NFF celebrates 1996 Olympics gold medalist, Tijani Babangida at ’50’
The Nigeria Football Federation – NFF has celebrated with 1996 gold medalist, Tijani Babangida as he clocks 50′ on Monday September 25, 2023.
In a message posted on its ‘X’ handle, the NFF hailed Babangida’s exploits as a winger in his playing days.
” Happy 50th Birthday to the wing wizard, racy, pacy, Tijani Babangida,” the NFF wrote on their X handle.
” We wish you many happy returns Tj and thank you for the memories 🎂🥂🎂.”
Tijani Babangida enjoyed an illustrious International career which began with his first call-up to the senior Super Eagles for a pre-World Cup friendly against Romania in 1994.
The winger could not break into the star-studded Nigerian team and so missed the 1994 World Cup.
Babangida will go on to represent Nigeria at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, where the ‘Dream Team’ clinched gold, a feat that shot individual players to International prominence.
Babangida became a regular feature with the Nigeria National team and made the squad for the 1998 World Cup in France, where he scored Nigeria’s consolatory goal in the 4-1 defeat to Denmark in the round of 16.
His last International competition was the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, where he Nigeria won a bronze medal.
Tijani Babangida represented the likes of, Roda JC, VVV Venlo , Ajax and Vitesse, Turkish club Genclerbirligi, Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia and Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai during his playing days.
