How will Finidi George fare on his debut as Nigeria boss in crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin?
Finidi George was an assistant to Jose Peseiro during Nigeria's run to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final, where the Super Eagles lost 2-1 to hosts Ivory CoastFinidi George faces his first major tests since his appointment as Nigeria's head coach when the Super Eagles face South Africa and Benin in qualifiers for the 2026 Fifa World Cup over the next week.
He belonged to the famed class of 1994 which won the Nations Cup title and made an impressive debut at the World Cup in the United States later that year, reaching the last 16. "He was a down-to-earth and hard-working player," former Super Eagles team-mate Mutiu Adepoju told BBC Sport Africa.The winger was often Nigeria's man for the big moment, scoring the crucial goal which sealed the country's maiden qualification for the World Cup finals.
"Finidi must be in the top 10 African players that have graced the game," Magilton told BBC Sport Africa."Finidi was quiet in the changing room but that didn't mean he wasn't a leader. He was more of a man of action rather than a man of words.George featured for Nigeria at four editions of the Nations Cup, also finishing as a runner-up in 2000 and with a bronze medal in 1992 and 2002.
The former Everton striker returns to the Nigeria set-up after working as an assistant to the late Stephen Keshi during the victorious Nations Cup campaign in 2013.The Super Eagles missed out on the Qatar 2022 World Cup but impressed at the Nations Cup finals earlier this yearHe has experience coaching youth teams at Mallorca and Dutch side PEC Zwolle, and he also worked as a director of international football at Betis.
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