International Federation of Football History And Statistics, IFFHS, have ranked Vincent Enyeama as the greatest African goalkeeper of all time.
IFFHS is a non-profit organization based in Germany, usually taking stock of footballer’s stats and histories with their clubs and national teams.
The group named the former Nigeria international as the greatest African player of all time based on the available data and comparisons.
Vincent Enyeama
Born on 29 September 1982 in Abia State, Nigeria, Vincent Enyeama is a former professional footballer. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Africa with the best hands between the sticks.
With his 1.80m height, which is not a typical height of modern goalkeepers, Vincent Enyeama beat the odds to become one of the greatest goalies in Nigeria and by extension African football.
Vincent Enyeama was a full home-grown talent, groomed on the shores of Nigerian football. Enyeama started his football career in 1999 playing for an indigenous football club, Ibom Stars.
He made 56 appearances for the club, scoring one goal before he moved to Enyimba in 2001. He made 100 appearances for Enyimba and scored 10 goals.
After three years with Enyimba, Enyeama joined Heartland FC of Owerri, another Nigerian club with a rich history in Nigeria’s top-flight football and CAF competitions.
He spent one year with the club before moving to the shores of Europe where he had his first stint in European football playing for Bnei Yehuda, an Israeli club.
He made 56 appearances for the club before joining Apoel Tela Aviv in 2007, making 113 appearances and scoring 9 goals.
In 2011, Enyeama joined Lille where he spent a huge chunk of his career, playing for seven years for the club before calling time on his career.
Vincent Enyeama is the second most capped Nigeria international with 101 appearances for the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Ahmed Musa of Sivasspor is the most-capped Nigeria international with 107 appearances.
Enyeama is one of the most decorated Nigerian players. He won the Nigeria Premier League three times with Enyimba including CAF Champions League two times.
In Israel, Enyeama won the Israeli Premier League with Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He won the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria national team in 2013 and has bagged several individual awards during his legendary football career.
Personal Life
Vincent Enyeama was born in the Southeastern part of Nigeria but hails from the Delta region in the Southern part of Nigeria.
Enyeama got married in 2006 to a beautiful Nigerian woman, Promise, in a private ceremony. They have three children together – two girls and a boy.
After his legendary football career, Vincent Enyeama was offered a goalkeeper trainer contract with a French club Croix in 2020. His current earnings with the club is unknown. However, his net worth is estimated at £12m – £15m.
In 2004, Vincent Enyeama was involved in a fatal accident in his state that left many dead and injured. He survived the auto crash with just a little bruise on his face.
