Tijjani Babangida and Ajax agree on dissolving contract

30 April: Tijjani Babangida is no longer an Ajacied. The Nigerian right winger and Ajax's technical director Leo Beenhakker agreed on the dissolving of Baba's contract, which would originally have kept him tied to Ajax for one more season.

It's been over three years since Babangida (born in Kaduna, Nigeria, on 25 September 1973) played his last game for Ajax. He did not play a single game under coach Co Adriaanse in the 2000-2001 season. It marked the beginning of a long, remarkable, but unsuccesful journey across the world, in search of a new club.

Baba was loaned out to Turkish side Genclerbirligi (early 2001). He won the Turkish cup with the club, but wasn't contracted at season's end. The fast right winger returned to The Netherlands and spent a year on try-out at Vitesse (2001-2002). He played only fourteen games and scored only once in Arnhem. At season's end, there was no contract for him.

As he returned to Ajax in the summer of 2002 his situation seemed hopeless, but he ended up getting loaned out again, this time to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. With his new club he won the first five league games, but then unexpectedly returned to Amsterdam: Babangida was fired by Al-Ittihad, along with his colleague and former Brazilian superstar Bebeto. Al-Ittihad was not impressed with their performances and not amused by their conduct.

His career may have gone downhill since 1999, but Babangida knew good times as well. Having played for Arewa Textiles and Niger Tornadoes in his homeland of Nigeria, he moved to The Netherlands in 1991, where he started playing professional football for VVV. The Venlo side got relegated from the Eredivisie that season. After one season in the First Division, Babangida made the step to Roda JC, where he had three excellent seasons and impressed football fans all across the country with his inpredictable runs, tremendous pace and sharp eye for the goal.

The career of Baba reached its first peak in the summer of 1996: he won a gold medal with Nigeria's Olympic team and was offered a contract by Ajax boss Louis van Gaal, who had eyed Babangia as the perfect successor of his countryman Finidi George.

Babangida had a tough first season at the ArenA, but had the best period in his career in the 1997-1998 season, under coach Morten Olsen. He scored 13 goals in 26 games and won the Dutch 'double' of 1998 with Ajax.

The demise set in in 1998-1999, a season in which Babangida returned from the Africa Cup tournament with a nasty case of malaria. He had a disappointing season as a result of that and never managed to get back into the picture.

The direct reason to discuss the pssible dissolving of his contract is the fact that there appears to be interest in Babangida's services Tianjin Master-Kang FC (China). The player claimed that his contract with Ajax was standing in the way of a transfer.

In total, Tijjani Babangida played 102 official games for Ajax (including 77 Eredivisie league games), in which he scored 22 goals. As usual, Ajax and the player have not revealed any financial details. (MP)

(Source: Ajax.nl