Nigerian Female Athletes of all-time

Falilat Ogunkoya 

She is one of the best athlete that Nigeria has ever produced in track events.

She had a personal best of 49.10 secs in 400metres, which is currently the twelfth fastest of all-time in that event. 

Medal Records

Olympics - 1996 Atlanta (4×400 relay Silver medal) and Bronze medal in 400m.

African Championships - 4 Gold medals in 200m & 400m, 2 Silver medals in 100m & 200m.

All Africa Games - 1 Gold medal (400m in 1999), 

3 Silver medals (100m in 1987, 200m in 1987 and 400m in 1995).

Blessing Okagbare

She is a rare gem. The 31years-old sprinter days are numbered on the track and her absence will surely be felt.

It is high time for Nigeria to start searching for a successor of this great athlete to sustain our dominance in track and field events on the continent.

She holds the women's 100m Commonwealth games record for the fastest time at 10.85 secs. Her 100m best of 10.79secs made her the African record holder for the event, until it was eclipsed by Murielle Ahoure in 2016.

She was the African record holder in the 200m with her run of 22.04secs in 2018 and she was the African 100m & long jump champion in 2010.

Medal Records

Olympic games - Silver medal (2008 in Long jump).

World Championships - Silver (2013), Bronze (2013).

Commonwealth Games - 2 Gold medals (100m & 200m), 1 Silver medal and 1 Bronze medal.

All African Games - 3 Gold medals and 2 Silver medals.

African Championships - 6 Gold medals and 1 Silver medal.

IAAF world Relays - 1 Gold medal.

Continental cup - 1 Bronze medal.

Chioma Ajunwa 

The Police officer was the first Nigerian Olympic gold medalist when she won her medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

Ajunwa once played for the Nigerian Women's team and she was a member of the Super Falcons squad to the 1991 Women's World Cup in China where she saw little action on the pitch

She was given a national award - Member of the Order of Niger (MON) by Nigeria former military Head of State, Late Sanni Abacha in 1996 for exploits at that year Olympics.

Although she was banned from Athletics for 4 years after failing a drug test in 1992, she came back quite strong and won many medals for her nation.

Medal Records

Atlanta '96 Olympics - Gold medal in Long jump.

Commonwealth Games ( 1990 in Auckland) - Bronze medal.

World Indoor Championships (1997 in Paris) - Silver medal.

All African Games (1991) - 1 gold medal.

Florence Ekpo-Umoh 

She is a Nigerian-German sprinter who specializes in the 400m event. She was suspended from competing for two years for doping.

Ekpo-Umoh competed for Nigeria at the 1994 World Junior Championship in Portugal and she defected to Germany in 1995 during a training camp.

Medal Records 

In Nigeria colours

She finished 8th position at the 1994 world junior championship in Portugal in 400m (53.84secs), & 14th in 4x400m relay (3:49.16).

While representing Germany

2001 world indoor championships - Bronze in 4x400m relay (3:31.00).

2001 World Championship - Silver medal in 4x400m relay (3:21.97).

2002 European Championship - Gold medal in 4x400m relay (3:25.10).

Oludamola Osayomi

She was born in June 1986 in IIesha, Osun state, and specializes in the 100m and 200m sprint. Her Personal Best for the 100m is 10.99secs set in Sao Paulo in 2011

 

Medal Records

African Championship - 4 Gold medals 

2008 Olympics - Silver medal in 4x100m relay

She also won the 100 & 200m  sprints at the 2007 All Africa games.

Mary Onyali Omagbemi

She was born on 3rd of February, 1968 and was a 5-time Olympian. 

Her consecutive Olympic appearance from 1988 to 2004 made her the first Nigerian to compete at 5 Olympics - a feat was that has since then be matched by Table Tennis players Bose Kaffo and Segun Toriola four years later in Beijing, PR China.

She married a fellow Nigerian sprinter Victor Omagbemi.

Her Personal Best(PB) reecords in Sprints are;

100m - 10.97 (1993)

200m - 22.07 (1996)

400m - 54.21 (2000)

Medal Records

1992 Olympics - 4x100m Bronze medal

1996 Olympics - 200m Bronze medal

1994 Commonwealth Games

100m Gold medal

200m Silver medal

4x100m relay Gold medal

All African Games

3 Gold medals in 100m (1991, 1995 and 2003) and Bronze medal (1987).

3 Gold medals in 200m (1987, 1995 and 2003)

World Junior Championships (1986)

200m Silver medal

4x100m relay Bronze medal

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Cadet Championship

The FIFA U-17 World Cup was founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007. It is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by Federation International de Football Association (FIFA).

The first edition was hosted by China in 1985 (35 years ago) and it comes up biennially (every 2 years). The current champion is Brazil, which won its fourth title at the 2019 edition on home soil.

Let's take a look at the tournament statistics from 1985 till date.

Most successful team

Nigeria

5 Titles (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015).

3 Silver (runner-up) medal - 1987 in USSR, 2001 in Finland and 2009 in Nigeria.

Brazil

4 Titles (1995, 1997, 1999 and 2019).

All time goalscorer 

Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) - 10 goals

Most matches played: 89 matches (Brazil).

Fewest matches played: 3 matches (14 countries including Sudan, Finland, Togo, Denmark, Algeria e.t.c)

Most wins: 59 matches (Brazil).

Most losses: 32 matches (USA).

Most draws: 14 matches (Argentina).

Most goals conceded: 102 goals (USA).

Most goals scored: 192 goals (Brazil).

Fewest goals conceded: 3 goals (Scotland, Hungary, Togo and Rwanda).

Highest goal difference: +106 (Nigeria).

Lowest goal difference: -69 (New zealand).

Most played final: 2 times - Brazil vs Ghana (1995 & 1997) and Brazil vs Mexico (2005 & 2019).

Most goals scored in one tournament by a team: 27 goals by Nigeria in the 2013 edition. 

Most goals scored by a champion: 27 goals (Nigeria in 2013).

Most goals scored by host: 21 goals by Mexico in 2011.

Fewest goals scored by a champion: 8 goals - Saudi Arabia (1989), Ghana (1991) and Brazil (1999).

Most goals scored in a single game:

Spain 13 - 0 New Zealand (in Egypt 1997).

Most goals scored in a single tournament: 172 goals (2013 edition).

The 18th edition comes up next, watch out!

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

Tennis Players of the Decade

The sport of tennis has unite the world with the exploit of the athletes who are genius on the tennis court.

Tennis players legacies are judged on the number of Grand Slams titles a player wins.

Here, we shortlist some of the best in the ATP and WTA with their achievements during the last decade highlighted.

Novak Djokovic 

D'joker has been the most dominating player in the last decade. He won 42 of his past 44 games at the grand slam championships in the last 10 years.

The Serb won 15 grand slams (17 in total) in this decade which is more than any player. He had 61 titles this decade, which includes 29 Masters 1000 titles and 4 ATP finals.

He also set multiple records - by winning the 2016 French open, he became the first man to hold 4 grand slams titles on 3 different surfaces .

In 2015, he won over $21million setting a record for most prize money in a calendar year.

Djokovic has been World No. 1 for 275 weeks over the past 10 years beating Federer's tally from the previous decade by 13 weeks.

In head-to-head meetings during the 2010s he dominated Federer 21 - 14 and Nadal 21- 12.

Rafael Nadal 

He won 13 grand slams during this past decade, which is not far from Djokovic. He also won 

48 titles, which includes 20 masters titles.

He also set multiple records in the last decade - one of which is by setting the record for most titles won at a single grand slam by winning his 12th French open.

He also became the first man to win 10 titles at any event not just at one event but three events.

Roger Federer 

Despite his age (he turns 39 in August), the Swiss maestro has still managed to make it as one of the best players of this past decade.

He won 42 titles this decade which includes 5 grand slams , 12 Masters titles and

1 ATP finals title.

He also set many records this decade, he became first man to win 20 grand slams by winning the 2018 Australian open.

He also broke the record for most Wimbledon titles by winning his 8th title in 2017.

All these achievements are amazing considering Roger's age.

Andy Murray 

He suffered many injuries in the last few years, but before that he was competing extremely well against the other members of the 'Big 4'.

He won 32 titles this decade which included 3 grand slams, 10 masters titles and 1 ATP finals.

In 2016, he won over 16 million dollars in prize moneywhich is only second to Djokovic's record.

Stan Wawrinka

He has been described as 'Tennis great latecomer. He won 15 titles in the last decade out of which 3 were grand slams and 1 masters title.

In his 3 grand slam triumphs, he beat the No. 1 player to win the title.

WOMEN

Serena Williams

The American won her 23rd grand slam title in Melbourne while being eight weeks pregnant.

After losing to Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final nine months after given birth, she dedicated her comeback to "all the mums out there". She suffered a pulmonary embolism that left her" on her death bed in 2011.

She also suffered a life- threatening complications during child birth in 2017 which culminated to her having multiple surgeries 

She added 10 more majors, since turning 30 in September, 2011.

She spent a record-equalling 186 weeks at Number 1 - between 2013 and 2016. She also became the first athlete to hit Forbes's annual list of the world's richest self- made women with an estimated fortune of $225 million.

Her aim is to equal and potentially break Margaret Court's slams title record of 24.

Three of William's five AP Female athlete of the year awards came during the last decade, (2002, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2018).

Angelique Kerber

The German won 3 grand slams in the last decade, she also won the Olympic silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

She has more skills to challenge for more honors in the WTA in the coming years.

Maria Sharapova 

She is one of the richest and most globally recognizable athletes of the 21st century, and recently she announced her retirement in Tennis.

She was suspended in 2016 for 15 months, after been tested positive of meldonium - a banned substance for Tennis players. 

She won 36 tour singles titles in total, an Olympic silver medal in Singles event in 2012,

and the Fed Cup title with Russia in 2008.

She was the world's highest earning female athlete for 11 consecutive years according to Forbes.

Garbine Muguruza

She is one of the best tennis players this decade, the Spaniard made her mark in tennis by beating Serena Williams in the second round of the 2014 French open.

She won a French open title in 2016, defeating Serena Williams and a Wimbledon title in 2017 beating Venus Williams. In addition, she won 7 WTA titles in the 2010s.

Ashleigh Barty 

She had an amazing decade, as she won her first grand slam singles title at the 2019

French Open.

In the doubles , she reached the finals of all 4 grand slams, winning the US open in 2018.

She won over 4 million dollars at the 2019 WTA finals, which set a record for most prize money at a single tournament.

Will the next gen end the dominance of these tennis veterans?

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst 

The Top 5 Leagues in Europe

There are many professional football leagues in Europe, but  according to the UEFA's league rankings and co-efficient, here are the top 5 leagues on the continent. 

Spanish La Liga

The Spanish La Liga which was established in 1929 is one of the most popular professional football league in the world.

In accordance with the UEFA's League co- efficient, La liga has been ranked as the top league in Europe over the last 5 years.

Till date, 62 teams have competed in the La liga and only 9 teams have emerged as champions.

Barcelona won the inaugural season.

The most successful team in La Liga history is  Real madrid with an overall record of 33 titles while Barcelona have 25 titles.

Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid and Barcelona are the only teams that have never been relegated since the inception of the league in 1929 till date.

Since 2009, Barcelona have won the Spanish La Liga title 7 times (2009 - 2011, 2012/13, 2014- 2016 and 2017 - 2019) while Real Madrid has won it twice ( 2013/14 and 2016/17).

Will Barcelona continues their dominance this season ?

English Premier League (EPL)

The Football League was established in 1888,  and at the end of the 1888/89 season Preston North End were the first club to be crowned Champion after completing their fixtures unbeaten.

In 1992, the First division change its nomenclature to be called the FA Premier league.

The first 5 champions in the Premier League era were Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers , Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United who

had all won the title at least once prior to 1992.

Leicester City were crowned champions for the first time in 2016, becoming the first team to win the Premier League without having previously won the First division title.

Man United have won 20 titles - the most of any club, Liverpool are second with 18 while Arsenal are third with13 titles - all of which came after 1930.

In the last one decade, Man City have won 4 League titles (2011/12, 2013/14, 2017 to 2019) while Chelsea has won it thrice (2009/10, 2014/15 and 2016/17). Man United won in 2012/13 and Leicester City won in 2015/16.

Liverpool have never won the EPL title in this era.

Will Liverpool break the jinx this season?

Italian Serie A

The Serie A title has been contested since 1898 in varying forms of competition. Juventus are the current champions, and have won a record 35 titles.

About 14 different teams have won the Serie A title since the inaugural season.

The Serie A championship title is referred to as the Scudetto(small shield), because the winning team will wear a small coat of arms with the Italian flag on their jersey in the following season.

Juventus have won 8 consecutive scudetti from 2011 to 2019.

Will any Serie A team hijack the title from Juventus this season?

German Bundesliga

The ancient German football league begins in 1903 as VfB Leipzig emerge champion.

The formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, marked a significant change to the German football championship, as FC Koln captured the first ever Bundesliga title in the league's inaugural 1963/64 season. So far, 13 different teams have won the Bundesliga titles.

Since the inaugural win of FC Koln, the competition has been dominated by Bayern Munich which has taken the championship 29 times out of the 57 Bundesliga seasons played to 2019/20 season.

In the last one decade, Bayern have won the German league 8 times and 7 consecutive bundesliga titles from 2012/13 till date,

Which team will end Bayern dominance in Germany?

French Ligue 1

The Union Design Societes Francaises de Sports Athletiques (USfSA) was founded in 1893/94, the first champion of  french football was Standard Athletic club, who defeated the White Rovers 2 nil in Courbevoie on 6th of may 1894.

Olympique Lyon established themselves as a top club by winning a record- breaking streak of seven successive league titles from 2002 to 2008/09 season.

Olympic Marseille and Saint- Etienne have the most championship wins with 10 Ligue 1 titles each while Paris Saint-Germain have won 8.

In the last one decade PSG have won the league 6 times.

No doubt that PSG is the best team currently in the French league with the Neymars and Mbappes of this world.

Do you think PSG will match the records of Marseille and Saint Etienne soon ? 

Fabiyi Ridwan 

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Driving Formula

As we bide goodbye to the 2010s with Lewis Hamilton rollercoaster performances lightening up the decade, there is a need to review the years gone by.

Hence, the various teams and their viable respective drivers are bracing up for the 70th anniversary season of the Formula 1.

In the 2000s, Michael Schumacher notched up 56 grand prix wins, and won five championships with Ferrari. Fernando Alonso - who made his debut in 2001 - also took 21 wins and two titles while racing for Renault. While Kimi Raikkonen won 18 races, and a title in 2007 - Ferrari's last title it must be mentioned.

In the 2010s, Lewis Hamilton had 73 grand prix wins in the Formula One. The dawn of Mercedes turbo-hybrid era signalled the beginning of Hamilton's ongoing dominance.

Sebastian Vettel's 48 wins in the 2010s yielded all four of the decade's first championships before Hamilton domination.

While Nico Rosberg managed to rack up 23 wins , his first in 2012 and his last in 2016 - when he bowed out as champion.

Teams Stats 

Ferrari 

The Italian based team is the oldest and the most successful Formula One team, having competed in every world championships since the 1950.

Stats 

Races entered - 993 (990 starts)

Races won - 239

Pole Position - 229

Fastest laps - 260

Podiums - 776

Constructors Championships - 16 titles (1961, 1964, 1975 -1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1999 - 2004, 2007 and 2008).

Drivers Championships - 15 wins (1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000 - 2004 and 2007)

Michael Schumacher is the team's most successful driver. From 1996 to 2006, he won 5 drivers titles and 72 Grands prix for the team.

Mercedes Benz 

Mercedes has become one of the most successful teams in recent formula one history, having achieved consecutive Drivers and Constructors Championships wins from 2014 to 2019.

Mercedes debuted in Formula One in 1954, their nickname is the "Silver Arrows".

Stats 

Races competed in - 482 races (480 starts).

Won - 188 race victories

Podiums - 479 times

Pole positions - 194 times

Fastest lap - 170

Points - 10, 377

They had 739 points in 2019 (to emerged champion).

Constructors championships - 8 titles ( 1998, 2009, 2014 - 2019).

Mercedes collected 16 victories in 2014 and 2015 apiece breaking Mc Laren (1988) and Ferrari's (2002 & 2004) record of 15.

In 2016, they extended this record with 19 wins.

Drivers Championships - 12 wins (1954, 1955, 1998, 1999, 2008, 2009 and 2014 - 2019)

Drivers Stats 

- The Drivers Championship was first awarded in 1950 to Giuseppe Farina.

- The first driver to win multiple Championships was Alberto Ascari in 1952 & 1953.

- The Drivers Championship has been won in the final race of the season 29 times in the 69 seasons it has been awarded.

- Overall, thirty - three different drivers have won the championship, with Germany's Michael Schumacher holding the record for most titles (7 wins), while the current Drivers Champion is Lewis Hamilton who won his sixth title in 2019.

- The United Kingdom (UK) has produced the most champions with 10 wins.

Brazil, Germany and Finland are next with three wins apiece.

- Of the 33 drivers to have won the World Championship, 19 are still alive.

 

- Among the teams Scuderia Ferrari has the most drivers wins with 15.

The Formula One new season is set for commencement on March 15th 2020 with Australian Grand Prix.

With 21 races to compete in - China has been cancelled due to the corona virus outbreak - will Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton continues their dominance?

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

NBA's Players of the Decade

The National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball is one of the most followed sports  all over the world.

The NBA has evolved perhaps more than any other major sports league in terms of its revenues.

In the 2010s, some players performance in the NBA championship for their respectively clubs can not be overlooked.

Here is a shortlist of the players and their records in no particular order.

Stephen Curry 

The 31-year old American made his NBA debut in 2009, and currently plays for the Golden State Warriors.

He was the NBA's most elite 3-point shooter in this past decade.

A six times NBA All-star.

He was named the NBA most valuable player twice, and won three NBA championships with the warriors. 

 

Other honours

3-times All NBA first team (2015, 2016 and 2019)

NBA Sportsmanship Award (2011)

NBA All Rookie first team (2010)

AP Athlete of the year (2015)

He has won 2 FIBA World Cup with the USA basketball team in 2010 and 2014.

LeBron James 

The 35-year old USA superstar, ply his basketball trade for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA.

He has been regarded as one of the greatest basketball player of all time, leading to comparisons to Michael Jordan. 

Honours 

3 - NBA championships titles

4 - NBA MVP awards

3 - NBA finals MVP awards

2 - Olympic gold medals 

LeBron's team appeared in 8 consecutive NBA finals (2011 - 2018 season).

He leads the record for all time NBA play offs points scored.

He is third in all-time NBA points scored, and 8 in all-time NBA assists.

He was selected to the All NBA first team for a record twelve times, All defensive first team five times, played in sixteen NBA all star games and All-star MVP three times.

USA - Basketball male Athlete of the year (2012) and sports illustrated sportsperson of the year.

Teams he played for in the NBA

Cleveland cavaliers twice (2003 to 2010 and 2014 - 2018)

Miami Heat (2010- 2014)

Los Angeles Lakers (2018 till date).

James Harden 

The 30-year old shooting guard made his NBA debut for Oklahoma city thunder in 2009, but he plays for Houston Rockets presently.

He won Olympic gold medal and FIBA World Cup with USA in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

Honours 

2-times NBA scoring champion (2018 and 2019)

5 times: All NBA first team (2014, 2015 and 2017 - 2019).

8-times NBA All-star (2013 - 2020)

NBA Assists leader (2017)

NBA sixth man of the year KIA MVP (2012)

 

He recorded the most 50 points games this decade 18 in the process.

Kevin Durant 

The 31-year old American professional Basketball player currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA.

He played for nine seasons with Oklahoma city Thunder before joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016, and later left in 2019.

Honours

He won 2 NBA championship titles (2017 and 2018)

2 NBA finals MVP (2017 and 2018)

NBA Most Valuable Player (2014)

10-times NBA All star (2010 - 2019)

2-times NBA All-star game MVP (2012 and 2019)

6-times All NBA first team (2010--2014,& 2018)

2-times: USA Basketball Male Athlete of the year (2010 and 2016)

2 Olympics gold medals (2012 and 2016)

He also won the 2010 FIBA World Cup with USA.

4 times NBA scoring champion (2010 - 2012 2014), and other honours.

Kobe Bryant

The Basketball icon in the NBA died in an helicopter crash at the age of 41 years.

His father Jelly Bean Bryant played 8 seasons in the NBA.

Kobe played for 20 seasons in the NBA with Los Angeles Lakers (1996 - 2016)

Honours 

He won 5 NBA championship titles (2000 - 2002, 2009 and 2010).

NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (2009 and 2010)

He won Olympic Gold medals with USA in 2008 and 2010 - Beijing and London Olympics respectively.

NBA regular season MVP in 2007 - 08 season and a record-tying four times NBA All-star game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011).

NBA All star 18 times (1998 and 2000 - 2016)

Two-times NBA scoring champion (2006 and 2007)

On January 22 2006, he scored a career high 81 pionts in LA Lakers 122 - 104 victory over the Toronto Raptors, second most points in a game in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain 100points

He scored 33,643 points, grabbed 7,047 rebounds and passed off 6,303 assists in over 1,346 career NBA games.

In 2016, he became the oldest player in NBA history to scored 60 points at 37 years and 234 days n Lakers 101 - 96 victory over the Utah jazz.

In 2018, his movie titled "Dear Basketball" won the Academy Award for best Animated short films.

Kawhi Leonard 

He is an American professional basketball player  who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference of the NBA.

The small forward played for San Antonio Spurs (2011 - 2018), Toronto Raptors (2018 - 2019) with which he won the NBA title before moving to Los Angeles Clippers.

Honours

2-times NBA Champion (2014 and 2019)

2-times NBA finals MVP (2014 and 2019)

4-times NBA All-star (2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020)

2-times All NBA first team (2016 and 2017).

Chris Paul

He currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA, the point guard basketball player played for New Orleans Hornets from 2005 to 2011, Los Angeles Clippers (2011 - 2017), Houston Rockets (2017 - 2019) before joining Oklahoma City Thunder

Honours

10--times NBA All-star (2008 - 2016 and 2020)

NBA All-star game MVP (2013)

4-times All NBA first team (2008, 2012 to 2014).

4-times NBA assists leader (2008,2009,2014 & 2015).

He won Olympics gold with USA in 2008 and 2012 respectively, and FIBA World Cup bronze in 2006.

Carmelo Anthony

The 36-year old American basketballer plays for the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA presently. 

The power forward has represented 5 different clubs - Denver Nuggets (2003 - 2011), New York Knicks (2011 - 2017), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017 - 2018), Houston Rockets (2018 - 2019) and Portland Trail Blazers (2019 till date) all in the NBA.

Honours

10-times NBA All-star (2007, 2008, 2010 - 2017)

2-times All NBA second team (2010 and 2013)

2-times USA Basketball Male Athlete of the year (2006 & 2016)

3-times Olympic Games gold medals winner (2008, 2012 and 2016)

He also won Olympic Games bronze medal (Athens 2004), World Championship bronze (Japan 2006), and Americas Championship gold in Las Vegas (2007).

Will the next gen do better in the NBA in this decade?

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Modern day NPFL

The Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) of 2019/20 season keeps springing 

surprises to the amazement of football lovers across the country.

Presently, after 19 rounds of the matches Lobi Stars of Makurdi are leading the NPFL table with 35 points, while Plateau United follows with 33 points in second position.

NPFL Stats 

Matches played so far - 181

Matches remaining- 199

Home team wins - 108 games

Away team wins   -  23 games

Draws            -  50 games

Goals scored - 357 goals

Home goals -  247

Away goals - 110

Goalless Draws - 23 games

Topscorers 

Tasiu Lawal (Katsina United) - 8 goals

Ibrahim Mustapha (Plateau United) - 8 goals

Teams Statistics

Plateau United have scored the most number of goals so far this season - 27 goals, with  +15 goal difference.

Plateau United usually scored a goal every 63 minutes ratio, and concedes at the ratio of every 143 minutes

Adamawa United have conceded the most goals so far - 34 goals, with 20goals deficits.

Enugu Rangers and Heartland of Owerri have scored the least goals so far - 13 goals apiece.

Lobi Stars have the most clean sheets so far - 11 clean sheets, while

Plateau United have 10 clean sheets in 19 games apiece.

The second-half of the season begin this weekend.

Do you think Lobi stars can emerge champion in the NPFL this season??

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

Nigerian Super Eagles Team of the Decade (2010 - 2019 )

In this decade, the Super Eagles missed out of 2 editions of the Africa Nations Cup (AFCON) in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

In 2013, the late Stephen Keshi led Nigeria to win the AFCON title in South Africa against all hurdles.

And recently in Egypt 2019 AFCON tournament, the Super Eagles marked their return to the biennial tournament with a third place finish ( bronze medal).

Here is the shortlist of Super Eagles players according to their contribution in the 2010s.

Vincent Enyeama 

He was part of the national team from 2002 to October 2015, serving as captain from 2013 until his retirement.

He had 101 caps, 3 FIFA World Cup appearances, and 1 AFCON title.

William Troost Ekong

He made his debut in 2015 (AFCON qualifier vs Chad). He formed a brilliant defensive partnership with Leon Balogun at some point for the Super Eagles.

He won bronze at Afcon 2019 in Egypt, and he also participated at the 2018 FIFA world cup in Russia.

Kenneth Omeruo 

On 9th of January 2013 at the age of 19, he made his Super Eagles debut in a goalless draw vs Cape Verde.

He played in 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups in Brazil and Russia respectively.

He won AFCON 2013 title and AFCON 2019 bronze medal.

He also played in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Efe Ambrose

He was formerly a central defender, he played a key role when Nigeria won the 2013 AFCON in South Africa.

He was also involved in 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Elderson Echiejile

He won AFCON title in 2013, and featured in 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

He was never on the losing side in 18 world cup qualifiers  matches with the Super Eagles with a record 13 wins and 5 draws.

John Obi Mikel

In his 14 years of international career which began in 2005 after starring at the U-20 World Cup in that same year, and was brought to a glittering end in 2019, he played 88 times and scored 6 goals only.

The Ex-Super Eagles captain won the AFCON title in 2013 and a bronze medal in AFCON 2019. He also played in two different editions of the FIFA World Cup (2014 and 2018).

Ogenyi Onazi

He made his debut for the national team in 2012 having represented the nation at U-17 World Cup hosted by Nigeria in 2009.

Injuries and inconsistency shortlive his time with the Super Eagles.

Whenever he is fit, he was a regular starter for the Super Eagles until 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where he was an unused substitute.

Victor Moses 

He was one of  the super Eagles best players in 2013 Afcon winning Squad and he was named in  Caf's Best X1 of the tournament.

He played in 2014 and 2018 FIFA world cups .

He had 38 appearances for the National team and he scored just 12 goals.

Ahmed Musa

Our current captain is a veteran of two world cups and two AFCON editions respectively.

He has scored 4 world cup goals, 1 AFCON title and 1 bronze title. He is the super Eagles unofficial go-to-guy at FIFA world cups in this decade.

Emmanuel Emenike

He played from 2011 - 2014.

He was the 2013 Afcon topscorer, and he had one Afcon title.

He formed a good striking force with Brown Ideye for Super Eagles.

He retired on 20th of October, 2015.

Odion Ighalo 

He played for our darling national team from 2015 to 2019. He was 2019 Afcon topscorer for the qualifiers and tournament proper with 

7 goals and 5 goals respectively.

After his poor scoring performance, at the 2018 FIFA world cup in Russia, he faces a lot of criticism from football fans.

He called it a day with the super Eagles after winning bronze medal in Egypt 2019 Afcon championship.

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Most expensive football transfers of the last decade

The evolution of football from just a sport to a commercial juggernaut has been fascinating and interesting to fans.

Once upon a time, when footballers played the game of soccer, they usually do have a regular day job.

Presently however, footballers are among the richest sportsperson in the world, and a look at how the transfer fees have escalated over the years is amazing.

Even so, four of the ten most expensive signings in the last one decade involved the purchase or sales of English Premier League players.

Spanish La liga clubs have spent the most on top talents, signing six of the top 10 most expensive players of the last decade.

In 2017/18 season, the league secured a record revenue of 4.48 billion pounds.

Here are the shortlist of Players that made it into this list;

10. Cristiano Ronaldo 

The superstar joined Real madrid from Manchester United for the then world-record fee of 80 million pounds in July 2009.

He became a legend at the Bernabeu with over 450 goals scored, alongside winning numerous titles and awards in his glittering career.

In July 2018, he joined Juventus from Real madrid for a fee of 88.3 million pounds at the age of 33 years.

So far in Turin, he has scored 46 goals in 70 games till date and has won a scuddetto title to add to his many laurels.

9. Paul Pogba 

He returned to his boyhood club, after leaving as a free agent in his teenage years.

Manchester United had to coughed out 89.3 million pounds to Juventus in August 2016 to signed Pogba.

The fee paid for him remains the highest fee paid by an English club for a player.

He has 168 appearances with 31 goals so far, and he has won the league cup and the Europa league with the red side of Manchester. 

8. Eden Hazard 

The Belgian playmaker cost more than double of what was paid for the 10th priciest footballer signed between year 2000 and 2009 - Ronaldo Nazario cost 40.5 million pounds then.

Despite having just a year left on his contract, Real Madrid paid a fee of 90 million pounds to Chelsea in 2019 to obtain the service of Hazard.

So far, he has played 21 games with 2 goals and 

2 assists to show for it.

7. Gareth Bale

The Welshman's transfer to the galaticos from Tottenham cost a fee of 90.9 million pounds back in 2014.

In Real Madrid, he has made 245 appearances scoring 104 goals and contributing 67 assists. A league title and 4 champions league titles are the laurels he has won so far with the team.

6. Ousmane Dembele 

He was signed from Borussia Dortmund to replace Neymar in Barcelona for a record fee of 105 million pounds, plus a reported 40 million pounds add- ons on August 25, 2017.

With his buy-out clause set at 400 million pounds.

Despite not shining the light as expected yet, the former Rennes forward has played 81 games for the catalonia side, scoring 20 goals and making 14 assists.

5. Antoine Griezmann 

The 208 World  Cup winner was signed by Barcelona on a fee of 107.6 million pounds from Atletico Madrid in July 2019.

Since joining in the summer, the French jewel has made 26 appearances with 10 goals and 4 assists as his contribution.

4. Joao Felix 

Atletico Madrid 's massive outlay of 126 million pounds in July 2019 for Benfica wizkid Felix is the second most expensive fee paid for a teenager after Mbappe in history.

He is regarded as one of the best talents in world football at the moment but has so far played 13 games and scored just 3 goals.

3. Philippe Coutinho 

The Brazilian playmaker moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for 130.5 million pounds in January 2018.

He played 54 games and scored only 11 goals for the catalans before joining Bayern Munich on a loan deal for 2 years in the summer of 2019.

2. Kylian Mbappe 

He is the most expensive teenager ever after joining Paris Saint-Germain on a loan deal from rival club Monaco in 2017. PSG later paid 165 million pounds to complete the deal.

So far with the Paris based club, the teenage World Cup star has played 114 games and has scored 82 goals.

1. Neymar Jr 

At the moment, he is the most expensive player ever at 199.5 million pounds.

His 2017 transfer from Barcelona to Paris  Saint-Germain cost 236% of Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid fee.

So far, he has been a decent player for the French giants, scoring 55 goals in 63 games.

His career in France though has been marred by controversies and injuries, which might be interpreted by some in certain quarters as being a wrong signing by PSG.

Which players will break the transfer record in the coming years?

Let's have your comments below.

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Greatest Superstars of all-time

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are arguably the best footballers of this century.

They have scored a combined 704 league goals during the 2010s - the exact same number Arsenal FC scored in the English Premier League this past decade.

They've shattered countless records in the footballing scenery for years, a combined total of 11 Ballon D'or awards between them isn't enough to sum it all up.

Italian Serie A's best players of the last decade

Juventus has won 8 straight scudetto titles in the last one decade.

The Old Lady of Turin also won 4 consecutive domestic doubles between 2015 to 2018 under 

Massimiliano Allegri - the only coach to achieved this feat in the top 5 European leagues till date.

We look at some of the best players that has graced the pitch of Serie A in the last decade (2010 - 2019)

Andrea Pirlo

He lived a golden era when he played at AC Milan during the  2000s. Pirlo is the epitome of coolness and gracefulness in football.

He hoovered up 4 Scudettos with the Old Lady and made four Serie A team of the year appearances. Also winning three Serie A footballer of the year awards in that circle.

The Change of Fortune and Turnaround in the Pensioners history

In July 2003, British businessman Ken Bates sold Chelsea FC to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for 140 million pounds.

Since 2003, Abramovich has spent a whooping 92.9 million pounds on managerial compensations.