Sports
Mr. Passer, George Finidi @ 49
By Chuks Ekpeneru
Reputed to be one of the best wingers in global football, his understanding with late Rashidi Yekini during their time in the national team was a beauty to behold.
George Finidi was a winger who made it easy for strikers like Yekini to hit home whenever he played. It was no surprise that he won the nickname ‘Finito’, from broadcasters because once he crossed the ball all that was left was for the striker to hit home!
Born 15th April 1971 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Finidi played for three local clubs before he moved to Europe in 1993.
He was an instant hit once he arrived Europe.
He joined AFC Ajax alongside compatriot Nwankwo Kanu. His impact with the Amsterdam side was overwhelming and was in the squad that won the UEFA Champions League in the 1994–95 season.
He moved to Spain with Real Betis. He was close to moving to Real Madrid, but the deal fell through. He had a brief spell in England before retiring.
George Finidi was a winger who made it easy for strikers like Yekini to hit home whenever he played.
In mid-November 2010, Finidi returned to Betis as its director of international football. He continued, however, to live in Palma, Majorca, where he had relocated to after his retirement.
Finidi made his debut for Nigeria in 1991, in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burkina Faso, providing three assists for Rashidi Yekini and scoring once in a 7–1 rout. He helped the national team win the 1994 edition of the tournament in Tunisia and also achieved one second and two third-place finishes.
Finidi represented Nigeria in two FIFA World Cups, 1994 and 1998. In the former, held in the United States, as the national team won their group and exited in the round of 16 against eventual finalists Italy, he scored against Greece in a 2–0 win, proceeding to mimic a urinating dog whilst celebrating.
In the 1998 tournament in France, Finidi also played in all the matches, with Nigeria meeting the same fate at the hands of Denmark. He had already vowed to quit international football prior to the competition, and earned a total of 62 caps.
Born of the Kalabari stock of the Niger Delta, Finidi means “Future full of sun” in his language. Obviously, his sun shone in his hey days.
Nigerian football enthusiasts have been hopefully waiting for another winger who will easily drop the ball at the foot of our strikers the way Finidi did it!
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