10 Things You Didn’t Know About Footballer Vincent Enyeama

Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama has recently been
named on the five-man shortlist for the BBC African
Footballer of the Year 2014, along with Yacine Brahimi,
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gervinho, and Yaya Touré.
The current Lille OSC player is known as one of the best
goalkeepers in the game, giving him the unusual shot
at the Footballer of the Year award, which is rarely given
to goalkeepers. Here are 10 things you didn’t know
about footballer Vincent Enyeama.

While playing for Enyimba International F.C.,
Enyeama was always substituted before penalty
shootouts
In 2001, Enyeama joined Enyimba International football
club in the Nigerian Premier League, playing under
manager Idris Ikhana. While he was the club’s first-
choice goalkeeper, Ikhana made the decision to always
sub out Enyeama before penalty shots. The tactic
seemed to work. Enyimba won two CAF Champions
League titles while Enyeama played for them.

He won a Player of the Year as goalkeeper despite not
playing for the championship-winning team
During the 2008-2009 season while playing for Hapoel
Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League, Enyeama was
named the Player of the Year. This was quite unusual.
Goalkeepers rarely receive the award, and Hapoel did
not win the championship that season.

Enyeama kept a clean sheet for 1,062 minutes in his
first Ligue 1 season with Lille OSC
For his first 11 matches for Lille OSC, Enyeama didn’t let
in any goals, playing 1,062 minutes with a clean sheet.
Enyeama eventually let in a goal on Dec. 8, 2013, against
Bordeaux. He came within 114 minutes of Gaëtan
Huard’s 1993, 1,176-minute goalkeeping record without
conceding a goal.

He was involved in a fatal car crash in 2004
In 2004, Enyeama was a passenger in a car in Uyo,
Southeast Nigeria, that hit two motorcycle riders. The
two motorcyclists died and the driver of the car was in
critical condition. Enyeama came out with several
bruises – amazing, given that the car somersaulted
twice as it swerved to avoid the motorbike.

He has played for the Nigerian Super Eagles for more
than a decade
Enyeama first debuted for the Nigerian national team in
2002, and has since racked up 95 appearances for the
Super Eagles. He has played in three FIFA World Cup
tournaments (2002, 2010, and 2014), and several Africa
Cup of Nations tournaments, including the 2013 edition
in which he was captain and helped secure Nigeria’s
championship win.

At the 2010 World Cup, Enyeama shut down
Argentina’s Lionel Messi
In his second FIFA World Cup appearance, Enyeama was
named Man of the Match in Nigeria’s opening match
against two-time world champion Argentina. Nigeria
won 1-0. Enyeama made six spectacular saves, four from
football legend Lionel Messi. After the match,
Argentinian manager Diego Maradona said Enyeama was
the reason Messi was unable to score a goal, giving
Nigeria the victory.

He attributes some of his critics’ comments to anti-
tribal sentiment
Enyeama is from Akwa Ibom state in South Nigeria, and
believes that many of his critics are hard on him due to
his ethnicity. He said, “My critics will remain as long I
am still with the national team. I am criticized because I
am not Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo but I am not worried…
Critics make the game sweet so why should I be angry?
When they criticize me, they only make me stronger so I
give them thanks. I also thank God for giving me
strength.''

Enyeama said Ebola makes the Africa Cup of
Nations too risky
Though he said he will play in the tournament, Enyema
also said he believes that Ebola has made the Africa Cup
of Nations tournament too risky. He said, “I really wish
it doesn’t happen with all the people that will be moving
around. But I’m not CAF. I’m not the one who calls the
shots…It’s risky for everyone because you go to Africa
and then everyone is hugging you and shaking you, and
what can you do? You’re at risk…But if it happens I will
play, if we qualify.”

He backtracked on a promise to strip naked if Nigeria
won the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 2013
Before Nigeria won the 2013 AFCON tournament,
Enyeama said he would dance nude if that happened.
Afterwards, however, he backtracked, saying, “I never
said I would strip but I remember I did say I would take
(off) my jersey but would celebrate with my underpants
on but I was advised by well-meaning people against
doing so and I changed my mind.”

In 2014, he helped lead Nigeria to its first World Cup
win in 16 years
During the group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup
tournament, Enyeama kept a clean sheet in Nigeria’s
first two matches, resulting in a 0-0 draw with Iran and
a 1-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina –
Nigeria’s first World Cup win since the 1998 tournament.
Though he gave up three goals in their last group-
match game against Argentina resulting in a 3-2 defeat,
Nigeria still qualified for the round of 16 for the first
time in 16 years.