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Femi Opabunmi called time on his professional career as a footballer at just 21 years of age.
Pulse Sports reported that former Super Eagles of Nigeria winger Femi Opabunmi, recently opened up the heartbreaking end to his football career.
In an emotional interview with Vanguard, Opabunmi revealed that it was one of the most trying periods of his life, after he was diagnosed with serious glaucoma.
Opabunmi confessed that he was almost rendered penniless as he recalled to the aforementioned outlet.
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07:14 - 24.09.2024
'I did not have 1 naira' - Former Super Eagles star Opabunmi recalls how he went from fame to brokeness
Former Nigeria international Femi Opabunmi was forced to retire in 2006 after being touted as one of the most promising players of the Super Eagles team.
In this article, Pulse Sports reveals key details you need to know about Femi Opabunmi - who was touted as one of the brightest prospects in Nigerian football.
Femi Opabunmi: 8 facts about the former Super Eagles star who went blind while playing football
1. Who is Femi Opabunmi?
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Femi Opabunmi is a former Nigerian professional footballer who played as a winger.
During his career, Opabunmi played for a few clubs, including Shooting Stars FC, Grasshoppers Zürich (Switzerland), Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Israel, and Chamois Niortais in France
2. Femi Opabunmi Age
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Femi Opabunmi was born on March 3, 1985, in Lagos, Nigeria.
He studied at Methodist High School Ibadan, Oyo State, and played for the Methodist High School Ibadan Old Boys.
As of 2024, he is 39 years old.
3. He is the youngest Nigerian to ever play at a World Cup
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To this date, Opabunmi holds the record as the youngest ever Nigerian footballer to feature in the FIFA World Cup at 17-years-old and 100 days, as per Statista.
Opabunmi was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup playing against England in the last group stage match, also making him the 3rd youngest player to ever play in the World Cup finals after Norman Whiteside and Samuel Eto'o.
4. He was prolific in his youth days
During his days as playing football, Opebanmi was pretty prolific from the flanks.
The former Grasshopper star scored 6 goals in 6 appearances for the Nigeria U17 team.
5. He was forced to retire at age 21
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As mentioned earlier, Femi Opabunmi was forced to hang up his boots at a very young age, after he was diagnosed with serious glaucoma, while playing for French Division 2 team Niort.
Opabunmi revealed that he seemingly lost his sight while trying to head the ball in a match, while representing the French club - a condition that initially left him totally blind for 17 days.
The serious condition which he was told was ‘complicated’, forced him to retire from professional football in 2006.
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10:34 - 17.10.2023
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14:39 - 23.09.2023
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6. He spent over 30 million on two failed operations
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Following his retirement Opabunmi revealed that he had lost millions of naira while seeking to restore his sight as he had two failed operations.
Opabunmi told Vanguard in an interview that he spent up to 40 million trying to restore his sight having travelled to specialists in Romania, U.K, and even U.S.A.
Eventually, Opabunmi revealed he finally restored his sight after coming back to Nigeria and turning solely to God.
7. He has a CAF coaching license
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As mentioned earlier, Opabunmi is currently a coach of a football academy in Oyo State.
He also has a CAF-C coaching license through a Tikitaka coaching certificate.
He also stated his desire to acquire a CAF-B license as it is a standard requirement to coach a team in the Nigerian premiership.
Even though Nigeria has been temporarily suspended from CAF coaching curses, Opabunmi stated that he is hopeful that the new NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gasau will rectify the situation.
8. He does not watch the Super Eagles' matches
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Opabunmi revealed that he does not watch Nigeria’s games anymore because he breaks down emotionally watching his mates play.
The 39-year-old former winger said he was close to suicide while seeking a solution to his problems years ago but stated that he remains grateful to God for restoring his sight.
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