Google celebrates legendary Stephen Keshi

Multinational technology company, Google celebrates Nigerian football icon Stephen Keshi on his birthday with a doodle.

The doodle which will be viewed in all African countries, illustrates the unique achievement of the former Nigeria national team and Togo national team coach who died on June 7, 2016, at the age of 54.

He started out with St. Finbarr’s College, Lagos and featured for domestic club sides ACB Football Club and New Nigeria Bank before leading a generation of Nigerian footballers abroad when he went to Cote d’Ivoire’s Stade d’Abidjan and Africa Sports. He then made his way on to Belgium where he played for Lokeren, Anderlecht, RC Strasbourg, among many others.

The Big Boss, as he was fondly called, made his first appearance for the Super Eagles in 1981 at age 20 and the central defender retired in 1994 after picking up 64 caps and nine goals as he captained Nigeria to win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations as well as their first appearance at the World Cup in the United States of America.

As coach, he helped Togo reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany but was replaced with German Otto Pfister, few months to the tournament. He also handled Mali which he took to the 2010 Afcon in Angola.

He led the Super Eagles side to success at Afcon 2013 where they won after 19 years.  The former Anderlecht defender is one of the two people, alongside Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary, to have won the African Cup of Nations as a player and manager.

He managed the side to the Fifa Confederation Cup 2013 and 2014 Fifa World Cup and became the African coach to reach the knock out stage where they fell to France in the Round of 16.

A big cheer for this football legend, on what would have been his 56th birthday!