Who Are Nigeria’s Biggest Sports Stars?

Sports are a big part of Nigerian culture and society. Sports like football, track and field, basketball, etc. are all huge in the country, not just in terms of viewership, but also participation. Children start playing football or basketball from a very early age, and the country is among the most successful when it comes to sports like sprinting. But just who are the most successful Nigerian athletes? In this article, we are going to take a look at a few sport participants that hail from Nigeria and look over their accomplishments.

Jay-Jay Okocha

Augustine Okocha, more commonly known by his nickname, Jay-Jay, is one of Nigeria’s most popular footballers. Football, as mentioned, is the biggest sport in Nigeria, played and watched from a very early age. It was first introduced to the country in the 1800s, and has quickly risen in popularity throughout the 20^th and 21^st century. Today, the sport is huge, not just to watch, but to bet on. All of the top sites on online-casinos.ng have football as the most popular sport to watch and wager on, so it only makes sense that one of the most successful Nigerian players in football’s history would make it to this list.

Jay-Jay’s career started with the Enugu Rangers, a team playing in the Nigerian Professional Football League. For the Rangers, he performed admirably, and drew the attention of numerous clubs, both national and international. Throughout his career he has played for clubs in the Bundesliga, the Turkish Super Lig, the Premier League, Ligue 1, etc. He has competed as a member of three FIFA World Cup squads, and he played for the Nigerian national football team over 70 times. Okocha is not just regarded as one of the best Nigerian players, but one of the best footballers from Africa in general.

Francis Obikwelu

Athletics is one of the most popular sports in Nigeria, and one of the sports where the country shines on the international scene. Among the long line of sprinters hailing from Nigeria, the most popular and beloved one is, most probably, Francis Obikwelu. While retired now, nobody can forget the contributions Obikwelu brought to the sport, and his many achievements within it.

Specializing in 100 and 200 meters’ dashes, Obikwelu’s greatest achievement came in 2004, when he won the Olympic silver medal in the 100-meter dash. During the race, Obikwelu set a record, which has only recently been broken.

EzinneOkparaebo

Born in Imo, Okparaebo’s family moved to Norway when she was only 9 years old. Her talents for athletics were discovered at a very young age, and she has been honing them since. Her training paid off in 2005, when she became the top female sprinter in Norway, a title which she has held since. Today, EzinneOkparaebo is known as the fastest woman in Scandinavia over 60m and 100m. She’s won numerous medals, most notably the silver at the European Athletics Indoor Championship. She made her Olympic debut in 2008, in Beijing, where she ran 100 meters, where she set the Norwegian record, which is hitherto unbroken.