Tijjani Babangida, former footballer of Roda JC and …

Former Ajax footballer Tijjani Babangida has been admitted to hospital in a critical but stable condition after a traffic accident in his native Nigeria. The Nigerian Football Association reported this to various media from that country. His brother Ibrahim did not survive the accident. The former FC Volendam player will be buried on Friday.

The accident happened on the highway from Kaduna to Zaria. Tijjani Babangida’s wife and a maid were also in the car with the former international and were taken to a hospital. Babangida, 50, is conscious, according to the Nigerian Football Association. Brother Ibrahim Babangida turned 47 years old. He played football for FC Volendam from 1997 to 2002 and won the World Cup with Nigeria under 17 in 1993.

Nol Hendriks

Tijjani Babangida started his career in the Netherlands at Roda JC in 1991. Nol Hendriks discovered the Nigerian in 1990 when he played a friendly match with Jong Nigeria in Sittard. Initially, Hendriks did not consider the talented winger yet ready for Roda; he therefore stabled Babangida at VVV for two seasons. In Venlo, Babangida was an important link in the team that won the first division title in 1993, with sixteen goals and the necessary assists for top scorer Maurice Graef.

This was followed by three successful seasons at Kaalheide with Roda JC, after which Babangida switched to Ajax. The winger, who also had a rental period at Vitesse, was under contract there until 2003. The now 50-year-old won gold with Nigeria at the 1996 Olympics and went to the 1998 World Cup with the Super Eagles.