The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has officially announced, across its social media pages, the appointment of former Stuttgart manager Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach of the Nigerian senior men’s team, making him the 37th man to lead the national team since 1949.
According to the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, the appointment of the German tactician is with immediate effect, as the Federation is seeking a swift approach towards the upcoming AFCON qualifiers:
“The NFF Executive Committee has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee to appoint Mr. Bruno Labbadia as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The appointment is with immediate effect.”
Labbadia is expected to immediately prepare for significant challenges when the Nigerian team faces Benin Republic in Uyo, Nigeria, and Rwanda in Kigali on the 7th and 10th of September, respectively, for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. Four additional matches to conclude the qualifying race will follow in October and November.
During his playing career from 1984 to 2003, Bruno Labbadia played for elite clubs such as Darmstadt, Hamburger SV, Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, and FC Köln, among others, winning two trophies: the DFB-Pokal and the Bundesliga title.
As a manager, Labbadia has coached Darmstadt, where he started his playing career, Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburger SV, Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin, Stuttgart, and several other German teams. However, he has never won a trophy with any of the seven clubs he managed.
List of Super Eagles’ Coaches in History
John Finch (England) – 1949
Daniel Anyiam (Nigeria) – 1954-1956; 1964-1965
Les Courtier (England) – 1956-1960
Moshe Beit Halevi (Israel) – 1960-1961
George Vardar (Hungary) – 1961-1963
Joey Blackwell (England) – 1963-1964
József Ember (Hungary) – 1965-1968
Sabino Barinaga (Spain) – 1968-1969
Peter ‘Eto’ Amaechina (Nigeria) – 1969-1970
Karl-Heinz Marotzke (Germany) – 1970-1971; 1974
Jorge Penna (Brazil) – 1972-1973
Jelisavcić ‘Father Tiko’ Tihomir (Yugoslavia) – 1974-1978
Otto Glória (Brazil) – 1979-1982
Gottlieb Göller (Germany) – 1981
Adegboye Onigbinde (Nigeria) – 1983-1984; 2002
Chris Udemezue (Nigeria) – 1984-1986
Patrick Ekeji (Nigeria) – 1985
Paul Hamilton (Nigeria) – 1987; 1989
Manfred Höner (Germany) – 1988-1989
Clemens Westerhof (Netherlands) – 1989-1994
Amodu Shaibu (Nigeria) – 1994-1995; 1996-1997; 2001-2002; 2008-2010
Johannes Bonfrere (Netherlands) – 1995-1996; 1999-2001
Philippe Troussier (France) – 1997
Monday Sinclair (Nigeria) – 1997-1998
Bora Milutinović (Yugoslavia) – 1998
Thijs Libregts (Netherlands) – 1999
Christian Chukwu (Nigeria) – 2002-2005
Augustine Eguavoen (Nigeria) – 2005-2007; 2010; 2022
Berti Vogts (Germany) – 2007-2008
Lars Lagerbäck (Sweden) – 2010
Samson Siasia (Nigeria) – 2010-2011; 2016
Stephen Keshi (Nigeria) – 2011-2014; 2015
Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria) – 2015-2016
Gernot Rohr (Germany) – 2016-2021
José Peseiro (Portugal) – 2022-2024
Finidi George (Nigeria) – 2024
Bruno Labbadia (Germany) – 2024
