Daniel Amokachi
Nigerian forward who won Olympic gold and the FA Cup.
Last updated
via Wikipedia: Daniel Amokachi · see source
Daniel Owefin Amokachi, born 30 December 1972, is a Nigerian football manager and former professional forward. He played in the Premier League for Everton, winning the FA Cup in 1995, and earned 44 caps for Nigeria, scoring 13 goals. Amokachi won the African Cup of Nations in 1994 and an Olympic gold medal in 1996.
Club career
Amokachi, nicknamed "The Bull", was discovered by Nigerian national team coach Clemens Westerhof while playing for Ranchers Bees. He moved to Club Brugge in Belgium and scored the club's first goal in the UEFA Champions League, a 1–0 win over CSKA Moscow. After performing well in Belgium and at the 1994 World Cup, Everton manager Mike Walker signed him for £3 million. He won the FA Cup with Everton in 1995, scoring two goals in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur after substituting himself into the match while Paul Rideout received treatment.
He appeared briefly in the final as a substitute and was remembered for his beret-wearing celebrations. He remained at Everton until the end of the 1995–96 season, then transferred to Beşiktaş for £1.75 million. He had failed to secure a regular place at Everton as Rideout and Duncan Ferguson were established strikers, though he stood in for Ferguson during a six-week prison sentence. After leaving Beşiktaş in 1999, his playing career effectively ended.
He signed with 1860 Munich but the contract was cancelled after a failed medical test, and he was rejected by Tranmere Rovers for the same reason. He trained with US Créteil but injuries hampered the deal. Colorado Rapids signed him in 2002 but released him before he played a match. He went to the United Arab Emirates but was denied again due to his medical condition.
Managerial career
Amokachi managed Nasarawa United and later Enyimba Aba. He quit as assistant coach of Nigeria in April 2007, but was re-appointed in April 2008 as assistant to Shuaibu Amodu, and later to Stephen Keshi. He managed Ifeanyi Ubah in 2015, resigning after five weeks. In January 2016, he became manager of JS Hercules.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold 1996 Atlanta Team competition
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Club Brugge | 1990–91 | Belgian First Division | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 1991–92 | Belgian First Division | 26 | 12 | — | 6 | 1 | 32 | 13 | ||||||
| 1992–93 | Belgian First Division | 23 | 9 | — | 6 | 1 | 29 | 10 | ||||||
| 1993–94 | Belgian First Division | 28 | 14 | — | — | 28 | 14 | |||||||
| 1994–95 | Belgian First Division | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 81 | 35 | — | 12 | 2 | 93 | 37 | |||||||
| Everton | 1994–95 | Premier League | 18 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 6 | ||
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 25 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 8 | |
| Total | 43 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 14 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 1996–97 | 1. Lig | 30 | 7 | 5 | 1 | — | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 10 | |
| 1997–98 | 1. Lig | 27 | 7 | 7 | 2 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 11 | ||
| 1998–99 | 1. Lig | 20 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | ||
| Total | 77 | 18 | 17 | 3 | — | 17 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 112 | 25 | |||
| Career total | 201 | 63 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 259 | 76 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 1990 | 6 | 1 |
| 1991 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1995 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1997 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 44 | 13 | |
International
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 August 1990 | Lagos, Nigeria | TOG | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1992 African Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 27 April 1991 | Lagos, Nigeria | BEN | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1992 African Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 29 August 1992 | Lagos, Nigeria | UGA | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1994 African Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 13 July 1993 | Lagos, Nigeria | ALG | 4–1 | 4–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 25 September 1993 | Lagos, Nigeria | CIV | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 21 June 1994 | Dallas, United States | BUL | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 7 | 30 June 1994 | Boston, United States | GRE | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 8 | 6 January 1995 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | JPN | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1995 King Fahd Cup |
| 9 | 13 January 1995 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | MEX | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1995 King Fahd Cup |
| 10 | 9 November 1996 | Lagos, Nigeria | BFA | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 2–0 | |||||
| 12 | 5 April 1997 | Lagos, Nigeria | GUI | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 2–0 |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Daniel Amokachi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- Amokachi scored Club Brugge's first ever UEFA Champions League goal in 1992, a 1–0 win over CSKA Moscow.
- He was named Nigeria's football ambassador by President Muhammadu Buhari on 4 February 2020.
- Amokachi's twin sons Kalim and Nazim are in the Beşiktaş youth academy.
Ranked in
More in Olympic Medalists in Football
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Daniel Amokachi (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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