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Daniel Owefin Amokachi (; born 30 December 1972) is a Nigerian football manager and former professional player.
As a player he was a forward who notably played in the Premier League for Everton and was part of their 1995 FA Cup winning team, he also played top flight football in both Belgium and Turkey with extended spells at Club Brugge and Beşiktaş. Whilst with Brugge in 1992 he scored the club's first goal in the UEFA Champions League. He also had a brief spell with Ranchers Bees, Colorado Rapids and Nasarawa United. He was capped 44 times by Nigeria, scoring 13 goals. His spell in international football saw him win the African Cup of Nations in 1994 and a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. He was also present in his nations squads for 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Upon retiring, Amokachi moved into coaching and has spent time as manager of Nasarawa United, Enyimba, Ifeanyi Ubah and JS Hercules. He has also spent two spells as assistant coach of Nigeria, as well as managing his nation in an interim basis from 2014 to 2015.
He went on to win the FA Cup with Everton in 1995, scoring two goals in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur after 'substituting himself' into the match while Paul Rideout was receiving treatment (the manager Joe Royle had only instructed him to warm up in preparation for possibly coming on). He appeared in the final only briefly, late on, again as a substitute but is remembered fondly for his beret-wearing celebrations afterwards.
He remained at Everton until the end of the 1995–96 season, when he was transferred to Beşiktaş of Turkey for a fee of £1.75 million. He had failed to make the impact at Goodison Park that many fans had been hoping for, and had been unable to win a regular place in the first team, as Rideout and Duncan Ferguson were firmly established as Everton's two strikers at that stage. He did, however, stand in for Ferguson while he spent six weeks in prison during the autumn of 1995 for an offence committed in Scotland 18 months earlier.
After leaving Beşiktaş in 1999, his playing career effectively ended. He signed with 1860 Munich, but the contract was cancelled after he failed a medical test. In turn he was rejected by Tranmere Rovers for the same reason. Amokachi trained with French second division side US Créteil, but the deal was hampered by injuries. American MLS team Colorado Rapids signed him in 2002, but seeing he was not fit enough they released him before a single match was played. He went to play in the United Arab Emirates, but was denied again due to his medical condition.
Amokachi sustained an injury just ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, played one match at the tournament, but struggled with knee problems thereafter.
In 2015, Amokachi managed Ifeanyi Ubah, resigning after five weeks in the post. In January 2016, he was named as manager of JS Hercules. On 4 February 2020, Amokachi was named as Nigeria’s football ambassador by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).
Beşiktaş
Nigeria
Individual
International career
He played many international matches for Nigeria, and was part of the team that participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1998 FIFA World Cup and won the 1994 African Nations Cup. He also helped win the Olympic championship in 1996, scoring in the final against Argentina.
Managerial career
Amokachi managed Nigerian club Nasarawa United and later Enyimba Aba. In April 2007, he quit his role as assistant coach of the Nigeria national team. On 10 April 2008, Amokachi was re-appointed to Nigeria's national team, the Super Eagles, as assistant coach to Shuaibu Amodu, and then as assistant to Stephen Keshi.
Personal life
Amokachi is married to a Tunisian woman and has twin sons named Kalim and Nazim, both of whom are currently in the Besiktas youth academy. He also has a daughter named Raya.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Brugge 1990–91 Belgian First Division 0 1991–92 13 1992–93 10 1993–94 14 1994–95 0 Everton 1994–95 Premier League 6 1995–96 8 Beşiktaş 1996–97 1. Lig 10 1997–98 11 1998–99 4
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals Nigeria 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 0 0
+ List of international goals scored by Daniel Amokachi Daniel Owefin Amokachi - Goals in International Matches . 1992 African Cup of Nations qualification 1992 African Cup of Nations qualification 1994 African Cup of Nations qualification 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification 1994 FIFA World Cup 1994 FIFA World Cup 1995 King Fahd Cup 1995 King Fahd Cup 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 2–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 2–0
Honours
Everton
External links
Categories: 1972 Births, Living People, Men's Association Football Forwards, Nigerian Men's Footballers, Nigerian Expatriate Men's Footballers, Club Brugge Kv Players, Everton F.c. Players, Beşiktaş J.k. Footballers, Süper Lig Players, Premier League Players, Belgian Pro League Players, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Turkey, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Belgium, Expatriate Men's Footballers In England, Nigeria Men's International Footballers, Olympic Footballers For Nigeria, Olympic Gold Medalists For Nigeria, Footballers At The 1996 Summer Olympics, 1994 Fifa World Cup Players, 1995 King Fahd Cup Players, Nigerian Expatriate Sportspeople In Turkey, 1998 Fifa World Cup Players, 1990 African Cup Of Nations Players, Nasarawa United F.c. Players, Nasarawa United F.c. Managers, Enyimba F.c. Managers, Africa Cup Of Nations–winning Players, 1994 African Cup Of Nations Players, Olympic Medalists In Football, Nigerian Expatriate Sportspeople In The United States, Medalists At The 1996 Summer Olympics, Nigerian Football Managers, Js Hercules Managers, Footballers From Kaduna, Nigeria Football Federation, Nigerian Expatriate Sportspeople In Finland, Expatriate Football Managers In Finland
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