Femi Opabunmi
{{Short description|Nigerian footballer}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Femi Opabunmi
| fullname = Femi Opabunmi
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|3|3|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Lagos, Nigeria
| height = {{convert|1.70|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}
| position = Left-winger
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| years1 = 2001 |clubs1 = Shooting Stars |caps1 = |goals1 =
| years2 = 2001–2004 |clubs2 = Grasshopper |caps2 = 14 |goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2004 |clubs3 = Hapoel Be'er Sheva |caps3 = 11 |goals3 = 1
| years4 = 2004–2006 |clubs4 = Niort |caps4 = 7 |goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2006 |clubs5 = Shooting Stars |caps5 = |goals5 =
| nationalyears1 = 2001 |nationalteam1 = Nigeria U17 |nationalcaps1 = 6 |nationalgoals1 = 6
| nationalyears2 = 2002–2003 |nationalteam2 = Nigeria |nationalcaps2 = 6 |nationalgoals2 = 1
| pcupdate = 14 February 2012 (UTC)
}}
Femi Opabunmi (born 3 March 1985) is a Nigerian former footballer.
Career
He played for a few clubs, including Shooting Stars FC, Grasshoppers Zürich (Switzerland), Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Israel, and Chamois Niortais in France.{{cite web|publisher=Guardian.co.uk |title=Stats Centre: Femi Opabunmi Facts |url=http://guardian.touch-line.com/StatsCentre.asp?CTID=57&CPID=120&TEID=1403&PLID=110538&pStr=Player |accessdate=2009-10-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921171700/http://guardian.touch-line.com/StatsCentre.asp?CTID=57&CPID=120&TEID=1403&PLID=110538&pStr=Player |archivedate=21 September 2012 |df=dmy }} He studied at Methodist High School Ibadan and played for the Methodist High School Ibadan Old Boys.[http://www.mhsioba.com/ Methodist High School Ibadan Old Boys Association] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507190607/http://www.mhsioba.com/ |date=7 May 2009 }}. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
He retired from football in 2006 due to serious glaucoma.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43509272|title=Femi Opabunmi: World Cup record-breaker hoping others can learn from end to his football dream|date=2018-03-23|work=BBC Sport|access-date=2018-05-14|language=en-GB}} He is now totally blind in the right eye.
Femi Opabunmi is now the Head Coach of a Football academy in Iwo, Osun State, Alamu Football Academy, the first free football academy which is set to participate in the Nigerian Premier league.
International career
Opabunmi scored a goal to help Nigeria win the African U-17 Championships in 2001. With Collins Osunwa out with injury he became Nigeria's key player at 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship where he scored a hat-trick against Australia and won him the Silver Shoe as second highest goalscorer and also the Bronze Ball as third best player in the tournament, helping Nigeria to reach the final where they lost to France. He attracted attention from clubs such as Manchester United, Lyon and Celta Vigo.
He played for Nigeria{{cite web |url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/4816.html |title=Opabumi Femi |website=National-Football-Teams.com |access-date=2011-03-16}} and made his debut in 2002 against Kenya scoring the second goal in a 3-0 win.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/team_pages/nigeria/squad/newsid_1998000/1998325.stm | work=BBC News | title=Femi Opabunmi | date=21 May 2002}} He was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup playing against England in the last group stage match becoming the 3rd youngest player to ever play in the World Cup finals after Norman Whiteside and Samuel Eto'o.{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-06/12/content_437222.htm |title=:: Xinhuanet - 2002 World Cup :: |website=news.xinhuanet.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021026150007/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-06/12/content_437222.htm |archive-date=2002-10-26}} Thereafter, he was a starter in Nigeria's next match after the World Cup in the 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification against Angolahttps://www.footballdatabase.eu/en/match/overview/1035960-angola-nigeria and played for the Super Eagles in two more occasions in 2003.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Nigeria Squad 2002 World Cup}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opabunmi, Femi}}
Category:Nigerian men's footballers
Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players
Category:Israeli Premier League players
Category:Footballers from Lagos
Category:Nigeria men's international footballers
Category:Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C. players
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Israel
Category:Chamois Niortais FC players
Category:Shooting Stars S.C. players
Category:Grasshopper Club Zurich players
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:21st-century Nigerian sportsmen
Category:Nigerian expatriate men's footballers
{{Nigeria-footy-midfielder-stub}}