Rabiu Afolabi
Encyclopedia
Rabiu Afolabi is a Nigeria
n soccer player, who plays for Ligue 2
side, Monaco
.
after impressing at the 1997 edition of the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup
. He signed for Italian Serie A
side SSC Napoli ahead of the 2000-2001 season, but failed to break into the first team, and went back to Belgium before the season was over.
After leaving FC Sochaux at the end of 2008-2009 season on free agent, he signed a two-year contract with Red Bull Salzburg. Afolabi headed home an important winning goal away to title rivals SK Rapid Wien
in February 2010 to help keep the Red Bulls on course for the championship.
, coming from defence to score the two goals against Cameroon in the semi-final. Nigeria eventually finished second in the tournament after losing 0-1 to the hosts, Ghana, in the final. Afolabi then captained the Nigerian under-20 team in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
in Nigeria. On 17 June 2000, he made his full international debut for Nigeria
in a 2002 World Cup
qualifier against Sierra Leone
. Afolabi was part of the Nigeria squads at the 2002
and 2010 World Cups
.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n soccer player, who plays for Ligue 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
side, Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
.
Career
Afolabi left his home country for Belgian outfit Standard LiègeStandard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
after impressing at the 1997 edition of the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup
UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup
The UEFA/CAF Meridian Cup features Under-18 representative sides from Europe and Africa, and is part of the co-operation programme between UEFA and the CAF.-Meridian Project:...
. He signed for Italian Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
side SSC Napoli ahead of the 2000-2001 season, but failed to break into the first team, and went back to Belgium before the season was over.
After leaving FC Sochaux at the end of 2008-2009 season on free agent, he signed a two-year contract with Red Bull Salzburg. Afolabi headed home an important winning goal away to title rivals SK Rapid Wien
SK Rapid Wien
The Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times...
in February 2010 to help keep the Red Bulls on course for the championship.
Attributes
He is a strong and lanky central defender, who is good aerially and has a thunderous shot. He is also very versatile and can play as a fullback or defensive midfielder as well. Dangerous on set pieces.International career
Afolabi played a vital role for Nigeria in the 1999 African Youth ChampionshipAfrican Youth Championship
The African Youth Championship is the main international youth football competition for CAF nations, and is competed for by under 20 year olds...
, coming from defence to score the two goals against Cameroon in the semi-final. Nigeria eventually finished second in the tournament after losing 0-1 to the hosts, Ghana, in the final. Afolabi then captained the Nigerian under-20 team in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Nigeria between April 3 and April 24, 1999. The 1999 championship was the 12th contested.- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.-Squads:...
in Nigeria. On 17 June 2000, he made his full international debut for Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
in a 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
qualifier against Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone national football team
The Sierra Leone national football team, nicknamed the Leone Stars, is the national team of Sierra Leone and is controlled by the Sierra Leone Football Association...
. Afolabi was part of the Nigeria squads at the 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
and 2010 World Cups
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.