CAF Celebrates Ex-Super Eagles Star Echiejile At 32

CAF, Africa’s football governing body, has sent birthday greetings to former Super Eagles left-back Elderson Echiejile who turns 32 on Monday, Completesports.com reports.

Celebrating Echiejile’s birthday, CAF wrote on their verified Twitter handle: “Nigerian International Elderson Echiejile turns 32 today! 

“Echiejile won the 2013 Total AFCON with The Super Eagles.”

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Echiejile began his career at Bendel Insurance and moved to Europe in 2007, joining Rennes where he was mainly a reserve. 

He spent four seasons in Portugal’s top flight with Braga, before returning to France to join Monaco in 2014.

In March 2019, Echiejilé signed for Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi of the Finnish
Veikkausliiga . And on 28 June, both parties agreed to terminate the contract by mutual consent.

Other clubs he featured for include; Standard Liege, Sivasspor, Cercle Brugge and Sporting Gijon.

Echiéjilé was a member of the Flying Eagles team at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, playing five matches and scoring once. 

Having made his debuts for the Super Eagles in 2009, he was picked for the following year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa, appearing in two group stage matches in an eventual group stage exit.

Echiéjilé was called up to Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring the first in a 4–1 semi-final win over
Mali as the nation went on to win the tournament. 

Also that year he was selected for the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, scoring in the group stage opener against Tahiti.

Echiéjilé was included in Stephen Keshi ‘s list for the 2014 World Cup, but sustained an injury in a warm-up game against Greece and was replaced by Ejike Uzoenyi. 

In June 2018, he was named in the 23-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Russia, but did not make any appearance in the three group stage games the Eagles played.

However, he was left out of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

By James Agberebi