the star-studded list of nominees.

Salah broke his six-game duck for goals from open play in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Manchester United on April 19 and now has 22 Premier League goals to his name this season.

However, the Egyptian has failed to score since, meaning he only leads Son by one goal.

The Tottenham forward extended his haul to 21 in the 3-0 win over Arsenal in the north London derby on Thursday evening, and has his sights set on winning the Premier League Golden Boot for the first time.

Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold and Cancelo have continued to reinvent the traditional full-back role, frequently drifting infield and registering league-high numbers for creating goals and passing in advanced areas.

Saka bounced back from penalty heartbreak with England in the Euro 2020 final against Italy to have his most prolific season for Arsenal in the Premier League, with 11 goals and six assists.

Bowen has been firmly knocking on the door for an England call-up with his performances for West Ham this season, becoming only one of three players to register 10 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League.

Southampton captain Ward-Prowse has shrugged off the disappointment of being omitted from the Euro 2020 squad and continued to deliver consistent performances for the Saints this season.

The 27-year-old has scored four free-kicks this season, taking his Premier League total to 14, which is just four off David Beckham’s record of 18.

The winner will be decided by a public online vote, which closes on May 16 at 6pm. You can vote here.

Sports

Super Eagles Stars, Calvin Bassey And Alex Iwobi Caught On Camera Shopping Together In London

Published

2 days ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

Super Eagles stars, Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi were spotted shopping together at a store in London.

The Nigerian internationals play for Fulham FC in the Premier League.

Sports

10 Facts About New Super Eagles Coach, Finidi George

Published

4 days ago

April 29, 2024

Editor

The Nigeria Football Federation on Monday announced the appointment of former Super Eagles winger Finidi George as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team.

The announcement came in a statement, with the NFF Board approving the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward.

The new Super Eagles boss’s immediate task will be to guide the team to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, within the next five weeks.

However, takes a look at 10 things about Finidi George as compiled by The PUNCH.

1.⁠ ⁠Finidi George was born on April 15, 1971, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

2.⁠ ⁠⁠He played as a right winger and was known for his pace, accurate crosses, efficient dribbling, and free-kick abilities. He played for three clubs in Nigeria including Calabar Rovers and Sharks of Port Harcourt.

3.⁠ ⁠⁠George had a successful club career with Ajax, winning 8 major titles including the 1995 Champions League.

4.⁠ ⁠⁠He also played for Real Betis in Spain, nearly joining Real Madrid before that move fell through.

5.⁠ ⁠⁠George spent one season with Mallorca and then joined Ipswich Town in the Premier League for £3.1 million in 2002.

6.⁠ ⁠⁠He made his international debut for Nigeria in 1991 and earned 62 caps, appearing at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

7.⁠ ⁠⁠George won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and helped them reach the round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup.

8.⁠ ⁠⁠At the 1994 World Cup, he scored against Greece and celebrated with a famous ‘urinating dog’ celebration.

9.⁠ ⁠⁠He has 11 brothers, two of whom (Igeniwari and Celestine) were also professional footballers.

10.⁠ ⁠⁠In September 2021, George was appointed head coach of Nigerian club Enyimba F.C. and won the Nigeria Premier League with them in June 2023.

Sports

JUST IN: Finidi George Appointed New Super Eagles Head Coach

Published

4 days ago

April 29, 2024

Editor

The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed former Super Eagles winger Finidi George as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team.

The announcement came in a statement on Monday, with the NFF Board approving the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward.

Finidi George, who spent 20 months as an assistant to the outgoing José Santos Peseiro, had been serving as the interim coach after the Portuguese tactician’s departure following the Super Eagles’ impressive run to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

During his interim tenure, George oversaw two friendly matches in Morocco last month, where the team ended an 18-year winless streak against Ghana with a 2-1 victory before suffering a 0-2 loss to Mali.

“George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged as the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals,” the NFF statement read.

Reflecting on his illustrious playing career, the statement highlighted George’s achievements, which include “gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.”

One of George’s most memorable moments came when he “assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994,” the statement noted.

The NFF statement emphasised that “the matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.”