Stephen Keshi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Okechukwu Keshi | ||
| Date of birth | 23 January 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Azare, Bauchi State, Nigeria | ||
| Date of death | 7 June 2016 (aged 54) | ||
| Place of death | Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979 | ACB Lagos | 10 | (1) |
| 1980–1984 | New Nigeria Bank | 42 | (4) |
| 1985 | Stade d'Abidjan | 13 | (2) |
| 1986 | Africa Sports | 22 | (2) |
| 1986–1987 | Lokeren | 28 | (6) |
| 1987–1991 | Anderlecht | 99 | (18) |
| 1991–1993 | Strasbourg | 62 | (9) |
| 1993–1994 | RWDM | 40 | (1) |
| 1995 | CCV Hydra | 20 | (1) |
| 1996 | Sacramento Scorpions | 16 | (3) |
| 1997–1998 | Perlis FA | 34 | (4) |
| Total | 386 | (51) | |
| International career | |||
| 1981–1995 | Nigeria | 64 | (9) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004–2006 | Togo | ||
| 2007–2008 | Togo | ||
| 2008–2010 | Mali | ||
| 2011 | Togo | ||
| 2011–2014 | Nigeria | ||
| 2015 | Nigeria | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen Okechukwu Keshi CON (23 January 1962 – 7 June 2016) was a Nigerian football player and manager.
During his playing career, Keshi played as a defender and earned 60 caps for the Nigeria national team, making him the nation's second-most capped player at the time of his retirement. He represented the country at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, captaining the Super Eagles to victory in the latter. He also played club football in five countries, most notably Belgium, where he won the Belgian league championship with R.S.C. Anderlecht in 1991.
As a manager, Keshi achieved success by qualifying Togo for the only FIFA World Cup appearance in its history in 2006. However, he left the position prior to the 2006 tournament and was replaced by Otto Pfister. He later coached his native Nigeria, becoming one of only two people, along with Egypt's Mahmoud El-Gohary, to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach.