Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo has made history as the first Nigerian to win a league in Europe after he led KF Tirana to victory in the 2019/2020 Albania season.
The 46-year-old achieved the feat after guiding the Tirona to a 2-0 home victory over Flamurtari at the weekend which saw them open a seven-point gap at the top of the table.
Egbo is a former goalkeeper for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, making 12 appearances – between 1999 and 2002 and was part of the team that featured at the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
He was also the former safest pair of hands for KF Tirana.
“Tirana is officially declared the champion of Albania after the end of the 34th week,” a Google translation of a post on the club’s website read.
Egbo, thus, becomes the first Nigerian manager to win a European trophy and the football governing body has sent him a congratulatory message.
“It was with a huge sense of pride that the NFF and the entire Nigerian football family learnt of your exemplary achievement as the first-ever Nigerian, black and African coach to win a major European League, as you have steered KF Tirana to the Albanian top-tier championship with few matches left in the on-going season,” read a statement from the NFF.
KF Tirana who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this month, can also claim a domestic double on August 2, 2020 when they face Teuta Durres in the Domestic Cup final.
The club’s fans are already in celebration following the decade-long wait for the domestic title.
Ndubuisi retired from football in 2011 and went into coaching, becoming the goalkeeper coach of Albanian team, Bylis before he rejoined Tirana in 2014 in the same role.
The Nigerian was, however, promoted as the Head Coach of the Albanian side in 2019 and, has remarkably, led the club to a league triumph in his first season in charge.
Tirana are the most successful team in the European country and had reached the last 16 of European competitions four times.
