7 Nigeria Super Eagles stars who went broke after earning millions

Football can make a young Nigerian rich very fast and Several Super Eagles stars moved from local football to Europe, where they earned money that was far beyond what most Nigerians could imagine, Afrik-Foot reports.

A successful career could bring club wages, signing fees, national team payments and bonuses. Some players also bought houses, cars and businesses while they were still playing. But a career can end suddenly through injury, illness or age. When that happens, the flow of football money can stop.

The players on this list did not all go through the same experience. Celestine Babayaro was declared bankrupt in England. Wilson Oruma lost about ₦2 billion in a failed investment. Femi Opabunmi spent much of his savings trying to treat an eye problem that ended his career. Others faced unpaid wages, failed businesses or financial problems after retirement.

Their stories also cover several generations of Nigerian football. From Rashidi Yekini’s historic World Cup goal in 1994 to Opabunmi’s appearance against England in 2002, these players once stood at the top of the game. Their later financial problems tell a very different story.

Nigeria Super Eagles stars who lost their fortunes

1. Celestine Babayaro

Babayaro had one of the strongest club careers on this list. He joined Chelsea as a teenager in 1997 after playing for Anderlecht and quickly became one of the Premier League’s better young left-backs. He also won Olympic gold with Nigeria at Atlanta 1996 and later played for Newcastle United.

His Chelsea contract reportedly paid about £25,000 a week, a huge salary for a Nigerian player at the time. That meant roughly £1.3 million a year before bonuses and other income if the reported weekly figure was paid for a full year.

But injuries affected his later career and reduced his earning power. In 2011, Babayaro was declared bankrupt in England after creditors pursued him. Reports also said a £475,000 property linked to him had fallen into poor condition. A player who had once earned a Premier League fortune was suddenly dealing with creditors and the loss of financial security.

2. Wilson Oruma

Oruma’s career was built on success from a very young age. He captained Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup title in Japan and won Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996.

He then built a long European career with Lens, Servette, Marseille, Sochaux and Guingamp. He won the French league with Lens, the French League Cup with Sochaux and the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Marseille. He also played at the 1998 World Cup and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

After football, Oruma tried to build a business future with the money he had earned in Europe. In 2016, he was reportedly introduced to people who claimed they had oil blocks for sale. He invested his savings and money from several European accounts into the deal. The scheme was fake, and reports put his loss at about ₦2 billion.

The financial shock was severe. Oruma later suffered serious emotional problems and spent a period away from public life after losing the wealth built during a long and successful career.

3. Femi Opabunmi

Opabunmi’s rise was one of the fastest in Nigerian football. He was the second-highest scorer at the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship and was named the third-best player at the tournament.

A year later, at only 17, he played against England at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. David Beckham, Michael Owen and Paul Scholes were among the players he faced. European clubs noticed his talent, and he moved from Shooting Stars to Grasshopper Zürich before playing for Hapoel Be’er Sheva and French club Niort.

Then his career collapsed. During training in France in 2006, he developed serious problems with his vision. Doctors diagnosed glaucoma and he underwent surgery. The treatment did not solve the problem. He travelled between specialists in France and other countries before returning to Nigeria.

Opabunmi later said he spent the money he made from football trying to save his eyesight. By 2018, he said he could see only with his left eye and had no major source of income.

“I made a lot of money,” he told the BBC, “but it’s money I spent on my eye problem.”

4. Ifeanyi Udeze

Udeze was one of Nigeria’s regular left-backs in the early 2000s. He played at the 2002 and 2004 Africa Cup of Nations and spent several seasons with Greek club PAOK, where he became a popular player.

His European career should have provided a strong financial base. But his relationship with PAOK also brought financial problems. Udeze said the club owed him about four months’ salary, forcing him to leave under FIFA rules. He later returned because of his strong relationship with the supporters.

His playing career ended after a serious knee injury suffered during Nigeria’s 2006 World Cup qualifying match against Angola in Kano. In 2015, reports said he had been evicted from a duplex in Festac over unpaid rent and was living in Ajegunle. Former teammates Joseph Yobo and Yakubu Aiyegbeni were also reported to have helped him during his difficult period.

5. Tijani Babangida

Babangida spent more than a decade in European football and became famous for his pace on the right wing. He joined Roda JC in the Netherlands before moving to Ajax, where he was contracted for seven years.

At Ajax, he won the 1997-98 Eredivisie title and two Dutch Cups. He scored 20 goals in 77 appearances for the club. He also won Olympic gold with Nigeria in Atlanta and played at the 1998 World Cup.

His later financial problems were linked to failed investments and projects in Nigeria. In 2024, a serious road accident on the Kaduna-Zaria road killed his one-year-old son and his younger brother. Babangida and his wife suffered major injuries and needed treatment in the Netherlands.

The medical bill became a major financial burden. Dutch clubs Ajax, Roda JC and VVV Venlo helped lead a fundraising campaign that targeted at least €170,000 for treatment and other costs. The campaign’s organisers said Babangida had lost his money through failed investments and projects in Nigeria.

6. Rashidi Yekini

Yekini was Nigeria’s first true World Cup goalscoring hero. He scored against Bulgaria at USA 1994, producing the famous celebration inside the net. He was also Nigeria’s first African Footballer of the Year, winning the award in 1993.

His club career included Africa Sports, Vitória de Setúbal, Olympiacos, Sporting Gijón, FC Zürich and Al-Shabab. At Vitória de Setúbal, he became the Portuguese top-flight leading scorer in 1993-94 with 34 goals in 32 matches. He scored 37 goals in 58 appearances for Nigeria.

Yekini did not simply spend his money on luxury. Reports said he gave money to friends and other people and lent out large amounts. He owned a large property in Ibadan but later lived a very isolated life. Other accounts linked his financial problems to a failed business investment.

By his final years, reports described serious problems with his physical, mental and financial health. He died in Ibadan in May 2012 at the age of 48. His story is one of the clearest examples of how unchecked generosity, weak investments and a lack of post-football income can damage a player’s financial position.

7. Etim Esin

Esin was one of the most gifted Nigerian players of his generation. He earned the nickname “African Maradona” because of his dribbling and attacking ability. After starring in Nigerian football, he moved to Belgium and played for clubs including Lokeren and Lierse.

His career looked set for a major breakthrough. He was one of Nigeria’s leading young talents during the build-up to the 1990 World Cup, but disciplinary and legal problems disrupted his progress. A rape allegation linked to his time in Belgium later proved false, but the damage to his career and reputation had already been severe.

Esin missed the 1994 World Cup, a tournament many Nigerians expected him to play in. In April 2026, he said the disappointment affected him so deeply that he turned to drugs. His career never produced the long period of European earnings that his talent had promised.

Esin’s financial damage came from a career that failed to reach the level expected after a brilliant start.