| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Taribo West | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-03-26)26 March 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Port Harcourt,Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sharks | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989 | Obanta United | ||
| 1990 | Sharks | ||
| 1991 | Enugu Rangers | ||
| 1992 | Julius Berger | ||
| 1993–1997 | Auxerre | 73 | (1) |
| 1997–1999 | Inter Milan | 44 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | AC Milan | 4 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | →Derby County (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 10 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Partizan | 16 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Al-Arabi | ||
| 2005 | Plymouth Argyle | 4 | (0) |
| 2007 | Paykan | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 169 | (4) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993 | Nigeria U21 | ||
| 1996 | Nigeria U23 | 6 | (0) |
| 1994–2005 | Nigeria | 42 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Taribo West (born 26 March 1974) is a Nigerianpastor and former professionalfootballer who played as adefender.[1] He is best remembered for his various unusual and colourful hairstyles.[2][3]
After winning several major trophies withAuxerre in French football, West went on to play for bothMilanese clubs,Inter Milan andAC Milan. He also appeared in the top-level leagues of England and Germany.
At international level, West was capped 42 times forNigeria between 1994 and 2005,[4] taking part in twoWorld Cups and twoAfrican Championships. He also represented his country at the1996 Olympics, winning a gold medal.
Born inPort Harcourt, West was discovered by Monday Sinclair,[5] who recruited him to play forSharks. He started playing professionally with Obanta United in 1989, before returning to Sharks in 1990. West then played forEnugu Rangers in 1991, before joiningJulius Berger in 1992.[6]
Following successful trials in early 1993, West joined French sideAuxerre led byGuy Roux. He was on the bench during a 2–2UEFA Cup draw againstTenerife on 15 September 1993, but failed to make his debut.[7] West eventually played his first competitive game for the club in a 0–0 away league draw atToulouse on 5 March 1994. He became a first team regular in the following season, making 31 appearances in all competitions. In the1995–96 season, West helped Auxerre win their first league title in the club's history, alongside such players asLaurent Blanc andSabri Lamouchi, among others. They also won the national cup, thus collectingthe double. West subsequently made seven appearances in the1996–97 UEFA Champions League, as the club was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the eventual championsBorussia Dortmund.
In June 1997, West was transferred to Italian sideInter Milan, on a four-year deal.[8] He made his competitive debut for the club in a 1–0Coppa Italia victory overFoggia on 3 September 1997. Subsequently, West scored his first goal for Inter in a 2–1Serie A win againstAtalanta on 9 November 1997. He also scored the extra time winning goal againstSchalke 04 in the1997–98 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.[9] Eventually, Inter won the competition led byRonaldo andIván Zamorano, with West being sent off in thefinal againstLazio.[10] In thenext season, West made 21 league appearances, as the club missed securing a spot inUEFA competitions. He failed to make any appearance in the1999–2000 season, being three times an unused substitute.
In the 2000 winter transfer window, West switched to Inter's crosstown rivalsAC Milan. He made his debut for the club on 24 March 2000, coming on as an injury time substitute forAndriy Shevchenko in a 2–0 win overJuventus. On 14 May 2000, West managed to score his only goal for Milan in a 4–0 victory overUdinese.
In November 2000, West moved to English clubDerby County, on an initial three-month loan.[11] He made his debut for the Rams on 18 November 2000, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 home league win overBradford City which was Derby's first league win of the season.[12] In January 2001, West signed an extension to stay with the Derbyshire side until the end of the2000–01 season.[13] He helped the team avoid relegation, making 18 appearances, as Derby won 31 out of their 42 total points with him in the lineup. In May 2001, West eventually left the club because his "international commitments".[14][15]
In November 2001, West joined German club1. FC Kaiserslautern on a free transfer.[16] He made his debut for the team in a 5–1 home league win overSt. Pauli on 17 November 2001, starting the match and earning a yellow card in the process, before being substituted in the 81st minute. In April 2002, West was released by the club due to their "total disagreement".[17] He made a total of 10 league appearances in the2001–02 season.[18]
In August 2002, West trained with English sideManchester City for 10 days.[19] He eventually failed to get a contract due to lack of fitness.[20]
On 24 January 2003, it was announced that West would join the reigning FR Yugoslavia championsPartizan under newly appointed managerLothar Matthäus.[21] He arrived inBelgrade for the final negotiations with the club five days later.[22] On 30 January 2003, West signed an 18-month contract with Partizan.[23] He made his official debut for the club on 1 March 2003, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–2 home league victory overRadnički Obrenovac.[24] West scored his first goal for Partizan in a 4–0 home league win overVojvodina on 7 May 2003.[25] Eventually, the club convincingly won the2002–03 First League of Serbia and Montenegro title.[26] Subsequently, West was one of the most influential players on the way to helping Partizan reach the group stage of the2003–04 UEFA Champions League, eliminatingNewcastle United on penalties in the third qualifying round.[27] He managed to record three appearances in Group F, despite missing numerous games in the first half of the 2003–04 season due to injuries. In February 2004, West left the club by mutual consent.[28][29]
In August 2004, West signed a one-year contract with Qatari clubAl-Arabi.[30] He scored his only goal for the side in a 1–1 away league draw atAl-Wakrah on 4 November 2004.[31] West subsequently returned to England, penning a one-year deal withPlymouth Argyle in July 2005.[32] He made his debut for the club on 27 August 2005, picking up a yellow card in a 1–0 loss toHull City. West appeared in only five games for Plymouth, before his contract was terminated in October 2005.[33]
In January 2007, West was close to signing with Croatian clubRijeka, but failed his medical.[34] He eventually moved to Iran and signed a one-year contract withPaykan in August 2007.[35] West failed to make a start with the club, having his contract terminated by mutual consent only three months later.
In February 2008, West reportedly claimed to be joiningSegunda División sideXerez,[36] but the club's president denied any knowledge of the player's arrival.[37]
West was a member of theFlying Eagles at the1993 African Youth Championship. He then went on to earn 42 full international caps forNigeria, making his debut in a 3–1 loss toSweden on 5 May 1994. West was also a member of theOlympic squad that won the gold medal at the1996 Summer Olympics.[38] He played every single minute of the tournament. Two years later, West was named in the 22-man squad for the1998 FIFA World Cup, together withJay-Jay Okocha,Nwankwo Kanu, and others.[39] They reached the second stage of the tournament, but were eliminated byDenmark in the round of 16.[40]
In the2000 African Cup of Nations, West played the full 90 minutes in all of Nigeria's games in the competition, as they finished runners-up toCameroon. He also represented his country in the tournament's2002 edition, finishing in third place. Additionally, West was a member of the team at the2002 FIFA World Cup.[41] He made two appearances in the "Group of Death", as Nigeria finished bottom of the table, behind Sweden,England andArgentina. After the tournament, Nigeria coachFestus Onigbinde blamed West for the team's failure, stating that the player "flouted' his instructions.[42]
In January 2004, West suffered an injury during the team's training session that ruled him out of theAfrican Cup of Nations.[43] He returned to the national team on 17 August 2005, making his final appearance for the Super Eagles in a friendly againstLibya.[44]
Primarily a centre-back, West was a physically commanding and powerful defender. He was known for his ball-winning abilities, commitment, and hard-tackling style of play, as well as his forward surging runs.[45][46][47][48]
A devoutChristian, West admittedly used charms before games during his professional career as a footballer.[49] He eventually became apastor after his footballing days.[50] In 2014, West founded a church called "Shelter in the Storm Miracle Ministries of All Nation" in Lagos.[51]
In 2010, it was reported that West and other Nigerian internationals, such asJay-Jay Okocha,Nwankwo Kanu andObafemi Martins, were much older than they claimed to be.[52] In April 2013,Žarko Zečević, former Partizan general secretary, said that West is 12 years older than his claimed age.[53] Shortly afterwards, West denied the accusation.[54]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Auxerre | 1993–94 | French Division 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 1994–95 | French Division 1 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96 | French Division 1 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 30 | 1 | ||
| 1996–97 | French Division 1 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | ||
| Total | 73 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 1 | — | 100 | 2 | |||
| Inter Milan | 1997–98 | Serie A | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Serie A | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 64 | 2 | |||
| AC Milan | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| Derby County (loan) | 2000–01 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2001–02 | Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Partizan | 2002–03 | First League of Serbia and Montenegro | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| 2003–04 | First League of Serbia and Montenegro | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Total | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | ||||
| Al-Arabi | 2004–05 | Qatar Stars League | — | — | ||||||||||
| Plymouth Argyle | 2005–06 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Paykan | 2007–08 | Persian Gulf Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 169 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 228 | 6 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 1994 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | 0 | |
Auxerre
Inter Milan
Partizan
Nigeria U23
Nigeria
Nigeria squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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