From rags to riches: the goalkeeper who became the hero of the Nigerian national team

 

The Nigerians were considered one of the main contenders for the title at the African Cup of Nations, and have reason to be disappointed - they lost the decisive match to a team they had already defeated in the group stage, and they scored first against the Ivorians in the final. Nigeria traditionally brought a whole scattering of stars to the continental tournament, who did not really need any introductions, but a considerable share of success (objectively we can consider silver as such) was provided by the goalkeeper, who cannot be called a celebrity.

We recommend that fans of football betting visit uzbukmeker.com, and in this article we will tell you who Stanley Nwabali is and how he went to the top of his career.

When there are no prospects in sight

Football fans know that goalkeepers, unlike representatives of other roles, usually open up and reach their peak capabilities later, and can play longer. However, a promising goalkeeper must still prove himself in some way at an early age - even if not at the highest level.

In Stanley's case, it looked as if football would never become his profession. In 2019, Nwabali was already a football player, but at what level - he played in his native Nigeria, and not even in the national championship, but at the level of one of the smallest states in the country. To understand what level this is, we note that the guy had to earn extra money as a laborer, and sometimes perform without any salary at all, for amateurs. At the age of 22-23, people with such achievements often give up the game for millions, because they simply do not see prospects in it and do not find time for it.

And Nwabali was still playing at that time. And a miracle happened: somehow representatives of Enyimba, a club from the top division of Nigerian football, got to the provincial match. They liked the goalkeeper’s performance - especially considering that with such a background, the guy definitely wouldn’t ask for some huge salary. So Stanley became a full-fledged professional.

The average football fan has never heard of any Enyimba, and will say that this is still not at the level. So, Stanley was unable to gain a foothold there either. He, of course, was able to shine a little thanks to the team, considered a local giant, and never returned to the state championship, but his next teams solved modest problems - they simply tried not to get relegated.

Stanley's team, Katsina United, were relegated in 2022. A new challenge came from South Africa - the local club Chippa United became interested in the goalkeeper from Nigeria. Nwabali's next team is just as struggling, but the South African Premier League is considered the fourth strongest tournament on the continent, while the Nigerian Premier League is only the thirteenth.

The path to the national team

Making it into the Nigerian national team is a huge success for any football player, because the competition in this team is crazy. In fact, Nwabali made his debut for this team back in 2021, but only in a friendly match - and did not play for the team again.

It wasn't until 2024 that Stanley finally got a second chance - and played again in a friendly on the eve of Nigeria's start to the Africa Cup of Nations. Then he will become the main goalkeeper of the team in the tournament and reach the final with it.

How did it happen that an unknown goalkeeper suddenly played in such a reputable team? The answer comes from examining Nigeria's current national team roster, which is filled with stars playing in respected national championships. All African championships in total delegated exactly two players to the Nigerian ranks, and both were goalkeepers. There should also be a third goalkeeper in the application, but his reputation is also not impressive - he only plays in Cyprus.

That is, the answer to the question from the previous paragraph is very simple: the goalkeeper unit of the Nigerian national team, unlike other roles, does not shine with stars and recognizable names at all. Stanley, having only two matches in his international career before the start of the tournament, stood in the frame since he had no serious opponents.

Why a hero?

Someone will say that one player of any level will not spoil the Nigerian mess much - there are too many amazing attacking players there to pull the team to the top. Not the last people play in defense either - they can reliably cover the goalkeeper, so that it would be like in his time with Victor Valdes in Barcelona, ​​when no one really knows whether the goalkeeper is really good.

But here are a few questions that break the theory that Stanley had nothing to do with the success of the Nigerian national team at the African Cup of Nations:

• if the defense plays well, why does Nwabali have 14 saves in the tournament, making him the second best goalkeeper of the draw after the Mauritanian Niasse;
• why it was Stanley, and not the famous goalkeepers of other tournament favorites, who collected as many as four clean sheets;
• How can a goalkeeper whose save rate is close to 91% be considered bad?

And finally: the stellar attack did not help the Nigerians defeat South Africa in the semi-finals - neither in regular time nor in the extra times. And it was the keeper who won the penalty shoot-out for his own team - having repelled two shots from the South Africans, Nwabali led the Nigerians to the final.

The transfer window has already closed in most European championships, but there is no doubt that Nwabali deserves little more than the fight to remain in the South African Premier League.