Nigeria Appoints Bruno Labbadia as New Super Eagles Coach
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced the appointment of German tactician Bruno Labbadia as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Nigeria’s Senior Men National Team. The 58-year-old gaffer was born in Darmstadt, Germany on February 8, 1966, and has a rich playing and coaching career in Europe.
Labbadia won two caps for Die Mannschaft in his playing career, which took him through clubs such as Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, and FC Kaiserslautern. He also played for Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Armenia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC, winning the German Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 1994.
As a coach, Labbadia has managed several clubs, including Hertha Berlin and VfB Stuttgart, and holds a UEFA Pro License. He is only the sixth German to lead the Super Eagles, following in the footsteps of Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, Berti Vogts, and Gernot Rohr.
Labbadia’s immediate challenge is to take charge of the three-time African champions for two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda. Four other matches will conclude the qualifying race in the months of October and November.
The Super Eagles have a rich history of coaches, with notable names including John Finch, Daniel Anyiam, Les Courtier, Moshe Beit Halevi, George Vardar, Joey Blackwell, József Ember, Sabino Barinaga, Peter ‘Eto’ Amaechina, Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Jorge Penna, Otto Glória, and many more.
Labbadia’s appointment comes with immediate effect, and he will be tasked with leading the team to success in the upcoming qualifiers and beyond.
