10 quick things to know about Super Eagles new coach, Bruno Labbadia

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday announced the appointment of German tactician, Bruno Labbadia as the new Super Eagles coach.

The announcement was made in a statement by the NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, in the early hours of Tuesday.

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The statement reads partly, “The NFF Executive Committee has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee to appoint Mr. Bruno Labbadia as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The appointment is with immediate effect.”

Following the appointment, Sporting Tribune takes a look at 10 quick things you should know about the new Super Eagles head coach.

1. He was born in Darmstadt, West Germany, on 8 February 1966.
2. Labbadia has Italian ancestry, with family origins tracing back to Lenola, a town in the Lazio region. His Italian parents moved to Germany as Gastarbeiter and settled in Schneppenhausen, near Darmstadt in Hesse.
3. He made his football debut for his hometown club, Darmstadt 98, in the 1984–85 2. Bundesliga season, scoring 9 goals in 33 appearances.
4. He scored 103 goals in 328 Bundesliga matches during his career, including 50 goals for Arminia Bielefeld and 44 for his hometown club Darmstadt 98, while also netting 101 goals in 229 2. Bundesliga appearances.
5. Labbadia, who was a striker, recorded a total of 229 goals across all competitions during his career.
6. He earned two caps for the German national football team between 1992 and 1995.
7. As a player, he won the DFB-Pokal with FC Kaiserslautern in the 1989-90 season and the Bundesliga with FC Bayern Munich in 1993-94.
8. Labbadia began his managerial career in 2003 and has since managed several teams, including Darmstadt 98 (2003–2006), Greuther Fürth (2007–2008), Bayer Leverkusen (2008–2009), Hamburger SV (2009–2010 and 2015–2016), VfB Stuttgart (2010–2013 and 2022–2023), VfL Wolfsburg (2018–2019), and Hertha BSC (2020–2021).
9. He was appointed as the 37th Head Coach of the Super Eagles on 27 August 2024.
10. He replaced former Super Eagles head coach Finidi George, who resigned from his position in June 2024.