How many Football Manager players still have memories of wonderkids from decades ago? Well, most who have played the game long enough, and if they are relatively young, there will still be players that stick in their memory.
One from my Football Manager journey that resides in my brain is former Nigeria and Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who first came to my attention and the attention of millions of others on FM07.
What’s the attraction of Vincent Enyeama?
For the younger readers, Vincent Enyeama was one of the biggest bargains of FM07 and, unlike a lot of wonderkids, actually went on to have a highly respectable playing career.
In FM07, Enyeama was in his early twenties and plying his trade in Israel with Bnei Yehuda. His stats were solid for a relatively unknown player.
However, as the game progressed, his value to the team grew, and he became one of the best goalkeepers in the game. The fact that you can sign the stopper for less than £500,000 in most saves made him even more of an attractive prospect.
That fee proved to be money well spent, as his ability would grow far beyond that of many established goalkeepers in the game.
He was a great signing because you could keep him for over a decade and wouldn’t have to change your goalkeeper as your team started to win big trophies.
In fact, he would be a prominent figure in your team winning trophies. His effect on games would be in full view by the number of big saves he would make during the season. The fact that his reflexes were rated 17 at the beginning of the game was a significant factor in making all those saves.
In the game, he went from unknown quantity to world beater, and he was always one of the first players I signed in most of my FM07 saves.
What happened to Enyeama in real life?
Although Enyeama’s career may not have been the glittering one predicted by FM, it was more than respectable.
Having moved to Bnei Yehuda from his homeland land in 2005, he spent two years with the club, making 56 appearances. He joined Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2007.
Hapoel struggled during the 2007/08 Premier League campaign. However, Enyeama played a significant role in helping them avoid the embarrassment of relegation to the second tier in his debut season with the club.
The following season, Hapoel performed far better in the Israeli Premier League, coming close to claiming the top-flight title.
It was during that campaign that Enyeama found himself in another unexpected role as a penalty taker. The stopper went on to score nine times for Hapoel from the spot in his 113 league outings for the club from Israel’s capital.
Enyeama played so well in the 2008/09 season that he won the league’s Player of the Year award. The following season, Hapoel did the League and Cup double, and Enyeama played a significant role in their success.
He scored in the cup final from the penalty spot to help his team to victory. Enyeama also missed a spot kick in the final league game of the season, but it mattered little in the end, as his team scored a 92nd-minute penalty kick.
In season 2010/11, Enyeama helped Hapoel through the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, even scoring a goal from the penalty spot against Red Bull Salzburg.
Enyeama also produced notable performances in the group stage games against Schalke and Lyon. In the same season, Hapoel retained the Israeli Cup.
A big move to a top-league
In the summer of 2011, Enyeama made a big move to French Ligue One outfit Lille. He made his debut in a 1-0 Champions League defeat by Italian giants Inter Milan.
Things didn’t go his way in France in his first season, so he returned to Israel temporarily, joining Maccabi Tel Aviv for the 2012/13 season. He helped Maccabi win the Premier League title.
On his return to Lille, he fared far better. In season 2013/14, Enyeama was LOSC’s first goalkeeper. At one stage of the season, he kept 11 straight clean sheets in Ligue One.
The stopper went on to make 143 appearances for the French club until he was released in 2018 after failing to play any games in the 2017/18 season following a reported fallout behind the scenes with the club’s management.
He went on trial at fellow French outfit Dijon in July 2019 but wasn’t offered a deal with the club. Despite hoping to prolong his playing days, he eventually called time on his career at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.
Aside from his days playing club football, Enyeama also had a stellar international career. He made his Nigerian debut in 2002 against Kenya and represented the Super Eagles on 101 occasions until his retirement in 2015.
During his international career, Enyeama played in the biggest international tournaments, such as the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations. In the 2013 African Cup of Nations, he was named in the team of the tournament after he helped his team win the competition.
Enyeama will not be forgotten
While his football career ended in a slightly sad way, Vincent Enyeama will not only be remembered by the fans of the teams he played for with distinction but also the millions who played FM07 and its predecessors.
Football Manager has made legends of players who barely made a mark on the club or international scene. However, Enyeama had a fine career in real life, and hopefully, he is proud of what he achieved in the beautiful game.
Do you remember Vincent Enyeama from FM07 or for his real-life career exploits?
.jpg){kind=link}