Shiva N'Zigou (born 24 October 1978) is a Gabonese former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Shiva N'Zigou
Personal information
Full name Shiva Star N'Zigou
Date of birth (1978-10-24) 24 October 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth Tchibanga, Gabon
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1992–1994 USM Libreville
1994–1997 Orambaka Nom Bakélé
1997–1998 Angers
1998–1999 Nantes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2003 Nantes B 39 (11)
2001–2005 Nantes 33 (3)
2004–2005Gueugnon (loan) 18 (5)
2005–2010 Reims 64 (9)
2011 Virton 5 (0)
2011 UR Namur
2011–2013 Missile FC
2013–2014 Vendée Fontenay Foot 22 (2)
2014–2015 Saint-Nazaire AF 0 (0)
2016–2017 FC Bouaye
2017–2019 CO Cerizay
International career
2000–2008 Gabon 24 (5[1])
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

International career

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For eighteen years, N'Zigou was believed to be the youngest player to both play and score at the Africa Cup of Nations; at the age of 16 years and 93 days, he scored in Gabon's 3–1 loss to South Africa at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations. However, he admitted in 2018 that he lied about his age and that he is five years older than initially thought.[2][3]

International goals

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Scores and results list Gabon's goal tally first.[1]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 23 January 2000 Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana   South Africa 1–0 1–3 2000 Africa Cup of Nations
2. 15 November 2003 Stade Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon   Burundi 1–0 4–1 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 2 September 2006 Stade Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon   Madagascar 3–0 4–0 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4. 4–0
5. 21 August 2007 Stade Dominique Duvauchelle, Paris, France   Benin 1–0 2–2 Friendly

Personal life

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N'Zigou lost his mother in 2001 and his father in 2004. The deaths of his parents affected his mental health.[4]

In a religious ceremony in 2018, N'Zigou confessed that he had lied about his age, and that he had been five years older than previously believed.[3] He also revealed that while he was a minor, he had engaged in incestuous sexual activity with his aunt and sister,[5] and admitted to having had homosexual relationships with two friends of his, including one that was a long-term relationship.[5] In the same ceremony, N'Zigou explained that his mother had been "sacrificed" by his father. He stated: "My mother died due to my football, she was sacrificed, in fact. Because I signed a lot of contracts and that brought a lot of money to the family, it brought discords. And my father, to keep all the money for himself, decided to sacrifice my mother so that her spirit would be attached to me and that I would succeed even more in football."[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Shiva N'Zigou at National-Football-Teams.com
  2. ^ Les Chroniques du Gabon (15 August 2018), FOOTBALL GABONAIS : CONFESSIONS DE SHIVA STAR NZIGOU, retrieved 17 August 2018[dead YouTube link]
  3. ^ a b "Ex-jogador diz que mãe foi morta em ritual de sacrifício que prometia ajudá-lo a ter sucesso no futebol".
  4. ^ "Shiva Star Nzigou : Il était une fois un prodige du ballon rond". Sport241.com (in French). 1 November 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Mère sacrifiée, relations incestueuses... Les terribles révélations de Shiva N'Zigou". www.maxifoot.fr (in French). Retrieved 3 September 2024.
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