Former Super Eagles winger Finidi George has been appointed as the new head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The decision was announced in a statement following the NFF Board’s approval of the recommendation from its Technical and Development Committee.
George, a 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward, replaces outgoing coach José Santos Peseiro.
George, who served as an assistant to Peseiro for 20 months, took over as interim coach after Peseiro’s departure following the Super Eagles’ impressive run to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
During his interim tenure, George oversaw two friendly matches in Morocco, where the team ended an 18-year winless streak against Ghana with a 2-1 victory but suffered a 0-2 loss to Mali.
A member of Nigeria’s ‘Golden Generation,’ George won 62 caps for Nigeria and played in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.
His achievements include medals from the AFCON tournaments in 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002.
One of George’s notable moments as a player was assisting Rashidi Yekini in scoring Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in 1994.
George’s immediate task as the new Super Eagles boss will be to lead the team to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic.
These matches are seen as must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles currently in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa, according to the NFF statement.