Celestine Babayaro: Biography, Facts and Career

Celestine Hycieth Babayaro (born 29 August 1978) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a left-back or a midfielder. Babayaro spent the majority of his career playing in the Premier League, mainly for Chelsea from 1997 to 2005, and then later for Newcastle United, from 2005 to 2008. He had a brief stint at MLS club LA Galaxy, but never officially played for the club. He retired as a free agent in 2010. Babayaro represented the Nigeria national football team from 1995 to 2004 and was part of two Olympic squads, two World Cup squads and three African Cup of Nations squads.

== Club career ==

=== Early career === Born in Kaduna, Babayaro began his playing career at Nigerian side Plateau United, before moving to Belgian club Anderlecht in 1994, and eventually would make a name for himself, quickly gaining first-choice status although still a teenager. Babayaro set records as the youngest player to make an appearance and to receive a red card in the UEFA Champions League. He was sent off in a match against Steaua București in a 1–1 draw, aged 16 years and 86 days.

=== Chelsea === Babayaro was signed by Chelsea after being spotted by scout Lewis Durkin in April 1997. He moved...

Quick facts about Celestine Babayaro

• Full name: Celestine Babayaro
• Born: 1978-08-29
• Nationality: Nigeria
• Known as: Athlete
• Wikidata ID: Q312354

More Athlete Bios

• Miguel Ángel Nadal
• Nigel de Jong
• Christian Maggio
• Daniel Burley Woolfall
• Andrés D'Alessandro
• Jorge Burruchaga

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.