Aero Controls and User:BanRay/Sandbox: Difference between pages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
 
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox Football biography
{{db-spam}}
| playername= Tijani Babangida
{{hangon}}
| fullname = Tijani Babangida
'''Aero Controls, Inc.''' is a an aero system company consisting of a proud team of professionals dedicated to provide the aviation industry with quality aircraft parts and service to meet the customers' scheduled needs. The Company is located in [[Seatle]], [[US]]. It was founded in October 1984 by Mr. John Titus, the CEO and President of the Company.<ref>[http://www.aerosystems.com/about_history.html Aero Controls</ref>
| height = 1.69 m
| nickname = "TJ", "Baba", "Okada".
| dateofbirth = {{birth date and age|1973|9|25}}
| cityofbirth = [[Kaduna]]
| countryofbirth = [[Nigeria]]
| current club = [[Retired]]
| clubnumber = -
| position = [[Midfielder#Winger|Winger]]
| years = 1990<br>1991-1996<br>1991-1993<br>1997-2003<br>2000-2001<br>2001-2002<br>2002-2003<br>2003-2004
| clubs = [[Niger Tornadoes]]<br>[[Roda JC]]<br>→[[VVV Venlo]] (loan)<br> [[Ajax Amsterdam|Ajax]]<br>→[[Gençlerbirliği]] (loan)<br>→[[Vitesse Arnhem]] (loan)<br>→[[Al-Ittihad (Jeddah)|Al-Ittihad]] (loan)<br>[[Changchun Yatai]]| caps(goals) =<br>78 {{0}}(26)<br>34 {{0}}(19)<br>77 {{0}}(20)<br>12 {{0}}(2)<br>14 {{0}}(1)<br>5 {{0}}{{0}}(0)<br>29 {{0}}(8)<ref name="Tijani Babangida national-football-teams"/><ref name="RSSSF China">{{cite web
| title = China 2003
| url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesc/china03.html
| publisher = RSSSF
| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref><ref name="RSSSF China 2">{{cite web
| title = China 2004
| url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesc/china04.html
| publisher = RSSSF
| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref>
| nationalyears = 1994&ndash;2002
| nationalteam = [[Nigeria National Football Team|Nigeria]]
| nationalcaps(goals) = 40 (5)
|date=last update February 5, 2007
| pcupdate = 15:23, 5 february 2007 (UTC)
| ntupdate = [[February 5]], [[2007]]
}}

{{MedalTop}}
{{MedalCountry|{{NGA}}}}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Football]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Team Competition]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}

'''Tijani Babangida'''<ref name="Tijani Babangida national-football-teams"/><ref name="Tijani Babangida playerhistory"/><ref name="PSV - Vitesse">{{cite web
| title = PSV - Vitesse
| url = http://soccernet.espn.go.com/match?id=19599&cc=5739
| publisher = ESPN Soccernet
| accessdate = 2008-03-02}}</ref> (born [[September 25]], [[1973]] in [[Kaduna]])<ref name="Tijani Babangida playerhistory">{{cite web
| title = Tijani Babangida
| url = http://www.playerhistory.com/Default.aspx?page=player_details&playerID=4734
| publisher = Playerhistory
| accessdate = 2008-02-21}}</ref> is a former [[soccer|football]] [[winger (football)|winger]] from [[Nigeria]]. Known for his pace and dribbling skills,<ref name="Independent">{{cite web
| title = "Robson poised to sign Porto keeper"
| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960605/ai_n14047999
| publisher = The Independent
| accessdate = 2008-02-21}}</ref><ref name="Nigerianplayers">{{cite web
| title = Tijjani Babangida
| url = http://web.archive.org/web/20070314084724/http://www.nigerianplayers.com/player.asp?pID=161
| publisher = NigerianPlayers
| accessdate = 2008-09-06}}</ref> he spent the prime years of his playing career at [[Ajax Amsterdam]]. ''He played 40 international matches and scored 5 goals for [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]], and played at the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], in the process scoring one of the goals of the tournament with a thunderous volley from the right side. He also won the Olympic gold medal in [[Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics|1996]].''

==Career==
===Early career===
In 1991, the 17-year-old Babangida left his local [[Niger Tornadoes F.C.|Niger Tornadoes]] to sign with the [[The Netherlands|Dutch]] [[Eredivisie]] side [[Roda JC]], after impessing at the Cairo 91 All African Games.<ref name="Tijani Babangida">{{cite web
| title = Tijani Babangida
| url = http://old.hki.uni-koeln.de/studium/oldPS/ws0001/obiora/players_profile.html
| publisher = Eagles Profile
| accessdate = 2008-02-28}}</ref> The player was immediately loaned out to Roda's league rivals [[VVV Venlo]] until the end of the season.<ref name="Tijani Babangida 123football">{{cite web
| title = Tijani Babangida
| url = http://www.123football.com/players/b/tijani-babangida/index.htm
| publisher = 123Football
| accessdate = 2008-02-21}}</ref> Babangida made only a total of six league appearances, finding the net three times in the second part of the 1991-92 Eredivisie season.<ref name="Tijani Babangida national-football-teams">{{cite web
| title = Tijani Babangida
| url = http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/player.php?id=14466
| publisher = National Football Teams
| accessdate = 2008-02-21}}</ref> Despite Venlo's relegation to [[Eerste Divisie]],<ref name="Netherlands 91/92">{{cite web
| title = Netherlands 1991/92
| url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesn/ned92.html
| publisher = RSSSF
| accessdate = 2008-02-21}}</ref>Roda decided to extend the player's loan at the club for another season.

The 1992-93 became a breakthrough season for Babangida as his 16<ref name="Tijani Babangida national-football-teams"/> league goals helped Venlo to the top of [[Eerste Divisie]] and promotion to the Dutch top-flight.<ref name="Netherlands 92/93">{{cite web
| title = Netherlands 1992/93
| url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesn/ned93.html
| publisher = RSSSF
| accessdate = 2008-02-22}}</ref> The following season Babangida returned to Roda, immediately becoming a first-team regular with the [[Kerkrade]] side. Babangida made a total of 29 league appearances for Roda that season, scoring 11 goals.<ref name="Tijani Babangida national-football-teams"/>

Babangida spent two more seasons at Roda JC. Tijani's 10 league goals in 1995-96, made him the club's top scorer that season. In 1995, Babangida made his European debut, scoring a goal in the [[UEFA Cup]] first-round win over [[Olimpija Ljubljana]], Roda's first European campaign in five years. Roda went on to beat the [[Slovenia]]n side 5-2 on aggregate, but fell to the 27-times [[Portugal|Portuguese]] champions [[S.L. Benfica]] in the second round.

Solid performances at both international and club level led to interest from Dutch giants [[Ajax Amsterdam]], as [[Louis van Gaal]] was looking to replace Babangida's compatriot [[Finidi George]]<ref name="Independent"/>, who had recently departed to [[Real Betis]].

===Ajax Amsterdam===
Babangida joined Ajax in the Summer of 1996 in a long-anticipated $5m move.<ref name="Nigerianplayers"/> He appeared in 29 league games, scoring four goals in his first season with Ajax. Babangida played an important role in Ajax's European campaign, scoring three goals, including one against [[AJ Auxerre|Auxerre]] in the group stages<ref name="Indep4">{{cite web
| title = Football: Fenerbahce stay alive with a late strike
| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19961121/ai_n14081654?tag=content;col1
| publisher = The Independent
| accessdate = 2008-09-06}}</ref> and the dramatic winning goal in the second leg of the [[UEFA Champions League]] encounter with [[Atlético Madrid]] at the [[Vicente Calderón Stadium]], that put Ajax through to the semi-finals of the competition.<ref name="Indep3">{{cite web
| title = Babangida Thrills Ajax
| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19970320/ai_n14094631?tag=content;col1
| publisher = The Independent
| accessdate = 2008-09-06}}</ref>

Babangida's second season with Ajax proved to be an even bigger success as the player's fine form helped Ajax to another Eredivisie title with a convincing 39 point gap over [[PSV Eindhoven]], while his 13 league goals in 26 games made him the club's third top scorer, behind the Eredivisie golden boot winner [[Shota Arveladze]] and [[Finland|Finnish]] forward [[Jari Litmanen]].<ref name="Eredivisie">{{cite web
| title = Eredivisie history
| url = http://www.eredivisie.nl/subpage.aspx?l1=1667&l2=1668
| publisher = Eredivisie, the official website
| accessdate = 2008-09-06}}</ref> Ajax clinched the second title of the season with a 5-0 demolition of PSV in the [[KNVB Cup]] final, with the Nigerian scoring the first goal.<ref name="Nigerianplayers"/>

Tijani's fortunes started to change towards the end of 1998. Having missed the start of the season with malaria,<ref name="Indep2">{{cite web
| title = Sporting Digest: Football
| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980724/ai_n14162612?tag=content;col1
| publisher = The Independent
| accessdate = 2008-09-06}}</ref> Babangida gradually lost his starting line-up position as [[Morten Olsen]] was looking to improve on the team's inconsistent performances both in the domestic league and in Europe. Tijani started two of his team's opening [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] games. The European season, however, ended in disappointment as Ajax finished bottom of their group behind [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiacos]], [[NK Dinamo Zagreb|Croatia Zagreb]] and [[F.C. Porto|Porto]]. Overall, Babangida appeared in 18 league games for Ajax that season, starting only seven. He didn't feature in the [[KNVB Cup|Dutch Cup]] final where Ajax managed to retain the trophy after beating [[Fortuna Sittard]] in the final.<ref name="Nigerianplayers"/>

The situation deteriorated even further after the 1999 season for Babangida, as he made a mere eight appearances the following year and didn't play a single game in the first half of the [[Eredivisie 2000-01|2000-2001 season]]. In an attempt to offload the player, Ajax came to an agreement with the [[Turkey|Turkish]] [[Süper Lig]] side [[Gençlerbirliği S.K.|Gençlerbirliği]], who signed Babangida on a half-year loan deal until the end of the season.

===After Ajax===
Looking for a move away from the Netherlands, Tijani Babangida came very close to signing with [[AJ Auxerre]], but received a last-minute call from [[Ronald Koeman]] and agreed to join him at [[Vitesse Arnhem]] instead.<ref name="Babangida optimistic">{{cite web
| title = Babangida optimistic
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/1651809.stm
| publisher = BBC Sport
| accessdate = 2007-12-01}}</ref> Another loan move followed. First team player under Koeman, Babangida subsequently lost his place in the starting line-up,<ref name="Vitesse Arnhem 2001-02 fixtures">{{cite web
| title = Vitesse Arnhem 2001-02 fixtures
| url = http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team/results?id=154&season=2001&cc=5739
| publisher = ESPN Soccernet
| accessdate = 2008-02-02}}</ref> when Ronald Koeman left for [[Ajax Amsterdam]] and was replaced by [[Edward Sturing]].<ref name="Tijani Babadngida">{{cite web
| title = Tijani Babandgida
| url = http://web.archive.org/web/20070703021159/http://www.vitesseplanet.com/index.php?page=20
| publisher = Vitesseplanet
| accessdate = 2007-12-01}}</ref>

He then signed a six-month loan deal with [[Al-Ittihad]] of Saudi Arabia in 2002, becoming yet another experienced addition to the squad that already included the former [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] international [[Bebeto]] and ex-[[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] striker [[Titi Camara]], but walked out of the team in November after disagreements with [[José Oscar Bernardi]], the [[Brazil]]ian coach who wanted him to play at the [[right back]] position.<ref name="Middleeastfootball 2">{{cite web
| title = Mido's tip sends Tijjani Babangida to Saudis Al-Ittihad
| url = http://web.archive.org/web/20021012082738/www.middleeastfootball.com/article.php?sid=204
| publisher = MiddleEastFootball
| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref><ref name="Middleeastfootball">{{cite web
| title = Babangida wants permission to leave Al-Ittihad
| url = http://web.archive.org/web/20021127023857/http://middleeastfootball.com/
| publisher = MiddleEastFootball
| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph">{{cite web
| title = Camara hammers the boss
| url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2395398/Camara-hammers-the-boss.html
| publisher = The Daily Telegraph
| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref>

Looking to resolve the deadlock with Ajax, Babangida returned to Amsterdam to continue negotiating a termination of his contract with the club. On [[April 30]], 2003, three years since Babangida played his last game for the club, it was announced that both sides had come to an agreement and the player's contract was finally terminated.<ref name="Contract">{{cite web
| title = Tijjani Babangida and Ajax agree on dissolving contract
| url = http://www.ajaxusa.com/news/2002-2003/tijjani-babangida-and-ajax-agree-on-dissolving-contract.html
| publisher = Ajax USA
| accessdate = 2008-07-02}}</ref>

Finally a [[free agent]], Babangida underwent a successful trial at the [[China|Chinese]] top-flight side [[Tianjin Teda F.C.|Tianjin Teda]] in the Summer of 2003.<ref name="Tianjin Teda">{{cite web
| title = Chinese First Division Side Likely to Land Babangida
| url = http://web.archive.org/web/20031125040432/http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200307/06/eng20030706_119541.shtml
| publisher = People's Daily
| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref> The move, however, was put off due to the outbreak of [[SARS]] in China and Babangida signed with the ambitious second-tier side [[Changchun Yatai]] shortly thereafter.

Upon his retirement from professional football, Babangida has been working as a football agent.<ref>http://www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story6757.html</ref> [http://web.archive.org/web/20071218065958re_/www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story6757.html link]

Two of his nine brothers, [[Ibrahim Babangida (footballer)|Ibrahim Babangida]] and [[Haruna Babangida]], are also professional footballers.</s>

===International career===
Babangida received his first call-up to the senior [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria national team]] for a pre-[[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] friendly against [[Romania national football team|Romania]] in 1994. He then played in a friendly against [[Georgia national football team|Georgia]], but did not make the final cut for [[1994 FIFA World Cup|USA 94]].<ref name="Nigerianplayers"/>

Babangida's international chances were partly limited due to the fact that he often found himself behind [[Finidi George]] in the pecking order.<ref name="Nigerianplayers"/> He played an important role in his team's [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] triumph in [[1996 Summer Olympics|Atlanta]] in 1996<ref>{{cite news |first=Taofeek |last=Babalola |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Holland no threat to Dream Team IV —Babangida |url=http://www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicPage.asp?id=52102 |work= |publisher=The Nation |date=2008-05-30 |accessdate=2008-10-09 }}</ref> as Nigeria overcame tough resistance from [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] and [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], packed with the likes of [[Dida (goalkeeper)|Dida]], [[Roberto Carlos (footballer)|Roberto Carlos]], [[Bebeto]], [[Ronaldo]], [[Rivaldo]], [[Hernan Crespo]], [[Claudio Lopez]], [[Ariel Ortega]] and [[Diego Simeone]] among others.<ref name="USA Today Olympic Report">{{cite web
| title = Nigeria defeats Argentina for gold
| url = http://www.usatoday.com/olympics/oso/osom.htm
| publisher = USA Today
| accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref><ref name="Nigeria - Brazil FIFA Report">{{cite web
| title = Nigeria - Brazil
| url = http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197142/matches/match=32247/report.html
| publisher = FIFA
| accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref><ref name="Nigeria - Argentina">{{cite web
| title = Nigeria - Argentina
| url = http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197142/matches/match=32249/report.html
| publisher = FIFA
| accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref>

Babangida took part in Nigeria's [[1998 FIFA World Cup|France 98]] campaign, playing a total of 120 minutes as he started one game and came on as a sub in the other three. He scored his team's only goal in the second-round defeat to [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]. <ref name="Top Goals">{{cite web
| title = Top goals
| url = http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/statistics/players/topgoals.html
| publisher = FIFA
| accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref>

Tijani Babangida only made his [[Africa Cup of Nations|African Nations Cup]] debut in 2000 as Nigeria withdrew from the [[1996 African Cup of Nations|1996 edition]] in [[South Africa]] due to political reasons and missed out on [[1998 Africa Cup of Nations|Burkina Faso 1998]] through disqualification. Babangida scored two spectacular goals against [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]] to put Nigeria through to the final where they were narrowly defeated on penalties.<ref>{{cite news |first=Andreas |last=Evagora |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Football: Babangida beguiles Bafana boys |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20000211/ai_n14288777?tag=content;col1 |work= |publisher=The Independent |date=2000-02-11 |accessdate=2008-10-09 }}</ref> He appeared in all of his team's five games, starting two.<ref name="2000 nations Cup">{{cite web
| title = African Nations Cup 2000 - Final Tournament Details
| url = http://www.rsssf.com/tables/00a-det.html
| publisher = RSSSF
| accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref>

He then featured prominently in Nigeria's run to the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 FIFA World Cup finals]], scoring two important first-half goals against [[Ghana national football team|Ghana]] on the final day of the [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)|African qualifying round]], helping Nigeria seal the final African region World Cup berth.<ref>{{cite news |first=Albert |last=Asand |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Football: Nigeria win ticket to World Cup |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010730/ai_n14402715?tag=content;col1 |work= |publisher=The Independent |date=2001-07-30 |accessdate=2008-10-10 }}</ref> Babangida played in all of his team's games at the [[2002 African Cup of Nations|2002 Nations Cup]], but was dropped ahead of the World Cup, alongside several other experienced players like [[Sunday Oliseh]] and [[Finidi George]].<ref name="Oliseh">{{cite web
| title = Oliseh's Nigerian future uncertain
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/football/africa/1898853.stm
| publisher = BBC Sport
| accessdate = 2008-10-10}}</ref>

Babangida was recalled to the national team for the pre-Nations Cup training camp in [[Faro, Portugal]] in 2004, but did not make the final squad, making the 2002 Cup of Nations his last major international tournament.<ref name="Training Camp">{{cite web
| title = Babangida, Ikedia Hit Camp
| url = http://www.nigeriannewsradio.com/011004.htm
| publisher = Nigerian News Radio
| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref>

====International goals====


{| class="wikitable"
! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Result !! Competition !! Scored
|-
| 1 || [[1998-06-28]] || [[Stade de France]], [[Saint-Denis]] || {{fb|Denmark}} || 1&ndash;4 || [[1998 FIFA World Cup]] || 1
|-
| 3 || [[2000-02-10]] || [[Lagos National Stadium|National Stadium]], [[Lagos]] || {{fb|South Africa}} || 2&ndash;0 || [[2000 African Cup of Nations]] || 2
|-
| 5 || [[2001-07-29]] || [[Liberation Stadium]], [[Port Harcourt]] || {{fb|Ghana}} || 3&ndash;0 || [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)|2002 FIFA World Cup qualification]] || 2
|}

==External links==
*[http://www.nigerianplayers.com/player.asp?pID=161 Nigerian Players profile]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Nigeria Squad 1998 World Cup}}

<!--Comment out categories for sandbox pages so they don't get added to category pages
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Nigerian footballers]]
[[Category:Roda JC players]]
[[Category:AFC Ajax players]]
[[Category:Vitesse Arnhem players]]
[[Category:Gençlerbirliği players]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers of Nigeria]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Nigeria]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:FIFA World Cup 1998 players]]
[[Category:Al-Ittihad (Jeddah) players]]
[[Category:VVV Venlo players]]
[[Category:Nigeria international footballers]]
[[Category:People from Kaduna]]
-->

<!-- http://www.voetbalstats.nl/ec/sp34.html euro apps -->
<!-- http://web.archive.org/web/20061107182451/www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story374.html footballs -->
<!-- http://web.archive.org/web/20060506221815/www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story1271.html move to china -->

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babangida, Tijani}}

[[ar:تيجاني بابانغيدا]]
[[de:Tijani Babangida]]
[[fr:Tijani Babangida]]
[[it:Tijani Babangida]]
[[nl:Tijani Babangida]]
[[ja:ティジャニ・ババンギダ]]
[[pl:Tijani Babangida]]
[[sl:Tijani Babangida]]


----

Revision as of 10:55, 11 October 2008

BanRay/Sandbox
Personal information
Full name Tijani Babangida
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Winger
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of February 5, 2007
Olympic medal record
Representing  Nigeria
Men's Football
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta Team Competition

Tijani Babangida[1][4][5] (born September 25, 1973 in Kaduna)[4] is a former football winger from Nigeria. Known for his pace and dribbling skills,[6][7] he spent the prime years of his playing career at Ajax Amsterdam. He played 40 international matches and scored 5 goals for Nigeria, and played at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, in the process scoring one of the goals of the tournament with a thunderous volley from the right side. He also won the Olympic gold medal in 1996.

Career

Early career

In 1991, the 17-year-old Babangida left his local Niger Tornadoes to sign with the Dutch Eredivisie side Roda JC, after impessing at the Cairo 91 All African Games.[8] The player was immediately loaned out to Roda's league rivals VVV Venlo until the end of the season.[9] Babangida made only a total of six league appearances, finding the net three times in the second part of the 1991-92 Eredivisie season.[1] Despite Venlo's relegation to Eerste Divisie,[10]Roda decided to extend the player's loan at the club for another season.

The 1992-93 became a breakthrough season for Babangida as his 16[1] league goals helped Venlo to the top of Eerste Divisie and promotion to the Dutch top-flight.[11] The following season Babangida returned to Roda, immediately becoming a first-team regular with the Kerkrade side. Babangida made a total of 29 league appearances for Roda that season, scoring 11 goals.[1]

Babangida spent two more seasons at Roda JC. Tijani's 10 league goals in 1995-96, made him the club's top scorer that season. In 1995, Babangida made his European debut, scoring a goal in the UEFA Cup first-round win over Olimpija Ljubljana, Roda's first European campaign in five years. Roda went on to beat the Slovenian side 5-2 on aggregate, but fell to the 27-times Portuguese champions S.L. Benfica in the second round.

Solid performances at both international and club level led to interest from Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, as Louis van Gaal was looking to replace Babangida's compatriot Finidi George[6], who had recently departed to Real Betis.

Ajax Amsterdam

Babangida joined Ajax in the Summer of 1996 in a long-anticipated $5m move.[7] He appeared in 29 league games, scoring four goals in his first season with Ajax. Babangida played an important role in Ajax's European campaign, scoring three goals, including one against Auxerre in the group stages[12] and the dramatic winning goal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League encounter with Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, that put Ajax through to the semi-finals of the competition.[13]

Babangida's second season with Ajax proved to be an even bigger success as the player's fine form helped Ajax to another Eredivisie title with a convincing 39 point gap over PSV Eindhoven, while his 13 league goals in 26 games made him the club's third top scorer, behind the Eredivisie golden boot winner Shota Arveladze and Finnish forward Jari Litmanen.[14] Ajax clinched the second title of the season with a 5-0 demolition of PSV in the KNVB Cup final, with the Nigerian scoring the first goal.[7]

Tijani's fortunes started to change towards the end of 1998. Having missed the start of the season with malaria,[15] Babangida gradually lost his starting line-up position as Morten Olsen was looking to improve on the team's inconsistent performances both in the domestic league and in Europe. Tijani started two of his team's opening Champions League games. The European season, however, ended in disappointment as Ajax finished bottom of their group behind Olympiacos, Croatia Zagreb and Porto. Overall, Babangida appeared in 18 league games for Ajax that season, starting only seven. He didn't feature in the Dutch Cup final where Ajax managed to retain the trophy after beating Fortuna Sittard in the final.[7]

The situation deteriorated even further after the 1999 season for Babangida, as he made a mere eight appearances the following year and didn't play a single game in the first half of the 2000-2001 season. In an attempt to offload the player, Ajax came to an agreement with the Turkish Süper Lig side Gençlerbirliği, who signed Babangida on a half-year loan deal until the end of the season.

After Ajax

Looking for a move away from the Netherlands, Tijani Babangida came very close to signing with AJ Auxerre, but received a last-minute call from Ronald Koeman and agreed to join him at Vitesse Arnhem instead.[16] Another loan move followed. First team player under Koeman, Babangida subsequently lost his place in the starting line-up,[17] when Ronald Koeman left for Ajax Amsterdam and was replaced by Edward Sturing.[18]

He then signed a six-month loan deal with Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in 2002, becoming yet another experienced addition to the squad that already included the former Brazil international Bebeto and ex-Liverpool striker Titi Camara, but walked out of the team in November after disagreements with José Oscar Bernardi, the Brazilian coach who wanted him to play at the right back position.[19][20][21]

Looking to resolve the deadlock with Ajax, Babangida returned to Amsterdam to continue negotiating a termination of his contract with the club. On April 30, 2003, three years since Babangida played his last game for the club, it was announced that both sides had come to an agreement and the player's contract was finally terminated.[22]

Finally a free agent, Babangida underwent a successful trial at the Chinese top-flight side Tianjin Teda in the Summer of 2003.[23] The move, however, was put off due to the outbreak of SARS in China and Babangida signed with the ambitious second-tier side Changchun Yatai shortly thereafter.

Upon his retirement from professional football, Babangida has been working as a football agent.[24] link

Two of his nine brothers, Ibrahim Babangida and Haruna Babangida, are also professional footballers.

International career

Babangida received his first call-up to the senior Nigeria national team for a pre-World Cup friendly against Romania in 1994. He then played in a friendly against Georgia, but did not make the final cut for USA 94.[7]

Babangida's international chances were partly limited due to the fact that he often found himself behind Finidi George in the pecking order.[7] He played an important role in his team's Olympic triumph in Atlanta in 1996[25] as Nigeria overcame tough resistance from Brazil and Argentina, packed with the likes of Dida, Roberto Carlos, Bebeto, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Hernan Crespo, Claudio Lopez, Ariel Ortega and Diego Simeone among others.[26][27][28]

Babangida took part in Nigeria's France 98 campaign, playing a total of 120 minutes as he started one game and came on as a sub in the other three. He scored his team's only goal in the second-round defeat to Denmark. [29]

Tijani Babangida only made his African Nations Cup debut in 2000 as Nigeria withdrew from the 1996 edition in South Africa due to political reasons and missed out on Burkina Faso 1998 through disqualification. Babangida scored two spectacular goals against South Africa to put Nigeria through to the final where they were narrowly defeated on penalties.[30] He appeared in all of his team's five games, starting two.[31]

He then featured prominently in Nigeria's run to the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals, scoring two important first-half goals against Ghana on the final day of the African qualifying round, helping Nigeria seal the final African region World Cup berth.[32] Babangida played in all of his team's games at the 2002 Nations Cup, but was dropped ahead of the World Cup, alongside several other experienced players like Sunday Oliseh and Finidi George.[33]

Babangida was recalled to the national team for the pre-Nations Cup training camp in Faro, Portugal in 2004, but did not make the final squad, making the 2002 Cup of Nations his last major international tournament.[34]

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored
1 1998-06-28 Stade de France, Saint-Denis  Denmark 1–4 1998 FIFA World Cup 1
3 2000-02-10 National Stadium, Lagos  South Africa 2–0 2000 African Cup of Nations 2
5 2001-07-29 Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt  Ghana 3–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 2

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Tijani Babangida". National Football Teams. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  2. ^ "China 2003". RSSSF. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  3. ^ "China 2004". RSSSF. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  4. ^ a b "Tijani Babangida". Playerhistory. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  5. ^ "PSV - Vitesse". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  6. ^ a b ""Robson poised to sign Porto keeper"". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Tijjani Babangida". NigerianPlayers. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  8. ^ "Tijani Babangida". Eagles Profile. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  9. ^ "Tijani Babangida". 123Football. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  10. ^ "Netherlands 1991/92". RSSSF. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  11. ^ "Netherlands 1992/93". RSSSF. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  12. ^ "Football: Fenerbahce stay alive with a late strike". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  13. ^ "Babangida Thrills Ajax". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  14. ^ "Eredivisie history". Eredivisie, the official website. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  15. ^ "Sporting Digest: Football". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  16. ^ "Babangida optimistic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  17. ^ "Vitesse Arnhem 2001-02 fixtures". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  18. ^ "Tijani Babandgida". Vitesseplanet. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  19. ^ "Mido's tip sends Tijjani Babangida to Saudis Al-Ittihad". MiddleEastFootball. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  20. ^ "Babangida wants permission to leave Al-Ittihad". MiddleEastFootball. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  21. ^ "Camara hammers the boss". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  22. ^ "Tijjani Babangida and Ajax agree on dissolving contract". Ajax USA. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  23. ^ "Chinese First Division Side Likely to Land Babangida". People's Daily. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  24. ^ http://www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story6757.html
  25. ^ Babalola, Taofeek (2008-05-30). "Holland no threat to Dream Team IV —Babangida". The Nation. Retrieved 2008-10-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  26. ^ "Nigeria defeats Argentina for gold". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  27. ^ "Nigeria - Brazil". FIFA. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  28. ^ "Nigeria - Argentina". FIFA. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  29. ^ "Top goals". FIFA. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  30. ^ Evagora, Andreas (2000-02-11). "Football: Babangida beguiles Bafana boys". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-10-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  31. ^ "African Nations Cup 2000 - Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  32. ^ Asand, Albert (2001-07-30). "Football: Nigeria win ticket to World Cup". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-10-10. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  33. ^ "Oliseh's Nigerian future uncertain". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  34. ^ "Babangida, Ikedia Hit Camp". Nigerian News Radio. Retrieved 2008-10-11.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aero_Controls&oldid=244547950"