Premier League club Everton joined Nigerians to mark the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary. They shared a colorful graphic showing Nigerian players who have played for the club.
The club posted the Nigeria-themed artwork on its social media pages on Thursday, October 1. This day celebrates Nigeria's freedom from British colonial rule.
The graphic features Nigeria’s green and white colors. It has bold words like “Nigeria” and “Independence Day,” along with pictures of Nigerian footballers linked to Everton.
Everton has a strong history with Nigerian football. The club has had many Super Eagles and Super Falcons players over the years.
Some notable players include Daniel Amokachi, Joseph Yobo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Victor Anichebe, and Alex Iwobi. Ademola Lookman and Toni Payne also played for the club.
Data from FBref shows that nine players have represented both Everton and Nigeria. This list includes Henry Onyekuru, Hope Akpan, and Coby Ebere.
Amokachi was Everton’s first African player. He joined in 1994 and helped the team win the FA Cup in 1995.
His two goals in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur are some of his greatest moments at Everton.
Yobo became an important player after joining in 2002. He was the first African to captain Everton, as reported by Goal.
Yakubu also had a great time at Goodison Park. Anichebe came from Everton’s youth team and then made a name for himself in the first team.
Iwobi joined Everton from Arsenal in 2019 and played with the club for four seasons.
The club’s Independence Day post continues a tradition of recognizing Nigeria every October 1.
In 2019, Everton celebrated Nigeria’s Independence Day with a graphic featuring Amokachi, Yobo, Anichebe, Yakubu, and new signing Iwobi. PUNCH reported that this graphic showed Nigerian players from both the past and present.
In 2022, Everton also shared a message saying, “Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!” as foreign clubs joined in celebrating Nigeria’s 62nd anniversary.
Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960. This year marks the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
The Federal Government declared the day a public holiday, according to PUNCH Online.
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