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Legendary Nigerian left-back Celestine Babayaro, made history by becoming the first Nigerian to play for Chelsea, a West London club. Here are other interesting facts you should know about the defender.
Babayaro’s time at Chelsea, spanning eight years in the English Premier League from 1997 to 2005, contributed to the club's growing popularity in Nigeria.
Babayaro's presence helped establish Chelsea as a beloved team among Nigerian fans, even before their string of successes within the last two decades took it several levels higher.
In the 2023-24 season, Chelsea paid tribute to Babayaro’s era by launching a kit inspired by his first season at the club.
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Interesting facts about Celestine Babayaro
His real name is not Celestine Babayaro
Born Celestine Iwuoha, the left-back grew up in the northern state of Kaduna, but he is originally from Imo State.
However, the defender adopted Babayaro as his last name as a sign of respect to his Kaduna agent and boss, Alhaji Sabo Babayaro, who owned the academy he played for.
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Every player in the academy adopted the ‘Babayaro’ name as their last name, but Celestine became the biggest and most famous of all.
Babayaro held a UEFA Champions League record for 26 years
The left-back, at just 16 years and 86 days old, made history by becoming the youngest player to ever compete in the Champions League when he started for Anderlecht against Steaua in the 1994/95 group stage.
He held this record for 26 years until Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko (16 years, 18 days) broke it in 2020, before Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (16 years, 68 days), who is the youngest player to provide an assist in a knockout match, also surpassed it in 2023.
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However, the defender set more than one record in the same UCL night, as he became the competition's youngest player to be sent off 37 minutes into the game.
Chelsea broke their transfer record for a teenager to sign Celestine Babayaro
Babayaro was spotted by Chelsea’s scout Lewis Durkin in April 1997 while playing for Anderlecht.
The club were so impressed by his talents that they paid £2.25 million to sign him, breaking their record fee for a teenager at the time.
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He would go on to play 197 times for the club in an eight-year stay, winning four trophies, including the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1997–98, the UEFA Super Cup in 1998, the FA Cup in 1999–2000, and the FA Charity Shield in 2000.
Babayaro once sued a UK tabloid for libel and won the case
Babayaro was falsely accused of indecent assault, but after a five-day trial at the Isleworth Crown Court, he was completely exonerated.
Despite the lack of evidence and the ongoing legal proceedings, the UK tabloid Daily Star prematurely published a story with the sensational headline “Babayaro rape case.” This false accusation caused significant harm to Babayaro’s reputation.
As a result, the defender took legal action against the tabloid, suing them for libel in the London High Court. The court ruled in Babayaro’s favour, awarding him undisclosed damages and forcing the Daily Star to issue a public apology for the defamatory claim.
Babayaro never scored a goal for the Super Eagles
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Babayaro was renowned for his attacking prowess from the left-back position, as he often delighted fans with his forward runs.
However, despite his offensive flair and 27 caps for the Super Eagles, he surprisingly never scored a goal for his national team.
He did find the net eight times during his club career, all while playing for Chelsea.
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