English Premier League club, Everton have joined Nigerians in marking the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary, highlighting some of the Nigerian footballers who have represented the club.
Everton shared a Nigeria-themed graphic on their social media platforms on Thursday, October 1, as Nigeria celebrated 66 years of independence from British colonial rule.
The artwork, featuring Nigeria’s green and white colours, carries the inscriptions “Nigeria” and “Independence Day” alongside images of Nigerian players associated with the Merseyside club.
Everton have had a long relationship with Nigerian football, with former Super Eagles stars Daniel Amokachi, Joseph Yobo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Victor Anichebe and Alex Iwobi all representing the club.
Ademola Lookman and Toni Payne have also played for Everton.
Data compiled by FBref lists nine players who have represented both Everton and Nigeria, with Henry Onyekuru, Hope Akpan and Coby Ebere completing the list.
Amokachi joined Everton in 1994 and became the club’s first African player.
He helped the Toffees win the FA Cup in 1995 and scored twice in their semi-final victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Yobo moved to Everton in 2002 and went on to become an important figure at the club.
According to Goal, he was the first African player to captain Everton.
Yakubu also enjoyed a productive spell at Goodison Park, while Anichebe progressed through the club’s youth system before making his mark with the senior team.
Iwobi joined Everton from Arsenal in 2019 and spent four seasons with the club before leaving.
Everton have previously marked Nigeria’s Independence Day, including in 2019 when the club published a graphic featuring Amokachi, Yobo, Anichebe, Yakubu and Iwobi.
The club also posted “Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!” in 2022 as Nigeria celebrated its 62nd anniversary.
Nigeria gained independence from Britain on October 1, 1960, while the Federal Government declared Thursday a public holiday to mark the 66th anniversary.
