Vincent Enyeama Ranked Africa’s Greatest Goalkeeper

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama ranks as the greatest African goalkeeper in history.

Enyeama was selected above other legendary African goalkeepers such as Joseph-Antoine Bell, Thomas N’Kono, and Essam El-Hadary by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

The decision, according to the body, was reached on the basis of the former Super Eagles goalie’s outstanding performances for both club and country in a career spanning over a decade.

Enyeama played for several clubs, starting from Enyimba International right in Nigeria, then moved on to Europe where he donned the shirts of Bnei Yehuda, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Lille, among others.

The former Super Eagles captain represented the Nigerian national team in three World Cup tournaments and played a key role in the team’s victory in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Enyeama had a decorated career as a goalkeeper with numerous individual awards including being named the best goalkeeper in the Israeli Premier League three times and the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 in the 2013-2014 season.

The Port-Harcourt born goalstopper also holds the record for the most clean sheets in a season in the French top flight, with 21 shutouts in 2013-2014.

Enyeama is often regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in Nigeria football history with his consistent impresssive performance in goal for the Super Eagles for many years.

The IFFHS All-Time Ranking, covering the period from 1987 to 2022, includes the best goalkeepers from other regions, such as Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) for UEFA, Jose Luis Chilavert (Paraguay) for CONMEBOL, Mohamed Abdullaziz Al-Deayea (Saudi Arabia) for AFC, Keylor Navas (Costa Rica) for CONCACAF, and Mark Bosnich (Australia) for Oceania.

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Enyeama, Salah, Mane Named Among African Decade XI

Vanguard/Samuel Isaiah