Football has become a lucrative endeavor in modern times with most footballers earning more than enough money and these include Nigerian football players.
Some Nigerian footballers, could not invest from the huge salaries they earned before retiring from the football scene. Presently, most of these footballers are now broke.
In today’s article, we will be discussing some of the Nigerian footballers who have completely gone broke after making millions of dollars during their playing days.
1. Wilson Oruma
Wilson Oruma was a former Super Eagles midfielder for about 6 years. Oruma went completely broke after making huge money from his career. He was reported to be suffering from mental illness after being heavily defrauded by a Lagos-based pastor in a fake oil business.
Wilson Oruma who captained the Nigerian U-17 team to win the 1993 World Cup in Japan played for FC Marseille and some clubs in Switzerland and also Gabala FC in Greece.
He made millions of dollars during his career and was even announced as one of the wealthiest players many years back. Although he was a talented player, he played with a well-known Nigerian footballer, Jay Jay Okocha.
Wilson Oruma later regained his mental stability but has been struggling to overcome the financial crisis that befell him after being duped.
2. Ifeanyi Udeze
Ifeanyi Udeze is another skilled Super Eagles left-back who was an important member of the national team around the years 2000 to 2004 after graduating from the triumphant Golden Eaglets.
Unfortunately, things took a downturn for the football star as people who are close to him disclosed that Ifeanyi Udeze is presently living in debt after spending all the money he made on gambling, luxurious materials, and the expensive lifestyle he lived during his stay in Europe.
Ifeanyi Udeze who played for AE Athens and Westbrom during his active days in football is said to be an ambassador of a locally made gin and can also be seen gambling on the streets of Lagos.
3. Celestine Babayaro
Celestine Babayaro is no doubt one of the best Super Eagles left-back. He was among the Super Eagles squad that won the 1996 Olympics for Nigeria.
Celestine Babayaro played for some top football teams in England and Belgium. During his period, he was on the list of the highest African players in the world. His salary was between £24,000 to £30,000 when he was in Chelsea, England.
He declared himself bankrupt in a court in 2010 after being arrested by creditors. The ex-Newcastle United player was said to have lived a luxurious lifestyle both in England and Nigeria.
It was reported that he squandered all his fortune on exotic cars, women, and attending nightclubs. People who are close to him revealed that Celestine Babayaro is broke and now living in extreme poverty.
4. Mohammed Yusuf
Mohammed Yusuf was a former Enyimba FC defender. He was among the list of the first 11 of the Super Eagles list during the days of the Late Stephen Keshi.
Yusuf was regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Europe, Asia, and North America. He played at a club in Sudan in 2010 and that was his last appearance in the football scene.
Nevertheless, the talented defender suffered a critical injury in 2010 during AFCON and since then, it has been reported that he has been rehabilitating.
Yusuf spent all his money on his treatment and he is now living in abject poverty.
Reports have it that Muhammed Yusuf presently resides in Kano and has been abandoned by the Nigerian Football Federation authorities.
5. Victor Agali
Victor Agali was considered one of the best and most talented strikers in the Super Eagles squad. He was loved by Super Eagles supporters due to his proficiency and incredible goal-scoring skills.
He played for top clubs like Olympic de Marseille, FC Schalke 04, and F.C. Hansa Rostock.
Regardless, sources familiar with the player disclosed that Victor Agali is handicapped financially and despite earning €25,000 in Germany, some flunked investments and a lavish lifestyle have made crawling financially.
6. Chikelue Iloenyosi
Chikelue Iloenyosi is a Super Eagles player who was able to accomplish little with the senior national team.
Chikelue Iloenyosi is a Super Eagles player who was able to accomplish little with the senior national team.
He has however made a career playing football and it was quite a profitable one. He was among the U-20 who appeared for Nigeria in the W Championship in 1999.
Chikelue Iloenyosi is well-known for his marriage to a Nollywood actress, Stephanie Okereke. His marriage was ended by the Lagos State High Court after it was realized that he was legally married to another lady in the United States.
However, after making millions while playing in Turkey, Australia, and Saudi Arabia, he is currently not doing well financially after losing all his fortunes due to some contracts that went wrong.
7. Femi Opabunmi
Femi Opabunmi is most remembered for being a key player at the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship where he scored 3 goals against Australia winning himself a silver shoe as the second-highest goal scorer in the tournament and also a bronze ball as the third-best player in the tournament.
Femi captained Nigeria to get to the final where they lost to France. He went on playing for the Super Eagles making his debut against Kenya in 2002 scoring his second goal in a 3-0 win.
He also participated in the 2002 World Cup playing against England in the last group stage game becoming the youngest third player to have ever played in the World Cup.
Femi Opabunmi went further to play for some European clubs including Shooting Stars FC, and Grasshopper Zurich, Switzerland.
Unfortunately, Femi Opabunmi was forced to quit football after he lost one of his eyes. Femi survived his last month in Europe with the assistance of one of his former teammates, Peter Osaze Odemwinge.
Femi is currently broke and he revealed during an interview that he now resides in Ibadan where he survives from the little earnings from his wife’s small business to sustain his wife and children.
8. Taribo West
Taribo West happens to be one of the most successful Nigerian central backs in history. He was regarded as one of the best defenders in Europe and was one of the major members of the Inter Milan squad between 1997 & 1999.
Despite playing for top teams like AC Milan, and Derby County, Taribo West is said to be living in poverty as all the wealth he acquired during his playing days seems to have been washed away.
Taribo made a bad investment in his marriage and now can be seen on the streets of Lagos preaching the gospel and trying to win souls for God.
The only visible property left for Taribo West is his gigantic building in Lagos.
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