Finidi George

Finidi George Biography / Profile

Finidi George was born on April 15th, 1971 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Nicknamed “The Gazelle”, he is a professional footballer who retired after an illustrious 15 year career. To this day, the former Ajax winger is revered as the gold standard for Nigerian widemen.

Finidi George Age

Finidi George is 53 years old.

Finidi George Early Life

Finidi began his adventure as a teenager playing for Calabar Rovers.

Finidi George Career

After playing for three different clubs in Nigeria - Calabar Rovers, Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland FC), and Sharks (now Rivers United), Finidi arrived at AFC Ajax in 1993, alongside compatriot Nwankwo Kanu. He won the Nigerian league title with Iwuanyanwu Nationale in 1990. He was scouted to join Ajax during a Super Eagles training camp in Holland. 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 A.C. Milan. He won eight major trophies with Ajax including three Dutch League titles, two Dutch Super cups, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup.

In 1996, Finidi moved to Spain and signed for Real Betis, where he netted in double digits in nearly every season, with the Andalusians finishing fourth in his first year, which also brought a Copa del Rey final loss against FC Barcelona (2–3 after extra time), where he scored; before joining the club he was close to moving to Real Madrid, but the deal fell through. After Betis' 2000 top flight relegation, 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 win against Derby County at Portman Road but underperformed overall, with them also suffering relegation; he was released from contract in June 2003. In November 2003, 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. He retired from the game in the summer. 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.

He made his Super Eagles debut in 1991 with 3 assists for late Rashidi Yekini and one goal in a 7-1 win over Burkina Faso. 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.

In July 2013, Finidi was appointed the coach of the U-16 side at his former club Real Mallorca of Spain.

Finidi George Personal Life

Finidi means "Future full of sun" in his language. Two of his 11 brothers, Iginaware and Celestine, were also footballers, and the former was killed during crowd problems in a match. In 2014, the ex-footballer sold his estate located in the highbrow of the Government Reservation Area, Port Harcourt, to a popular Church founder Apostle Chinyere Chibuzor Nwankwo of Omega Power Ministries Church.