Stephen Keshi emerged as a strong contender for Coach of the Year, credited for Nigeria’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup and their victory in the African Cup of Nations in February against Burkina Faso. This marked the third African Cup of Nations triumph for Nigeria and the second for Keshi, who had previously won it eighteen years earlier as a player. Born on January 31, 1962, in Lagos, Keshi was a notable football player and Nigerian international, earning 64 caps and scoring 9 goals. As a central defender nicknamed “Big Boss,” he played for the Super Eagles during the 1994 World Cup, where Nigeria had a memorable campaign, and also won the African Cup of Nations in the same year.
In his club career, Keshi played four seasons at Anderlecht, winning a Belgian championship title in 1991 and two Belgian Cups in 1988 and 1989. He later joined RC Strasbourg from 1991 to 1993 and played in the United States before finishing his career in Malaysia in 1997.
Transitioning to coaching, Keshi joined the Super Eagles staff and surprised many by coaching Togo to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. However, he didn’t lead Togo in the tournament and faced challenges during the 2006 African Cup of Nations. After a brief return to coach Togo, he took charge of the Mali national team in 2008. Following disappointing results in the 2010 African Cup of Nations, Keshi was dismissed by the Malian federation in early 2010. He later had another stint as the coach of Togo before assuming the role of Nigeria’s head coach in November 2011. Keshi achieved remarkable success by guiding Nigeria to victory in the 2013 African Cup of Nations, becoming the second African to win the continental trophy as both a player and coach, following Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary.
