Real Madrid Could Never – Real Betis Mock Rivals For George Finidi, 24 Years After

Spanish club Real Betis have aimed a slight dig at Real Madrid almost two and a half decades after beating their La Liga rivals to the signing of the Nigerian winger.

Andalusian side Betis have applauded former Nigeria international George Finidi for a time well-spent while at the club.

The Super Eagles hero moved to Betis after a successful period at Ajax, where he won a trio of Eredivisie titles and the 1995 UEFA Champions League.

Having also won the 1994 African Cup of Nations with Nigeria and performed brilliantly as the Super Eagles debuted at the FIFA World Cup the same year, Finidi was at the time one of the hottest property in football.

And with a host of Europe’s major clubs keen on snapping the Nigerian winger off the hands of the Dutch giants, it was Betis who surprisingly won the race for his signature in the summer of 1996.

The Seville-based club went back memory lane to recall the moment when Real Madrid announced their plans to sign the former Sharks of Port Harcourt star when he was actually on his way to Betis.

On their official club website, Betis wrote:
“(Finidi’s) hiring gained even greater notoriety due to the fact that on that same day Real Madrid had expressed its intention to sign the Nigerian player.

“However, it was Real Betis who completed his signing in a high-flying operation.”

Finidi went on to show that he was everything the Los Verdiblancos fans hoped for and more. The talented Number 7 scored on his Betis debut in a 3-0 victory over Bilbao and netted another 34 goals across four years at the club.