6toolz:
I grow up calling him keeper rufai also.. good old days

TheLordIsGr8:


Exactly

shumuel:
Lol you are not alone, infact i argued it that it was Keeper Rufai and not Peter Rufai

enigma2007:

Sand is from Denmark sir!

Icon4s:


Bros take am easy.

I know Abiodun Baruwa aka "Omo Alhaja" very well.

A fantasic goalie destined for greatness.

He was supposed to replace Peter Rufai but e be like say dem dey follow him from village. First the age discrepancy prio to '96 Olympics and then that friendly prio to France '98: Nigeria 1 : 5 Holland. O the Dutch so messed Baruwa up. Baruwa just dey jump dey fall for ground like pregnant woman. He was already getting too fat. Then also Nigeria 0 : 3 Yugoslavia. Baruwa wan turn Messi for field dem collect ball for him leg score us.
Peter Rufai was called back from retirement to keep goal at France '98. That was the end of Abiodun Baruwa.

kindredspirit:


To me, Abiodun Baruwa, while in his element, was a FANTASTIC goalkeeper. Regardless of his growing belly, dude was as agile as a Cat and was very hard to beat between the sticks. He singlehandedly picked 3SC, time and again, by the bootstraps in their Winners Cup march to the finals, what year was that again ?

In fact, he was so good that at a point I felt he used Juju.

He was truly destined for greatness and I thought he should have achieved far more despite the clangers he committed in the friendlies prior to France 98.

Rossikk:
Emmanuel Okala, Vincent Enyeama, Peter Rufai, and Best Ogedengbe.

In that order.

jtwest:
Who else can be greater than a keeper that flies pole to pole and never conceded more than 4 goals in 8 years.

femi4:
Lol....I only saw Rufai and Enyama played.

No mind Baruwa....he was destined to be great right from Sec school (Up IC) until he lost his spot to Dosu in Atlanta 96 and we had to rely on Rufai in France 98 when Baruwa decided to dribble Predrag Mijatovic in a friendly against Yugoslavia towards France 98

Baruwa...Omo Alhaja ......No Baruwa, No Shooting stars

Icon4s:


Lol!

You must be a fan of 'UP soooooting'

That was the 1995 Cup winners Cup.

Among the 1996 Olympics goalies which were Abiodun Baruwa, Emmanuel Babayaro and Dosu Joseph. Baruwa was by far the best.
You know what age falsification caused him. Dosu Joseph who was a third choice goalie at Julius Berger now became number one.

Age caught up with Baruwa too early.
The guy come begin grow Belle and Yansh

Omo Ahlaja

robosky02:



that man nearly cost us a place at Atlanta 1996

first it was his age and then too many blunders (basket keeper)

thank God joseph Dusu

he should be placed among the worse super eagles keepers

gist4real:

That single dribble was what finish Baruwa's career I think we later lost that match 3-0.

abescom:
was he not the one that kept against Sierra Leone as well when they beat us 1-0 away. That game almost cost us ticket to Korea Japan.

swagdopey:



Remember Rufai and that player they call Sand from Denmark... That guy really dealt with rufai

kindredspirit:


Peterside Idah kept goal in that game.

unitysheart:
Peter Rufai I know. Okala I know. Enyeama I sabi. Dosu Joseph would have been one of the great keepers we had, but for his accident after the Olympic 96 features, he had his career killed right from the beginning.

robosky02:
for the worst keepers


1. abiodun baruwa

2. Chigozie Agbim


and

3. Gref Etafia


D

dragonking3:
They are all nigerdeltans.
God bless nigerdelta region.

robosky02:

Inua Lawal Rigogo: The story of Rigogo remains a myth. He is perhaps the greatest goalkeeper Nigeria ever had. Though, many believed that he employed charms with the way he flies from pole to pole and made some incredible somersaults – that can’t be ordinary. Ghana’s President Kwame Nkurmah, once described him as a ‘Flying Cat.’

You dare not score Rigogo! Though. We don’t have records of his club career at ECN, but as a national team goalkeeper, he conceded the least goals – 4 goals over his 8 years career between 1960– 1969.

blaze1916:
brother u don old o lol

Icon4s:


Emma Okala ke. Pessin wey no smell world cup.

Iseoluwani:
I will go for obasanjo

doctimi:
Joseph Dosu should be on that list.

Also that young chap (under 17 Fifa world cup) where is he now by the way? Cant remember his name

bart10:

Are you kidding

ajl:


I believe I know the goalkeeper you are referring to. He was always smiling while in the goal post. I think he was part of the team of 1987 or '91, surely not Saudi '89.