The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Confederation of African Football (Caf) and Fifa have celebrated with Julius Aghahowa on his birthday.
Aghahowa, famous for his acrobatic goal celebrations played for Bendel Insurance before leaving Nigeria to join Esperance Sportive de Tunis in Tunisia in 1999.
The pacy former Super Eagles forward then moved to Europe, teaming up with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine in 2000, where he spent an initial seven years before re-joining the side after stints with Wigan Athletic and Kayserispor.
On the international scene, Aghahowa was a delight to watch in the Super Eagles jersey during his playing years and had 32 caps for the West Africans scoring 14 goals, including Nigeria’s only goal at the 2002 World Cup against Sweden.