20 Facts About Stephen Keshi

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi was a Nigerian football player and manager.

Stephen Keshi represented the country at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, captaining the Super Eagles to victory in the latter.

Stephen Keshi later coached his native Nigeria, becoming one of only two people, along with Egypt's Mahmoud El-Gohary, to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach.

Stephen Keshi started with ACB Lagos in 1979, and joined New Nigerian Bank a year later, where over the course of four years he won 2 WAFU cups.

Stephen Keshi went to the United States to be educated in coaching.

Stephen Keshi has been a part of the coaching staff for the Nigerian national team, most notably as head coach for the Junior Eagles at the 2001 African Youth Championship which served as qualification for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, without success.

Between 2004 and 2006 Stephen Keshi coached the Togo national team, surprisingly bringing them to their first World Cup tournament, Germany 2006.

Stephen Keshi worked as manager of the Mali national team, after being appointed in April 2008 on a two-year deal.

Stephen Keshi was sacked in January 2010, after Mali's early exit in the group stages of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

Stephen Keshi became coach of the Nigeria national team in 2011.

Stephen Keshi set a record in African football by being the first African coach to qualify two African nations for the World Cup Finals in 2005 and in 2013 earning him the CAF Coach of the Year on both occasions.

Stephen Keshi helped Nigeria to achieve an African Cup of Nations trophy and World Cup qualification, both in 2013 like in 1994.

Stephen Keshi's team failed to win a single game in the Morocco 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifying series and he announced he would move to another job if pressure continues to mount because of certain people, whom he refused to name, were trying to "sabotage" him.

Stephen Keshi was born on 23 January 1962 in Azare, Bauchi State.

Stephen Keshi hailed from Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State and was of Igbo descent.

Stephen Keshi had his early education at Saint Paul's Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Apapa Road, Lagos State.

Stephen Keshi proceeded to Saint Finbarrs' College, Akoka, Lagos in 1976.

Stephen Keshi died on 10 December 2015, after battling cancer for three years.

Stephen Keshi had a heart attack and died en route to hospital on 7 June 2016 in Benin City, aged 54.

Stephen Keshi was honoured by Google with a doodle on what would have been his 56th birthday.