{"id":911699,"date":"2026-06-10T13:13:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T18:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/10\/ex-chippa-united-goalkeeper-who-led-super-eagles-to-afcon-bronze-confirms-retirement\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T13:13:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T18:13:19","slug":"ex-chippa-united-goalkeeper-who-led-super-eagles-to-afcon-bronze-confirms-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/10\/ex-chippa-united-goalkeeper-who-led-super-eagles-to-afcon-bronze-confirms-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Chippa United goalkeeper who led Super Eagles to AFCON bronze confirms retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img width=\"750\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Soccer Ex-Chippa United goalkeeper who led Super Eagles to AFCON bronze confirms retirement\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/E-b429Ms1qTiVQOHeHkGi6GR_5I=\/750x500\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F06%2Fimago1007612087.jpg\" srcset data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\"><\/p>\n<p>Super Eagles goalkeepers in training. (Photo by Imago)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>South African club Chippa United has featured two Super Eagles goalkeepers between the sticks over the last decade. One of them has now officially confirmed his retirement from professional football, <a href=\"https:\/\/Soccernet.ng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u200bBefore Stanley Nwabali burst onto the scene, Daniel Akpeyi was the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for Chippa United. He spent four years with the club following his departure from Warri Wolves in the Nigeria Premier Football League.<\/p>\n<p>\u200bDuring that period, Akpeyi was a regular fixture for the Super Eagles in between the sicks. He made his competitive debut for Nigeria in 2016 during an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Egypt.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4431\" height=\"3505\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/WXgxXeExMhntyGuSMVP5OlckdNk=\/4431x3505\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F06%2Fimago1055385299.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Daniel Akpeyi of Nigeria celebrating Nigeria scoring to 3-2 during the 2019 African Cup of Nations match between Cameroon and Nigeria at the Alexanddria Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt. \"><figcaption>Daniel Akpeyi of Nigeria. Copyright: ImagoxUlrik Pedersen\/CSM. Alexandria<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the time, then-coach Gernot Rohr frequently rotated the starting role between Akpeyi and Ikechukwu Ezenwa, who was plying his trade in the NPFL.<\/p>\n<p>\u200bAkpeyi was also the first-choice goalkeeper for Nigeria during their run to a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.<\/p>\n<p>Although he enjoyed a decent tournament overall, many fans still contend that his performance contributed to the Super Eagles\u2019 semifinal loss to the eventual champions, Algeria.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;THE MINDBLOWING MAHREZ HAS DONE IT, ALGERIA ARE THROUGH!&quot;<\/p>\n<p>It&#39;s heartbreak for the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/SuperEagles?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SuperEagles<\/a> and jubilation for <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/LesFennecs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LesFennecs<\/a> as Riiyad Mahrez&#39;s 94th minute free-kick sends Algeria into the final of <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/AFCOn2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AFCOn2019<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PaoRDDjCtc\">pic.twitter.com\/PaoRDDjCtc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SuperSport \ud83c\udfc6 (@SuperSportTV) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SuperSportTV\/status\/1150509473657524224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 14, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>Soccer \u200bAkpeyi Announces Retirement Seven Years After Last Super Eagles Cap<\/h2>\n<p>Akpeyi has not featured for the Super Eagles since November 2019. Following his tenure at Chippa United, he remained active for several years, playing for Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows, and Marumo Gallants, where he departed last year. He has been inactive since.<\/p>\n<p>\u200bAlthough he had remained quiet regarding his career status, Akpeyi confirmed earlier today that he hung up his boots months ago and has transitioned into coaching.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/GicsUZAnehFUiNhk5rwl7wJ1QXQ=\/1600x1066\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F06%2Fimago1007755523.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi\"><figcaption>Daniel Akpeyi for Nigeria. (Photo by Imago)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u200b\u201dI\u2019ve retired from active football. I have started my coaching courses and am simply waiting for an opportunity to begin working,\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FARPostZA\/status\/2064369302963191838?s=20\"> Akpeyi stated during a South African football event on Tuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Akpeyi had a very short run with Nigeria. He made 19 appearances for the three-time African champions, nicking one AFCON bronze in the process. The former Chippa United man also attended the 2018 World Cup, but he did not feature in any of Nigeria&#8217;s three games in that tournament.<\/p>\n<p>The 39-year-old was spotted assisting with training sessions for Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali a few months ago, as they have a cordial relationship. Perhaps, Akpeyi might eventually join the national team\u2019s coaching staff in the future. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img alt=\"<!-- Author Start -->Kelvin Omachonu<!-- Author End -->&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/CrQss8SLQeA2L0Hdp5nftoJIwrU=\/150&#215;150\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2024%2F06%2FIMG-20240522-WA0001.jpg&#8221;  height=&#8221;80&#8243; width=&#8221;80&#8243;>\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/author\/kelvin\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu is a professional football columnist and sports writer with over half a decade of experience covering major events and delivering captivating, analytically-driven stories.<br \/>\nA graduate of the University of Ibadan, he is fueled by a profound dedication to sports journalism and the beautiful game. His insights have previously been featured in respected outlets, including IndyPress UI, UCJ UI Newshive NG, Sportpremi, and a few others.<br \/>\nAway from work, Kelvin is an avid fan of basketball, enjoys a great movie, and is always discovering new music.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2026\/06\/chippa-united-super-eagles-retire-akpeyi.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Kelvin Omachonu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Super Eagles goalkeepers in training. (Photo by Imago) South African club Chippa United has featured two Super Eagles goalkeepers between the sticks over the last decade. One of them has now officially confirmed his retirement from professional football, Soccernet.ng reports. \u200bBefore Stanley Nwabali burst onto the scene, Daniel Akpeyi was the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":911700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[150128,2005,2620],"tags":[150127,8131],"class_list":["post-911699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ex-chippa","category-soccer","category-united","tag-ex-chippa","tag-united"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=911699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/911700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=911699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=911699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=911699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}