Manchester City and Manchester United are about to do battle in the 151st FA Cup final in history on Saturday for their seventh and 13th FA Cup trophies respectively.
This would be the first meeting of the famed Manchester rivals in the final of the competition in its history, which also makes this match a huge deal for all of English football.
Manchester United will be playing in their 20th FA Cup final while Manchester City will be playing in their 12th. Both teams could also win their second trophy of the season when they come up against each other.
Nigerians Who Have Won the FA Cup
Neither team has any Nigerians in their squad going into the final. The last Nigerian to feature for either of these sides is Odion Ighalo, who had an incredible six-month spell at Manchester United in 2020.
This time tomorrow: the Manchester derby FA Cup final ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/PRyGNpeVWU
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 2, 2023
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen could also feature for Manchester United in future FA Cups as transfer rumours indicate that the Red Devils are interested in securing his services.
While Nigerian fans of the Premier League champions and the 12-time FA Cup champions will be keeping their eyes glued to their screens on Saturday, here is a reminder of some of the Nigeria national football team players to have played in and won an FA Cup final, earning them an FA Cup winners medal.
John Obi Mikel
The Super Eagles ex-captain won the title with Chelsea in 2007, 2009 and 2012. His three FA Cup titles are the most that a Nigerian player has won, making him the most successful Nigerian in the competition’s history.
John Obi Mikel is also the most successful Nigeria Super Eagles player of all time, having achieved a lot with Chelsea including Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Europa League successes. He also has three runners-up medals with Nigeria at the AFCON and was a key part of the squad that won the 2013 edition of the tournament.
Kanu Nwankwo
Kanu Nwankwo, known affectionately as “Papilo” will rank as the next greatest FA Cup winner from Nigeria. He is also the only Nigerian to have won the title with two different clubs, Arsenal and Portsmouth.
He could have had more wins, however, as he appeared in three straight finals between 2001 and 2003 for Arsenal. He lost the 2001 final but won the 2002 and 2003 editions with the Gunners. He would then win his third final with Portsmouth in 2008, playing alongside John Utaka, another Nigerian who has won the FA Cup.
In the final of the 2008 edition, Kanu scored the only goal in what would be his final trophy as a professional footballer. He is often regarded as the greatest Nigerian player ever, despite Mikel Obi being the most successful.
Daniel Amokachi
Daniel “The Bull” Amokachi is the first Nigerian to win the FA Cup. He was part of the Everton squad that dispatched Saturday’s finalists Manchester United in the 1995 finals.
He was pivotal to that win, as he scored a few important goals on their road to the final including a brace in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur. That trophy remains Everton’s most recent trophy in all competitions, which ranks Amokachi as one of the club’s best players in recent history as well as one of the best Nigerians to have won an FA Cup.
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 months ago
