International Football
Onuachu’s Belgian award may pave way to becoming African Footballer of the Year
Super Eagles’ in-form striker, Paul Onuachu may be on his way to being named the African Footballer of the Year in succession to Senegal’s Sadio Mane.
The Genk forward was on Monday named as Belgian Jupiler Pro League Professional Footballer of the Year as well as the Golden Shoe Award winner.
The magical scorer put in 33 goals and provided five assists in the Belgian league which has often provided the stepping stone for stars to get into the bigger European leagues.
He has made a quiet, but emphatic entry into the Super Eagles’ greats. Sports Village Square recalls that his goal against Benin Republic last March in put an end to Super Eagles’ 497-day of winless outings and also created the current logjam involving Benin Republic and Sierra Leone in the last qualifying slot for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
But for the goal he scored in the last of the four-minute added time, the Sierra Leone-Benin match would not have had value as Benin would have joined Nigeria in qualifying.
Onuachu’s goal also inflicted the first home defeat on Benin since June 2013. In his debut, a friendly match with Egypt in Asaba, Onuachu scored his first ever goal for Nigeria as he on 26 March 2019 .
The goal inflicted Nigeria’s first defeat on Egypt in 29 years. But more significant was the timing of the goal.
Paul Onuachu within eight seconds of kick-off undoubtedly entered the record books as the second fastest goal in international football records.
the strike was the second fastest goal in international goal after Lukas Podolsk’s, with the German striker netting after six seconds in a friendly against Ecuador in 2013.
Fans had hardly settled down for the match when Onuachu released a thunderous shot that turned to be the match’s decider.
Onuachu’s feat is coming at a time most African stars in European top leagues appeared to have dipped in goal-scoring form thus putting him, along with compatriot, Kelechi Iheanachor in prime positions for possible African Footballer of the Year award.
Iheanachor who suddenly this season rediscovered his form has scored 19 goals across all competitions in 38 appearances for Leicester.
At a time, making the number 14-shirted player having a 14-consecutive appearance for the Premiership club scored his 14th goal.
It has been been 22 years since a Nigerian player won the title. The last Nigerian winner was Nwankwo Kanu for the year 1999 and was crowned in January 2000 on the pitch of the National Stadium, Lagos, just before the kick-off of the Nigeria versus Tunisia Africa Cup of Nations opening match.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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