Nigeria have appointed Bruno Labbadia as their new head coach.
The 58-year-old former striker’s coaching career has spanned over two decades and has encompassed spells at Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) confirmed Labbadia’s appointment on Tuesday with the German becoming the nation’s third head coach of the calendar year.
Jose Peseiro, who coached the team during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), departed and his successor Finidi George resigned earlier this summer.
“The NFF executive committee has approved the recommendation of its technical and development sub-committee to appoint Bruno Labbadia as the head coach of the Super Eagles,” read a statement from Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, NFF general secretary. “The appointment is with immediate effect.”
During his playing career, Labbadia scored over 200 goals across the top two divisions of German football including a three-season spell with Bayern Munich, with whom he won the Bundesliga title in 1994.
His most coaching spell was with Stuttgart, whom he departed in April 2023.
Labbadia’s first match in charge will be an AFCON qualifier at home to Benin on September 7 before an away match in Rwanda three days later.
Nigeria’s World Cup qualification campaign will resume in March 2025, having picked up just three points in their first four
matches.
