Tijjani
Babangida (born September 25, 1973 in Kaduna) is a former
football winger from Nigeria. He played 37 international matches
and scored 5 goals for Nigeria, and played at the 1998 World Cup.
He also won the Olympic gold medal in 1996.
Babangida came to the Netherlands at the age of seventeen, and
was signed by Roda JC. After spending one and a half season on
loan to VVV, Babangida played for Roda and became one of their
most celebrated players. He was signed by giants Ajax Amsterdam,
but gradually lost his place in the first team and was sent on
loan to various clubs. Having been omitted from the 2002 World
Cup squad, in 2002 he signed a six-month loan deal with Al-Ittihad
of Saudi Arabia, but he walked out of the team in November after
disagreements with the coach. He reportedly moved to play in
China.
One of his nine brothers, Haruna Babangida, is also a well-known
footballer.
