Mikel, Kanu Top List Of Nigerian FA Cup Winners In England
The duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi became the eighth and ninth Super Eagles playes to lift the prestigious FA Cup trophy in England following Leicester City’s 1-0 defeat of Chelsea in the final on Saturday.
CompletesportsBreakingNews takes a look at how each of the nine Eagles stars helped their respective clubs to win the title…
John Utaka
Utaka scored twice and provided two assists in 13 FA Cup games for Portsmouth across four seasons but it was his assist for compatriot Nwankwo Kanu that landed him his only title in English football.
Utaka’s cross was right-footed home as Pompey defeated Cardiff City 1-0 at Wembley in May 2008. He started eight of the 13 games he featured and played twice in the final, losing to Chelsea 1-0 11 years ago.
Alex Iwobi
Iwobi was an unused substitute when Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 courtesy of an Aaron Ramsey’s 79th minute header in May 2017 at Wembley stadium.
The Nigerian who switched the Emirates stadium for Goodison Park to join Everton in August 2019 has featured 14 times in the competition, starting 11 of the games.
His only goal in the competition was scored in Arsenal’s 3-0 demolition of lower league side, Blackpool at Bloomfield Road in January 2019.
The Super Eagle has also provided three assists.
Victor Moses
Moses succeeded Alex Iwobi as FA Cup winner in 2018 when he helped Chelsea to a 1-0 defeat of Manchester United courtesy of an Eden Hazard’s 22nd minute goal.
It was the Nigerian’s second successive final appearance following his best forgotten experience in the Blues’ 2-1 loss to Arsenal 12 months earlier. In that game the Nigerian received two yellow cards, the second for diving as he was shown the exit door with scores still at 1-1.
Moses has appeared 28 times across 12 seasons for six different clubs in the competition and has scored five times and provided just two assists.
He started 21 of the 28 games and was subbed on seven times.
Celestine Babayaro
Babayaro is the first high profile Nigerian to play for Chelsea and he played in two FA Cup finals. He featured for the entire duration of the game when Chelsea pipped Aston Villa 1-0 to lift the trophy in May 2000.
He could only play for 45 minutes two years later when Chelsea got to the final again but lost 2-0 to London neigbhours, Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with two second half goals from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg.
Babayaro featured in 20 FA Cup games across eight seasons for two clubs, Chelsea (6) and Newcastle United (2).
Daniel Amokachi
Amokachi is the first Super Eagles player to win the FA Cup and he did it with Everton who pipped Manchester United 1-0 in the final at the Wembley stadium in May 1995.
Interestingly, Amokachi made only two appearances in the competition with the highlight of his participation his brace against Tottenham Hotspur in the Toffees’ 4-1 win in the semi final played at Elland Road in April 1995.
Mikel Obi
Mikel won the FA Cup with Chelsea three times, more than any other Nigerian who has featured in the competition. His 34 appearances in the competition across 12 seasons is the highest among Nigerians who have lifted the trophy.
Chelsea played in four FA Cup finals during Mikel’s 12 seasons at the club but the Nigerian featured in three. He won his first FA Cup in May 2007 in a 1-0 extra-time victory over Manchester United courtesy of a Didier Drogba’s 116th minute goal at the Wembley Stadium.
The second arrived two years later with the former Super Eagles captain featuring for all 90 minutes as Chelsea came from a goal down to defeat Everton 2-1 courtesy of Drogba and Frank Lampard’s goals.
Mikel was not in the matchday squad when the Blues pipped Portsmouth 1-0 in May 2010 with Drogba scoring the winner. The Nigerian duo of John Utaka and Nwankwo Kanu were subbed on for Portsmouth in the game played at Wembley stadium.The Nigerian however returned for his third triumph two years later as Chelsea defeted Liverpool 2-1.
Nwankwo Kanu
While Mikel has won the trophy more times than Kanu, Papilo, as he is fondly called is the only Nigerian who has won the cup with two separate teams. Kanu’s four appearances in the final is also the most by any Nigerian in the competition.
Papilo featured 28 times across 12 seasons for two clubs and scored eight times but the former Arsenal man played fewer minutes than Mikel who played in three finals.
The Atlanta 1996 Olympics golden boy was on the pitch for five minutes when Arsenal lost 2-1 to Liverpool in his first final appearance in May 2001.
Kanu bounced back as a FA Cup winner the following year albeit he featured for just nine minutes in the Gunners’ 2-0 defeat of Chelsea. The Nigerian was however an unused substitute when Arsenal pipped Southampton 1-0 courtesy of a Robert Pirès’ 38th minute strike.
After becoming surplus to requirements at Highbury, Kanu joined Portsmouth and he was the cup hero five years later, scoring the only goal of the game off a John Utaka asisst as Pompey defeated Cardiff City 1-0 in the final.
Two years later, Kanu was subbed on with only nine minutes left as Portsmouth lost 1-0 to Chelsea to end the Nigerian’s romance with the competition.
Kelechi Iheanacho
No Nigerian has scored more FA Cup goals than Iheanacho (14). The Leicester City forward has been in inspiring form this term, scoring four times in the competition, the joint highest by any player in the competition this season.
The highlight of the Super Eagles forward in the Foxes historic march to immortality was when he scored a brace in Leicester City’s 3-1 demolition of Manchester United at the quarter-final stage before scoring the only goal that took Brendan Rodgers’ side to Saturday’s final for the first time in 52 years.
Iheanacho has appeared 20 times in the competition accross six seasons and has scored in the competition in five of the last six seasons. He has provided just two assists but has emerged the top scoring African in the competition with his 14 goals.
Wilfred Ndidi
Ndidi won his first major club trophy on Saturday when his club, Leicester City defeated Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley stadium. It was the Super Eagles midfielder’s 14th appearance in the competition since he made his debut in January 2017, leading Leicester City to a 2-1 win at Everton.
The 24 year old has scored twice in the competition and featured in all six games the Foxes played this term enroute to winning the trophy for the first time. He started 10 of the 14 games he has played in the competition.