Christian Obi was a Nigerian footballer who played in goal for Julius Berger FC from 1985 until 1991. Obi showed promise in his early career and was called up to the Nigeria under-20 team for the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship. Although he was the second-choice goalkeeper for the tournament, he played in the third-place playoff match after their regular keeper suffered an injury in the previous game. The match against hosts the Soviet Union went to extra time, and then penalties, with Obi saving three of them for Nigeria to win 3–1, taking the bronze medal in the process. Two years later he played in the Olympic qualification match against Liberia, with Nigeria eventually making it to the 1988 Seoul Games. Obi did not play in their opening match, a 4–0 loss to Brazil, but he then played in Nigeria’s two remaining group games, losing to Yugoslavia and Australia. His final international match was against Angola in a World Cup qualifier in January 1989. Following his playing career he worked as a coach where he had success with Heartland FC. Sadly, he was killed in a road accident in August 2024 whilst onboard the club’s bus, which collided with a lorry.
Nigeria