Bruno Labbadia: Amazing profile of new Super Eagles head coach

By Enyeh Julius Akpovire

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, on Tuesday, announced German tactician, Bruno Labbadia as the new Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men National Team, Super Eagles.

Here are six (6) things to know about the new man in the Super Eagles dugout

• He was born in Darmstadt, Germany on 8th February 1966. He is aged 58-year-old.
• He played for teams like Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Armenia Bielefeld and Karlsruher SC, and triumphed in the German Bundesliga with Bayern Munich as a player in 1994;
• He has coached famous teams like Hertha Berlin and VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, Bayer Leverkusen, among others;
• As a striker during his active days, he’s recored to have scored over 200 career goals.
• He holds a UEFA Pro License;
• He is the sixth German, after Karl-Heinz Marotzke (who had two stints between 1970 and 1974), Gottlieb Göller (1981), Manfred Höner (1988-1989), Berti Vogts (2007-2008) and Gernot Rohr (2016-2021) to lead the Super Eagles. Höner led the Eagles to runner-up position at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, while Rohr qualified and led Nigeria to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

As a manager, Labbadia has coached several clubs in Germany and Austria, including:

– Darmstadt 98
– Greuther Fürth
– Bayer Leverkusen
– Hamburg
– Stuttgart
– Wolfsburg
– Hertha Berlin
– RB Leipzig (caretaker)

Labbadia is known for his tactical acumen and ability to improve teams’ defensive solidity. He has achieved promotion to the Bundesliga with Darmstadt 98 and Greuther Fürth and has also led teams to European qualification.

Labbadia’s managerial style is characterized by:

– Disciplined defending
– Quick counter-attacks
– High-pressing
– Tactical flexibility

He is considered one of the most experienced and respected managers in German football.