Tijani Babangida

Tijani Babangida

Personal information
Date of birth	(1973-09-25) 25 September 1973 (age 50)
Place of birth	Kaduna, Nigeria
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1][2]
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
	Arewa Textiles
1990–1991	Niger Tornadoes
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1996	Roda JC	78	(26)
1991–1993	→ VVV-Venlo (loan)	34	(19)
1996–2003	Ajax	77	(20)
2000–2001	→ Gençlerbirliği (loan)	12	(2)
2001–2002	→ Vitesse (loan)	14	(1)
2002–2003	→ Al-Ittihad (loan)	5	(0)
2003–2004	Changchun Yatai	29	(8)
Total		249	(76)
International career
1994–2004	Nigeria	36	(5)
Medal record Representing  Nigeria Men's Football 1996 Atlanta Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tijani Babangidapronunciation^ⓘ (born 25 September 1973) is a Nigerian former professional footballer, who played as a winger. Known for his pace, his playing style was sometimes compared to that of Marc Overmars.^[3][1] Babangida spent the majority of his playing career at Ajax. Overall, he played in five countries on three continents. At club level, Babangida spent nine years in the Netherlands, playing for VVV-Venlo, Roda JC, Ajax, and Vitesse.^[4] winning the Eredivisie plus KNVB Cup double with the last side.

He played over 30 games for his national side, including four at the 1998 World Cup in France. He participated in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and won the 1996 Olympics with Nigeria. Babangida made his international debut in 1994. He lost his place in the squad right before the 2002 World Cup. After a two-year lay-off from international football, Babangida was recalled to the Nigeria team for the 2004 African Cup of Nations preparations in Tunisia.