Man of the moment, Odion Ighalo, may be the first Nigerian in recent history to feature for Manchester United, but before him there had been a player of Nigerian descent, Remi Moses.
The former footballer was a defensive midfielder who will clock 60 on November 14, the period of Nigeria’s Match Day 2 for the World Cup qualifying series.
New information has it that Moses, who is believed to be of Nigerian parentage, played for West Bromwich Albion under Ron Atkinson in the late 1970s and moved to Manchester United in 1981, making his debut for the Red Devils on September 19, 1981 against Swansea City.
He was such a good player that he was nearly capped for England in 1985 before a career-threatening injury ruled him out and was later to miss almost the entire 1985-86 season.
He reportedly faces stiff competition from Norman Whiteside, the player who broke Pelé’s record as the youngest player to appear in a World Cup, when he debuted for Northern Ireland aged 17 years and 41 days at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Recurring injuries forced Moses out of Manchester United and he finally announced his retirement, at 28 in the 1988-89 season.
His Nigerian successor at Manchester United is now Odion Ighalo.
