Twelve former Super Eagles players, including Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Vincent Enyeama and Nwankwo Kanu, have been confirmed for the much-anticipated Africa Legends versus Barcelona Legends friendly match set for this weekend in Abuja, Soccernet.ng reports.
Two of the Nigerian stars – Haruna Babangida and Gbenga Okunowo – will be lining up for the Barcelona Legends side, having once worn the famous blaugrana colours, Barcelona have confirmed.
Babangida, a product of the Barcelona youth system, was a standout for Barça B between 1998 and 2004, while Okunowo played for the senior team in the late 1990s.
Nine other former Nigeria internationals – Okocha, Enyeama, Kanu, Taiye Taiwo, Elderson Echiejile, Obafemi Martins, Victor Ikpeba, Julius Aghahowa, and Daniel Amokachi – will represent Africa.
They will be managed by former Super Eagles forward Samson Siasia, who is set to take charge of a team brimming with experience, flair and nostalgia.
Joining the African contingent are legends from across the continent, including South Africa’s Mark Fish, Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor, Senegal’s El Hadji Diouf, Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, and Ivorian great Didier Zokora.
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Barcelona Legends bring big names to Okocha’s Nigeria
For Barcelona Legends, the trip to Abuja is their second outing of the season following a 3–2 win over Monterrey Legends in Mexico.
Former Barça defender Albert Ferrer will again take charge of a glittering line-up featuring club icons and new faces alike.
The squad includes household names such as Gaizka Mendieta, Ludovic Giuly, Javier Saviola, and Nolito, alongside newcomers Alex Song and Andreu Fontàs, both making their Barça Legends debut.
Song, who joined Barcelona from Arsenal in 2012, played two seasons at Camp Nou before moving on to West Ham United and later to clubs in Russia and Switzerland. Fontàs, a La Masia graduate, went on to have a distinguished career at Celta Vigo and Sporting Kansas City before retiring this year.
Also included in the travelling squad are goalkeepers Vítor Baía and Jesús Angoy, defenders Philippe Christanval and Juan Pablo Sorín, and former midfielder Roger Garcia.
The game, scheduled for Saturday, October 25, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, will kick off at 3:00 p.m. local time.