# Finidi George

Finidi George (born 15 April 1971) is a Nigerian professional football coach and former footballer who played as a winger.
After making a name for himself at Ajax in the Netherlands – being a leading figure in a team which won eight major titles, including the 1995 Champions League – he played several years in Spain with Real Betis, also having a brief spell in England before retiring. Finidi was a member of the Nigeria team during the 1990s, appearing in two World Cups.

## Club career
### Ajax

Born in Port Harcourt, Finidi played for three clubs in his country. In 1993, he arrived at AFC Ajax alongside compatriot Nwankwo Kanu. His impact with the Amsterdam side was immediate as he scored four goals in 27 games to help them win the Eredivisie title, which was also achieved in the following two seasons; additionally, as a starter, he appeared in consecutive UEFA Champions League finals, winning the 1994–95 edition against AC Milan.

### Real Betis

On 10 July 1996, Finidi moved to Spain and signed with Real Betis for 1,024 million pesetas or 6 million euros, where he netted in three digits in nearly every season, with the Andalusians finishing fourth in his first year, which also brought a Copa del Rey final loss to FC Barcelona (2–3 after extra time), where he scored. Real Betis has deemed the Nigerian as one of their most spectacular signings; he played an illustrious part in a magnificent team consisting of Alfonso, Robert Jarni, Alexis, Roberto Ríos, and Juan Merino. While at the club, Finidi was consecrated with the nickname: "the playful shadow." Prior to joining Real Betis, he was close to moving to Real Madrid, but the deal fell through.

### Mallorca and Ipswich Town

After Betis' relegation from the top flight in 2000, Finidi stayed one more year in Spain with RCD Mallorca, after which he joined Premier League team Ipswich Town, managed by George Burley, for £3.1 million. He scored twice in a 3–1 victory over Derby County at Portman Road but underperformed overall, with them also suffering relegation; he was released from contract in June 2003.
In November 2003, the 32-year-old Finidi underwent a trial at former club Mallorca, following which he signed with the Balearic Islands team, helping them finally finish in 11th position after constantly battling relegation.
In mid-November 2010, Finidi returned to Betis as its director of international football. He continued, however, to live in Palma, Majorca, where he had relocated to after his retirement.

## International career

Finidi made his debut for Nigeria in 1991, in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burkina Faso, providing three assists for Rashidi Yekini and scoring once in a 7–1 rout. He helped the national team win the 1994 edition of the tournament in Tunisia, and also achieved one second and two third-place finishes.
Finidi represented Nigeria in two FIFA World Cups, 1994 and 1998. In the former, held in the United States, as the national team won their group and exited in the round of 16 against eventual finalists Italy, he scored against Greece in a 2–0 win, proceeding to mimick a urinating dog whilst celebrating.
In the 1998 tournament in France, Finidi also played in all the matches, with Nigeria meeting the same fate at the hands of Denmark. He had already vowed to quit international football prior to the competition, and earned a total of 62 caps.

## Managerial career

In September 2021, Enyimba F.C. named Finidi as their new head coach. He won his first title as a coach on the 11th of June 2023, winning the Nigeria Premier League at Onikan Stadium in Lagos.
In April 2024, he was appointed coach of the Nigeria national football team.
Before this appointment, He was the assistant coach to Jose Peseiro and was the Interim coach who led the Super Eagles to beat Ghana 2-1 ending 18 years of unsuccessful attempts to defeat the Black Stars.

## Style of play

Considered to be one of Nigeria's greatest wingers, Finidi was a physically strong and tall player who was known for his deceptively rapid pace, accurate crosses and efficient dribbles. He was also known for his accurate free kicks. Finidi was not only known for his technical abilities, but he also possessed a unique footballing brain and solid dribbling skills.

## Personal life

The name Finidi translates into English as "a future full of sun". Two of his 11 brothers, Igeniwari and Celestine, were also footballers, and the former was killed during crowd problems in a match.

## Career statistics
### Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Ajax | 1993–94 | Eredivisie | 27 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 4 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 6 |
| Ajax | 1994–95 | Eredivisie | 30 | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 9 |
| Ajax | 1995–96 | Eredivisie | 29 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 44 | 9 |
| Ajax | Total | Total | 86 | 18 | 7 | 3 | — | — | 24 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 122 | 24 |
| Betis | 1996–97 | La Liga | 36 | 10 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | 11 |
| Betis | 1997–98 | La Liga | 34 | 9 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | 43 | 12 |
| Betis | 1998–99 | La Liga | 36 | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 2 | — | — | 43 | 13 |
| Betis | 1999–2000 | La Liga | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | 8 |
| Betis | Total | Total | 130 | 38 | 11 | 3 | — | — | 11 | 3 | — | — | 152 | 44 |
| Mallorca | 2000–01 | La Liga | 31 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 35 | 7 |
| Ipswich Town | 2001–02 | Premier League | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 7 |
| Ipswich Town | 2002–03 | First Division | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 |
| Ipswich Town | Total | Total | 35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 46 | 8 |
| Mallorca | 2003–04 | La Liga | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 |
| Career Total | Career Total | Career Total | 296 | 68 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 372 | 83 |
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
* ↑ Appearances in Johan Cruyff Shield
* ↑ Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in Intercontinental Cup, one appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
* 1 2 3 4 Appearances in UEFA Cup

### International

Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Nigeria | 1991 | 1 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 1992 | 9 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 1993 | 6 | 2 |
| Nigeria | 1994 | 12 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 1995 | 1 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 1996 | 1 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 1997 | 3 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 1998 | 7 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 1999 | 1 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 2000 | 6 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 2001 | 8 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 2002 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 62 | 6 |
    Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each George goal.
List of international goals scored by Finidi George :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 27 July 1991 | National Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria | Burkina Faso | 7–1 | 7–1 | 1992 African Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 27 February 1993 | Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, Nigeria | Congo | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 8 October 1993 | Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria | Algeria | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 30 June 1994 | Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, USA | Greece | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 5 | 23 January 1999 | Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria | Burundi | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2000 African Cup of Nations qualification |
| 6 | 3 February 2000 | National Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria | Morocco | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2000 African Cup of Nations |

### Managerial

    As of 30 August 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure :
| Team | From | To | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Team | From | To | P | W | D | L | Win % |
| Enyimba | 15 September 2021 | 12 May 2024 | 65 | 29 | 15 | 21 | 044.6 |
| Nigeria | 29 April 2024 | 15 June 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 000.0 |
| Rivers United | 4 July 2024 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— |
| Total | Total | Total | 67 | 29 | 16 | 22 | 043.3 |

## Honours

Ajax
* Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
* Johan Cruyff Shield: 1994, 1995
* UEFA Champions League: 1994–95; runner-up 1995–96
* UEFA Super Cup: 1995
* Intercontinental Cup: 1995
Betis
* Copa del Rey runner-up: 1996–97
Nigeria
* Africa Cup of Nations: 1994; runner-up 2000; third place 1992, 2002