The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Finidi George, former Super Eagles winger, as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team, following the departure of José Santos Peseiro.

In a statement released on Monday, the NFF Board confirmed the appointment, endorsing the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee for the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward.

George, who served as assistant coach under Peseiro for 20 months, assumed the role of interim coach after the Portuguese tactician’s departure following the Super Eagles’ notable performance in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final in Cote d’Ivoire.

During his interim tenure, George led the team in two friendly matches in Morocco last month. The team secured a historic 2-1 victory over Ghana, breaking an 18-year winless streak, but suffered a 0-2 loss to Mali.

The statement by the NFF highlighted George’s impressive playing career, including his involvement in Nigeria’s ‘Golden Generation,’ which clinched the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and made a mark at the FIFA World Cup finals in the USA the same year.

George, who earned 62 caps for Nigeria, played a pivotal role in significant tournaments, securing gold, silver, and bronze medals in the AFCON tournaments of 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002.

Notably, he assisted Rashidi Yekini in scoring Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA, on June 19, 1994.

As the new Super Eagles boss, George faces the immediate challenge of leading the team to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, within the next five weeks.

The NFF emphasized the importance of these matches, given the Super Eagles’ current position in third place in Group C of the African campaign, trailing behind Rwanda and South Africa.