Thursday 29 August 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: John Dahl Tomasson and Vincent Enyeama

Jon Dahl Tomasson

Jon Dahl Tomasson

Jon Dahl Tomasson is 37 today. He is a retired Danish player who was known for his positional strength and fine finishing. His most notable run of football came in his first stint at Feyenoord, with whom he won the 2002 UEFA Cup, and Italian club Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League and reached the final in 2005. He was also honoured with the Danish Player of the Year award in both 2002 and 2004.Tomasson scored a total of 52 goals in 112 games for Denmark throughout his career, which spanned from March 1997 to June 2010, making him Denmark's joint all-time top scorer. He played at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup. Having scored his 52nd international goal in Denmark's final match at the 2010 World Cup, Tomasson decided to retire from the national team.

Vincent Enyeama

Vincent Enyeama - Nigeria v Burkina Faso - 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Final

Vincent Enyeama is 31 today. He is a Nigerian football goalkeeper. and has been in between the sticks for the Super Eagles Since 2002.  Enyeama was selected for the 2002 World Cup as a cover for Ike Shorunmu. He only played one match in that tournament, keeping a clean sheet against England and took over the spot after Shorunmu's international retirement. Since then he has been the first-choice goalkeeper for the national team, playing in the 2004 African Cup of Nations, 2006 African Cup of Nations, and indeed all African Cup of Nations till 2013 except for the 2008 edition in Ghana where he lost his position to Austin Ejide. In the 2006 CAN, he stopped three penalties in the quarter-final against Tunisia, but could not prevent a loss to Côte d'Ivoire in the semi-final.

Vincent Enyeama justified claims as one of the best shot-stoppers in football at the moment, with a defiant display to restrict Argentina to a 1–0 win in their Group B 2010 FIFA World Cup match. Enyeama, who was playing his 56th international for the Super Eagles, made six fine saves, four of them from Lionel Messi, and was the major reason for Nigeria coming so close to almost pinching a draw against the two-time world champions. Despite the loss, he was named Man of the Match and World Player of the Week by chosen Goal.com. Argentine coach Maradona praised him as the reason Leo Messi was not able to score a goal.

He was called up to Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. As active captain (standing in for Joseph Yobo who stayed on the bench for most of the competition), Enyeama led Nigeria to her third continental victory. He was named to the team of the tournament as first choice goalkeeper, alongside four other Nigerian players in various positions.

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