Haruna Babangida

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Haruna Babangida
Personal information
Full name Haruna Babangida
Date of birth October 1, 1982 (1982-10-01) (age 25)
Place of birth    Kaduna, Nigeria
Height 1.66 m (5 ft 5+12 in)
Playing position right/left Winger, Forward
Club information
Current club Apollon Limassol
Number 20
Youth clubs
Shooting Stars FC
AFC Ajax
FC Barcelona
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1997-2004
2002-2003
2004
2004-2005
2005-2007
2007-
Barcelona
Terrassa (loan)
Cádiz (loan)
Metalurh Donetsk
Olympiacos
Apollon Limassol
00 (0)
38 (4)[1]
14 (0)[2]
10 (2)
33 (3)
18 (6)   
National team2
2003 Nigeria 1 (0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of March 18, 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of June 2, 2007.
* Appearances (Goals)

Haruna Babangida (born 1 October 1982 in Kaduna) is a Nigerian footballer currently playing for Cypriot club Apollon Limassol.

Babangida is a hard working, quick right wing who can also play on the left side. Greek media calls him "pithamogonatos", which means "short knees", because of his height (he's very short).

He is the younger brother of Tijani Babangida and Ibrahim Babangida. Babangida is the eighth of ten brothers.

Contents

[edit] Football career

[edit] Early career

Haruna Babangida started his youth career at Shooting Stars FC, before signed by AFC Ajax at aged of 13. He was snapped up by FC Barcelona a year later. In 1998, aged 15, Babangida made his first-team debut for the Catalan giants in a pre-season friendly against AGOVV Apeldoorn, becoming the youngest ever player to feature for Barcelona. However, he did not make the breakthrough and in 2002/03 was loaned to second division side Terrassa CF, before spending the following season playing for Barcelona's youth team and Cádiz CF (in 2nd half).

FC Metalurh Donetsk then took him to Ukraine on a permanent basis.

[edit] Greece & Cyprus

In 2005, Olympiacos CFP signed Babangida on a three-year contract after he impressed in a pre-season tournament in Spain.[3]

In the first season, he played 25 league appearances and started 11 times for the the double-winners. He rarely scored, but scored his first UEFA Champions League goal at home against Lyon, in the 3rd minute, but the match ended as 1-4 lost.[4]

On May 25, 2007, Olympiakos CFP officially released Haruna Babangida.

He made his debut for Apollon Limassol on 1st of September 2007 against rival team AEL Limassol, where he scored 2 goals in an eventual 4-3 win.

[edit] International career

He made his debut for Nigeria national football team on 20 August 2003, a friendly match that lost 0-3 to Japan in Tokyo.

[edit] References

[edit] External links