By using the away goal rule, Ghana unexpectedly defeated Nigeria in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after Thomas Partey’s strike unexpectedly slipped past goalie Francis Uzoho.
The unexpected Commentators, analysts, and the majority of Nigerians, who were eager to forget about Maduka Okoye’s mistake at the 2021 AFCON, picked out villain Francis Uzoho for acclaim after he was named man of the match in the first leg in Ghana on March 25. Nigerians wrote and sung on the day.
“The man is Francis Uzoho.”
THE MAN IS UZOHO.
The man for our posts is UZOHO 🧤.
(Repeat as necessary).
Surprisingly, Nsikakabasi Akpan did not perform in this emergency rendition with the choir. Yes, I purposefully chose not to sing because I knew that Francis Uzoho, despite being a fine goalkeeper, did not possess the qualities required for top-tier goalkeeping. Goalkeepers perform better as they become older because they require consistency and confidence.
I won’t name names, but I have no doubt that any NPFL goalie who is performing well will have the self-assurance to save Thomas Partey’s attempt and spare Nigeria from having to forfeit their World Cup ticket to a mediocre Black Stars squad.
This leads us to Vincent Enyeama, the individual mentioned in the article’s title. The last reliable goalie to man the Super Eagles’ posts, without a doubt. At this point, leukemia will be criticized for ending Carl Ikeme’s career too soon. Perhaps he would have performed well for the Super Eagles in goal.
The Francis Uzoho ft. Maduka Okoye, Maduka Okoye ft. Francis Uzoho Drama series is the most recent of Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ unsuccessful goalkeeping attempts following the abrupt retirement of goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.
This piece is purposefully organized. We have reached the primary goal, which is to honor the last player to have regularly performed as the Super Eagles’ first choice goalkeeper, in a back-and-forth fashion similar to the Super Eagles’ goalkeeping scenario, but different from the former.
To commemorate his 39th birthday, I wrote an article on August 29, 2021, in which I went into great detail about the man I called “ST VINCENT THE GREAT”—his birth, discovery, career, and retirement path.
Have fun reading it.
THE GREAT ST. VINCENT🧤
About 14240 days ago, on the 34th Sunday in 1982, Inemesit Enyeama was born. Inem, who was christened Vincent at baptism, started playing with Defunct Ibom Stars FC in 1999 before joining Enyimba International in 2001, where he played alongside players like Obinna Nwaneri, Frimpong, David Tyakese, and others to bring African football to Aba.
In 2004, there was a quick and inconsequential shift to defunct Iwanyanwu National. Vincent Enyeama moved to the Lord’s own nation, Israel, to join Bnei Yehuda after securing his position as the Super Eagles’ first choice goalkeeper and winning the Nigerian league three times and Africa twice.
Similar to an evangelist, Saint Vincent’s outstanding performance at Bnei Yehuda not only drew interest from larger teams but also made it possible for Dele Aiyenugba, who was then an Enyimba International student, to switch to Bnei Yehuda after joining Hapoel Tel Aviv.
At this point in his career, Enyeama was well-known for both his heroics as a goalkeeper and his ability to score goals by taking penalties for Hapoel Tel Aviv. Winning two Isreali Cup wins and being named the 2009 Isreali Footballer of the Year while having fun scoring and stopping penalties.
After spending a year on loan with Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he won the 2012 Israeli League, Enyeama played for French team Lille from 2011 to 2018. Vincent will always be recognized for playing 1062 minutes (11 straight games) without giving up in 2013, which is the second-highest total in French Ligue 1 history.
Vincent Enyeama made a record-breaking 101 appearances for the Super Eagles between 2002 and 2015. He won one AFCON title (2013) and three bronze medals in 2004, 2006, and 2010. Enyeama represented Nigeria in the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil in 2014 as well as the World Cup in 2002, 2010, and 2014.
Similar to how Saint Vincent, whom he was named after at baptism, suffered persecution for being outspoken, Vincent Enyeama’s outspokenness led to conflict with Lille’s management in 2018 and the ego of Sunday Oliseh, the Super Eagles manager at the time, in 2015. As a result, he retired from international competition in October 2015 and left Lille by mutual consent in August 2018.
In the Nigerian football community, Vincent Enyeama is remembered today for his incredible performances and role as the final Consistent Super Eagles goalkeeper, just way the saints in the religious community are honored for their noble efforts.
