“I wouldn’t mind” – Ex-Real Madrid midfielder opens door on coaching the Super Eagles of Nigeria
Former Super Eagles and Real Madrid midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, has revealed he would be open to coaching Nigeria after Finidi George resigned, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 53-year-old spent three years with Los Blancos after impressing with the Flying Eagles at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Although he never played for the senior team due to the foreign player quota, Adepoju scored 27 goals in 67 games for the Real Madrid B team, lifting the Segunda División B title.
Adepoju, who holds a UEFA Pro Coaching License himself, revealed he would be open to returning to the dugout on the Managing Madrid podcast, hinting at the possibility of taking over the vacant coaching position of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
“We had several players in the Castilla team who are brilliant coaches today, and we didn’t see it at the time. I have a UEFA Pro license myself, so if there’s an opportunity, I wouldn’t mind. I’m open. I once coached Shooting Stars in Nigeria, but I haven’t coached since then,” the 1994 AFCON winner said.
Adepoju spent most of his active football career in Spain, playing for Racing Santander and Real Sociedad after leaving Real Madrid. He also had a brief stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, before moving on to Turkey, where he played for Samsunspor.
The former Nigerian international had a brief spell with Cyprus side, AEL Limassol before handing his boots in 2006, drawing the curtains on an 18-year football career.
Adefolahan Guerreiro
Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.
He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.
