Former Ajax player and Nigerian international Tijjani Babangida has been seriously injured in a car accident, reports the NOS. His younger brother Ibrahim, a former FC Volendam player, died in the car accident.
According to messages from Nigeria the former Ajax player is in a critical but stable condition. The accident happened on the highway from Kaduna to Zaria. Babangida’s wife was also in the car. She was also taken to hospital in Zaria due to her injuries.
Babangida started his Dutch career in Limburg. In 1991, the Nigerian switched to Roda JC, after which he was loaned to VVV-Venlo for two seasons. In 1996 he switched to Ajax, where he was active in the red and white of the Amsterdam team until 2001. Babangida was still a contract player for Ajax until mid-2003, but was loaned out to Vitesse, among others. After several rental periods, he made a final move to China, where he was active until 2005. Then he ended his career. He became national champion once with Ajax. He also won the KNVB Cup twice with Ajax.
The Nigerian winger won gold with his team at the 1996 Olympic Games and was part of the Nigerian World Cup selection in 1998. Babangida is currently president of the Organization of Nigerian Professional Footballers.
Babangida’s brother was also active in professional football
His brother Ibrahim was mainly active in Nigeria as a professional footballer. He was part of the Nigerian under-17 squad that won the world championship in Japan in 1993. After being active in Nigeria for five years, he switched to the Eredivisie in 1997. From 1997 to 2002 he played in the orange colors of FC Volendam. He ended his professional career in 2002. Ibrahim Babangida is 47 years old.
