Full name Emeka Ezeugo 1986–1987 East Bengal Current team Abia Warriors F.C. Years Team Height 1.84 m | Playing position Role Football player Place of birth Aba, Nigeria Name Emeka Ezeugo Position Defender | |
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Date of birth (1967-08-08) 8 August 1967 (age 48) | ||
Nigerian footballers Emeka Ezeugo at Kolkata for new projects
Emeka Ezeugo (born 16 December 1965 in Aba) is a retired Nigerian football defender and midfielder and current coach.
Contents
- Nigerian footballers Emeka Ezeugo at Kolkata for new projects
- Career
- International
- Coaching career
- Private life
- Conversion
- References
Career
The Nigerian who has played professionally in five continents most famously for Connecticut Wolves (A-League in United States), East Bengal, Kolkata, India, Peru and Dhaka Mohammedan during a successful 15-year playing career. At his time in Dhaka Mohammedan teams from Germany showed interest in him but he stayed in Dhaka because of his immense popularity.
The Nigerian starred for Mohammedan Sporting and East Bengal towards the end of the 80’s. He then moved to the Danish League with middle of the table club Lyngby BK and really prospered, so much so that he made it to the Nigerian national side for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He came to India for a short spell in 1997 to play a few mathces for an Indian club - Mohun Bagan A.C. Ezeugo is the example Sunil Chhetri should really try to emulate. Both players have been stars for Indian clubs and are more closely matched in terms of talent. His team is reported to have improved from worst (5th place) in 1999 to first (CUNYAC Champions) in 2000, he went to Peru to play (Peruvian Professional League) in 2001.
International
He first played for Nigeria at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Nicknamed "Emmy", he obtained 11 caps for the national team between 1992 and 1994, and was a member of the team that competed at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Coaching career
The Nigerian holds a USSF coaching license and a KNVB Netherlands international license. Ezeugo has an envious coaching record over the past seven years, as he successfully completed his transition from player to coach that included a stint as the head coach at CoT NYs Borough of Manhattan Community College in 2002,. In 2003 coached than Deportivo Municipal, Lima for two seasons before coming back to the United States, on 15 August 2005 was named as the new men’s soccer coach at New York City College of Technology, here was between 2008.
Ezeuga spent summers 2004-2006 coaching at Camp Chateaugay, a summer camp located in New York's Adirondack Mountains for kids ages 7 to 15.
On 19 April 2008 turned back to India and signed a contract as Head Coach by his former club Churchill Brothers SC on 5 September 2008 was released from his contract.
He was then the chief coach of Heartland, a position he assumed less than a month ago.
On 31 October 2013, he was named the head coach of the newly promoted Nigeria Premier League team Abia Warriors.
Private life
Emeka's brother Valentine Ezuego, a former footballer to have plied his trade in India, recommended the former Nigerian World Cupper to Churchill Bros patron Churchill Alemao.
Conversion
In February, 2012 while he was coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club of Bangladesh he converted to Islam.