Stephen Okechukwu Keshi was a well-known Nigerian footballer and coach. He was born on 23 January 1962, although some tributes mention 31 January 1962, which is why two dates sometimes appear. His life connected two places. Azare in Bauchi State, which is often given as his birthplace, and Illah in Oshimili North in Delta State, which is his family’s home and his state of origin.
He went to school at Saint Paul’s Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Apapa Road, Lagos State. He later went to Saint Finbarrs’ College, Akoka, Lagos in 1976. Keshi first played for Nigeria as a central defender, then later became the coach of the Super Eagles. People know him well because he won the Africa Cup of Nations once while playing and again while coaching.
Playing Career
Keshi played as a defender and started with ACB Lagos in 1979. He joined New Nigeria Bank in 1980, where over the course of four years he won 2 WAFU cups.
In 1984, he was banned by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) from all football activities in Nigeria, so he left for Ivorian Stade d’Abidjan. He helped Stade win two Coupe Houphouët-Boigny trophies in a year and then left for Africa Sports, where he won the domestic double of the league and the cup.
He played mostly with Belgian clubs and won the Belgian league championship with R.S.C. Anderlecht in 1991.
He represented Nigeria from 1981 to 1995 and earned 60 caps, making him Super Eagles’ second-most capped player at the time of his retirement. He captained the Super Eagles to victory in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and also represented the country at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
After his club career, he went to the United States to be educated in coaching.
Coaching Career
Keshi was part of the coaching staff for the Nigerian national team and was head coach for the Junior Eagles at the 2001 African Youth Championship. Between 2004 and 2006 he coached the Togo national team and brought them to their first World Cup tournament at Germany 2006. He was replaced by Otto Pfister before the tournament and returned to the position in February 2007.
He was appointed manager of the Mali national team in April 2008 on a two-year deal and was sacked in January 2010 after Mali’s early exit in the group stages of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Keshi was appointed as the manager for Nigeria’s national team in 2011. Keshi qualified Nigeria for AFCON 2013. They won AFCON 2013 when Nigeria beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final. Keshi resigned as Nigeria manager but changed his mind a day later.
He led Nigeria to the 2013 Confederations Cup, defeated Tahiti 6–1, lost 2–1 to Uruguay and lost 3–0 to Spain. On 16 November 2013 Nigeria qualified for the 2014 World Cup after beating Ethiopia 4–1 on aggregate and Keshi became the first African coach to qualify two African nations, Nigeria and Togo, for the World Cup Finals. Nigeria progressed to the knockout stage of the 2014 World Cup and lost to France in the first knock-out round.
He announced his resignation but reversed the decision after the Nigerian Football Federation renewed his contract. However, his team did not win a single match in the Morocco 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. In July 2014 his contract expired and was not renewed after the NFF reviewed the actions and inaction of Stephen Keshi in the performance of his duties.
Teams Coached by Stephen Keshi
| Year(s) | Team | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Nigeria U‑20 (Junior Eagles) | Head Coach during African Youth Championship cycle. Early foray into coaching, focusing on youth development. |
| 2004–2006 | Togo national team | Head Coach. Led Togo to their first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification (Germany 2006). |
| 2007–2008 | Togo national team | Reappointed for a short spell, focusing on friendlies and team rebuilding after World Cup. |
| 2008–2010 | Mali national team | Head Coach. Managed Mali during the 2010 AFCON, sacked after group stage exit. |
| 2011–2014 | Nigeria national team (Super Eagles) | Head Coach. Won the 2013 African Cup of Nations; qualified Nigeria for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, reaching Round of 16. |
| 2015 | Nigeria national team | Returned briefly to lead Super Eagles for friendlies and AFCON 2015 qualification matches. |
| Throughout career | Various club sides | Had shorter stints managing club teams in Nigeria and abroad, but his national team coaching is most notable. |
Stephen Keshi Children
Stephen Keshi had several children. Most reliable information says he had four: Femi Keshi, who is also called Stephen Keshi Jnr, and three others named Jennifer, Stephanie and Emeke. Some reports list only three, which is why there is a bit of confusion. Femi is the oldest son. In 2017, he welcomed his first child, Onyeka Grayson Stephen Keshi, with his girlfriend, Aaliyah Landecho, who is an American fashion designer. This child is the only grandchild the public knows about.
Jennifer has talked about their father in interviews and said he was caring, strict in a good way, and very protective. Stephanie and Emeke live very private lives, so not much is known about them. When Stephen Keshi died in 2016, Femi went to the Nigeria Football Federation and complained that no one had spoken to him properly about the funeral plans.
The children all chose regular careers instead of sports, working in fields like medical records, web design, project management, and telecommunications. At the funeral, the children listed were Emeke Enyihor, Stephanie Enyihor, Femi, and Jennifer. Some sources mention another name, Sophie, but it is not clear whether she is really one of the children.
Stephen Keshi Wife
Kate Keshi, whose maiden name was Aburime, was married to Stephen Keshi for more than thirty years, likely around thirty-five years. She was the daughter of a respected chief in Benin, Chief Aburime, and attended secondary school there. They had at least four children together.
Kate fought cancer for about three years and died in December 2015 in the United States. Her death hit Stephen Keshi very hard, and the family said he never got over it. Her funeral was held on 15 January 2016 in Benin City, Edo State, with a church service at St. Paul’s Catholic Church and burial at their family home in Ugbor GRA. Many important people, family, friends, and football figures attended.
At the funeral, Stephen Keshi said she was a special woman, a wife every man would love to have. Friends and coaches remembered her as a wonderful mother, wife, and sister, and the Nigeria Football Federation said her death was a big loss to football. Losing her left Stephen Keshi heartbroken, and he passed away within six months. The family found some comfort knowing both parents were together again.
Is Stephen Keshi Alive?
Stephen Keshi is not alive. He died in June 2016 at the age of 54. Reports vary slightly on the exact date: some reports state 7 June 2016, when he suffered a heart attack and died en route to hospital in Benin City, while the family and media announced his death on 8 June 2016. Major news outlets reported the same thing.
Al Jazeera said, “Stephen Keshi … has died aged 54.” The Guardian wrote, “the former Nigeria and Togo manager, who died on Tuesday evening aged just 54.” Daily Trust relayed the family’s statement that he “died of cardiac arrest in the early hours of Wednesday,” and Premium Times noted he “died aged 54 on June 8.” Wikipedia also confirm he “had a heart attack and died en route to hospital on 7 June 2016 in Benin City.” The cause of death given by the family and most media was cardiac arrest.
His body was taken to Stella Obasanjo Hospital for routine post-mortem procedures, and tributes poured in from football organisations and media outlets worldwide.
Net Worth
People guess a lot of different numbers for how much Stephen Keshi was worth. Some say five million dollars, some ten million, and one says just 500 thousand. The problem is, no one really knows. After he died in 2016, he was still owed money by the Nigeria Football Federation, which makes it even harder to know. There’s also no public record showing his houses, bank accounts, or other things he owned.
What we do know is that Keshi probably made a good amount of money. While playing football from the early 1980s to mid-1990s in Europe, the U.S., and Africa, he earned different amounts: in Europe, about 50,000 to 200,000 dollars a year, in the U.S., 40,000 to 100,000, and in Africa, much less. Over 15 to 20 years, this could add up to 500,000 to 1 million dollars.
As a coach, including when he worked with Nigeria, he made around 45,000 dollars per month in 2014, which is about 540,000 dollars a year. Other teams probably paid him 50,000 to 200,000 dollars a year. Over 10 to 12 years of coaching, that could be 1.5 to 3 million dollars. He also got bonuses from the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup, which might add another 200,000 to 500,000 dollars.
Keshi owned some property in Nigeria too, like a house worth 100,000 to 300,000 dollars and a car or other things worth 50,000 to 100,000 dollars. When you put all that together — money from playing, coaching, bonuses, and property — a reasonable guess for Keshi’s net worth is between 2.35 million and 4.9 million dollars. The bigger numbers you see online, like 10 million or 400 million, are probably just exaggerations. This is the most realistic based on what we know about his earnings and assets.
Stephen Keshi Stadium
Stephen Keshi Stadium is in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. It used to be called Asaba Township Stadium. It can hold about 22,000 people.
They started building it in 2001, but it stopped for many years. Later, it was finished, renamed after Stephen Keshi, and officially opened in 2018.
The stadium has hosted events like the 2018 African Championships in Athletics and is used for football and other sports.
Some accidents happened, like a water tank falling in 2018 and the scoreboard collapsing in 2019, but the main stadium still works and is an important sporting hub for sports in Delta State.
