5 former German managers of Super Eagles after Bruno Labbadia's appointment

• The Nigerian Football Federation have announced the appointment of Bruno Labbadia as Super Eagles manager
• He surprisingly takes over the vacant position after weeks of rumours around Janne Andersson and Herve Renard
• Labbadia becomes the sixth German to coach the Nigerian national team since the team was founded in 1949

The Nigerian Football Federation have announced the appointment of Bruno Labbadia as the new Super Eagles manager with immediate effect in the early house of today.

The appointment comes nearly three months after former manager Finidi George resigned after just two games in charge following the federation’s decision to demote him technically.

Bruno Labbadia coached VfB Stuttgart before he was appointed by Nigeria. Photo by Christopher Schmidt.
Source: Getty Images

A communique issued by the NFF this morning on social media did not bear any details of contract length or members of his backroom staff for the country’s sixth German manager.

Legit.ng looks at the five previous Germans who managed the Super Eagles.

Germans who managed Super Eagles

1. Karl-Heinz Marotzke

Marotzke was the first German to manage the Super Eagles. He had two stints in the 1970s—1970-72 and 1973-74. He also managed African countries Ghana and Botswana. He never played the sport professionally. He passed away on July 28, 2022, aged 88.

2. Gottlieb Göller

Goller spent all his managerial career in Africa including coaching Nigerian club Julius Berger. As noted by Transfermarkt, he managed the Super Eagles in seven matches, won one, drew one and lost five. He passed away in 2004.

3. Manfred Honer

Honer was the third German to coach the team. He was in charge between 1987 and 1988, leading the team to second place at the AFCON 1988, losing to Cameroon in the final. He also managed the team at the 1988 Olympics. He passed away in 2021.

4. Berti Vogts

After a long absence of German nationals in charge of the team, Euro 1996 winning manager Berti Vogts was hired in 2007. He was only in charge of the team for one year, managing 15 games—won seven, lost five and drew three. He resigned after leading the country to a quarter-final finish at AFCON 2008.

5. Gernot Rohr

Rohr was the longest-serving manager of the team, spending five years in charge between 2016 and 2021. He led the team to AFCON's third-place finish in 2019 and qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He left his role after his contract expired in 2021.

Maduka Okoye grateful to Gernot Rohr

Legit.ng reported that Maduka Okoye appreciates Gernot Rohr for helping him to fulfil his dream of playing for the Super Eagles and becoming a first-team regular.

Rohr handed Okoye his debut in 2019 after about two years of watching him, as he did for many other dual-nationality players, including Kevin Akpoguma.

Source: Legit.ng