Nigeria national football team was Officially established in 1949, and this are the players that started it all.
(Photo: Sports Village Square)
The photos show the 18 players in Liverpool, where they had gone to play nine matches within the four weeks they were to stay in the UK.
It was the colonial period with Sir John McPherson as the Governor-General of the colony. So, if you’re guessing the team’s first coach was British, you’re right. His name was John Finch, and the team got to meet him for the first time in Liverpool.
According to the reporter, they won two matches, drew two and lost five. Those first games opened new opportunities for the team, as some of the players got to pursue their football careers in England.
Sadly, all the 18 players and their officials are now dead, but it goes without saying that the team laid the foundation for the Super Eagles we know today.
The team’s first coach, John Finch receiving them in Liverpool (Photo: Sports Village Square)
