International Football
It’s 27 years today since Kanu scored the first of his 12 goals for Super Eagles
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
What ever the situation, Arsenal and Super Eagles’ legend, Nwankwo Kanu has a way of drawing global attention. Long retired from football, his story often sound like a fairy tale.
If the world is not taking note of him as a prominent member of the cup-winning Nigeria u-17 team of 1993, they will recall him as the young Nigerian of the European cup winning Ajax Amsterdam of 1995.
He also commanded global attention when he led Nigeria to break an apparent jinx that prevented countries outside Europe from winning the football event of the Olympic Games in 1996.
Before then, no team outside Europe had won the gold medal since 1928 – 68 year-jinx broken.
Kanu was the undisputed hero of the Nigerian feat. Surprisingly, since he led Nigeria to wing the Olympic gold medal in 1996, no European country has won!
But despite his looming presence in the Super Eagles, his goals are very scarce.
In a career that spanned from 5 May 1994 when he debuted against Sweden in a 3-1 loss to 22 June 2010 when he last played for the Super eagles in a 2-2 draw with South Korea, Kanu scored just 12 goals.
The first of the dozen goals was scored 27 years ago today when his goal turned the winner for Nigeria in the Afro-Asian Cup first leg match against Uzbekistan in Tashkent.
Nigeria won 3-2 from goals by Sunday Oliseh in the 10th minute, Victor Ikpeba in the 65th while Kanu scored the third goal in the 71st minute.
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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