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Celestine Babayaro
| Born | 29 August 1978, Kaduna |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Weight | 69 kg |
| Height | 1.75 m |
| Position | Defender/Left back |
After starting his career at Plateau United, Baba played in the Nigerian team that won the World Junior Championships in 1993 and he quickly won a move to Belgium and Anderlecht in 1994 at only fifteen.
He made his international debut shortly after in November 1995 against Uzbekistan.
Celestine moved to Premiership Chelsea in the summer of 1997 and became a regular in the London side - winning two FA Cups and a Cup Winners Cup with them.
He went to the Sydney Olympics with Nigeria but missed the quarterfinals having been sent off in a prior match.
He did refuse to play at international level for a time in a row over travel expenses.
He is quick and a good tackler.
Having established his reputation in England during eight years at Chelsea, Celestine arrived at Newcastle in 2005 to replace left-back Olivier Bernard.
Career stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | Nigeria | Afro-Asian Cup of Nations | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Nigeria | Olympics | 1 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Nigeria | FIFA World Cup | 4 | 1 |
|||
| 1996-97 | Nigeria | Olympics | 5 | 2 |
|||
| 1997-98 | Chelsea | Coca-Cola League Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 1997-98 | Chelsea | Premier League | 8 |
2
|
|||
| 1997-98 | Nigeria | FIFA World Cup | 3 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Nigeria | International | 1 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 4 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 1998-99 | Chelsea | Premier League | 26 | 2 |
3 |
6
|
|
| 1998-99 | Chelsea | UEFA Super Cup | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 1998-99 | Chelsea | Worthington Cup | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 1998-99 | Nigeria | African Nations Cup | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 1999-00 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Chelsea | Premier League | 23 | 2 |
3
|
||
| 1999-00 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 14 | 1 |
2 |
1
|
1
|
| 1999-00 | Nigeria | African Nations Cup | 6 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Nigeria | FIFA World Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Chelsea | FA Charity Shield | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Chelsea | Premier League | 19 | 5 |
4
|
||
| 2000-01 | Chelsea | Worthington Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Nigeria | FIFA World Cup | 1 |
||||
| 2000-01 | Nigeria | Olympics | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 4 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Chelsea | Premier League | 18 |
6
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Chelsea | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Chelsea | Worthington Cup | 3 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2001-02 | Nigeria | African Nations Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Nigeria | FIFA World Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Nigeria | International | 1 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Chelsea | Premier League | 16 | 3 |
1 |
3
|
1
|
| 2002-03 | Chelsea | Worthington Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Chelsea | Carling Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Chelsea | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Chelsea | Premier League | 5 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 2003-04 | Chelsea | UEFA Champions League | 3 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Nigeria | African Nations Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Chelsea | Carling Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Chelsea | Premier League | 3 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2004-05 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 4 | 1 |
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| 2004-05 | Newcastle United | Premier League | 7 |
1
|
|||
| 2004-05 | Newcastle United | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Newcastle United | Carling Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Newcastle United | Intertoto Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Newcastle United | Premier League | 26 | 2 |
3
|
1
|
|
| 2006-07 | Newcastle United | Carling Cup | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2006-07 | Newcastle United | Intertoto Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Newcastle United | Premier League | 12 |
5
|
|||
| 2006-07 | Newcastle United | UEFA Cup | 4 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Match history
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Nov 1995 | Nigeria v Uzbekistan | W | 1-0 | AFRO-ASIAN CUP OF NATIONS | 2nd leg |
| 17 Mar 1996 | Nigeria v Zimbabwe | W | 1-0 | Olympics | Africa 3rd round |
| 21 Jul 1996 | Nigeria v Hungary | W | 1-0 | Olympics | Finals group D |
| 23 Jul 1996 | Nigeria v Japan | W | 2-0 | Olympics | Finals group D |
| 28 Jul 1996 | Nigeria v Mexico | W | 2-0 | Olympics | Quarter-final |
| 31 Jul 1996 | Nigeria v Brazil | W | 4-3 | Olympics | Semi-final |
| 03 Aug 1996 | Nigeria v Argentina | W | 3-2 | Olympics | Final |
| 09 Nov 1996 | Nigeria v Burkina Faso | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group 1 |
| 12 Jan 1997 | Kenya v Nigeria | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group 1 |
| 05 Apr 1997 | Nigeria v Guinea | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group 1 |
| 27 Apr 1997 | Burkina Faso v Nigeria | W | 1-2 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group 1 |
| 07 Jun 1997 | Nigeria v Kenya | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 2nd round group 1 |
| 05 Jun 1998 | Netherlands v Nigeria | L | 5-1 | International | |
| 13 Jun 1998 | Spain v Nigeria | W | 2-3 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group D |
| 19 Jun 1998 | Nigeria v Bulgaria | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group D |
| 28 Jun 1998 | Nigeria v Denmark | L | 1-4 | FIFA World Cup | Finals 2nd round |
| 04 Oct 1998 | Burkina Faso v Nigeria | D | 0-0 | African Nations Cup | Group 5 |
| 24 Jan 1999 | Nigeria v Burundi | W | 2-0 | African Nations Cup | Group 5 |
| 28 Feb 1999 | Senegal v Nigeria | D | 1-1 | African Nations Cup | Group 5 |
| 23 Jan 2000 | Nigeria v Tunisia | W | 4-2 | African Nations Cup | Group D |
| 28 Jan 2000 | Nigeria v Congo | D | 0-0 | African Nations Cup | Group D |
| 03 Feb 2000 | Nigeria v Morocco | W | 2-0 | African Nations Cup | Group D |
| 07 Feb 2000 | Nigeria v Senegal | W | 2-1 | African Nations Cup | Quarter-final |
| 10 Feb 2000 | Nigeria v South Africa | W | 2-0 | African Nations Cup | Semi-final |
| 13 Feb 2000 | Nigeria v Cameroon | D | 2-2 | African Nations Cup | Final |
| 09 Apr 2000 | Eritrea v Nigeria | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa 1st round |
| 13 Sep 2000 | Nigeria v Honduras | D | 3-3 | Olympics | Finals group A |
| 16 Sep 2000 | Australia v Nigeria | W | 2-3 | Olympics | Finals group A |
| 27 Jan 2001 | Nigeria v Sudan | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Africa group B |
| 24 Jan 2002 | Mali v Nigeria | D | 0-0 | African Nations Cup | Finals group A |
| 26 Mar 2002 | Nigeria v Paraguay | D | 1-1 | International | |
| 02 Jun 2002 | Argentina v Nigeria | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group F |
| 07 Jun 2002 | Sweden v Nigeria | L | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group F |
| 27 Jan 2004 | Nigeria v Morocco | L | 0-1 | African Nations Cup | Finals group D |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderlecht | 01 Jul 1994 | 20 Jun 1997 | |
| Chelsea | 20 Jun 1997 | 01 Jan 2005 | |
| Newcastle United | 01 Jan 2005 | 11 Dec 2007 | |
| Portsmouth | 07 Jul 2008 | 11 Jul 2008 | T |