Mudashiru Babatunde Lawal was a member of the Green Eagles squad that lifted the African Cup of Nations trophy in Lagos in 1980. He was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State on June 8, 1954. A talented midfielder, he was called up to the national team, the Green Eagles in 1975.
Muda made 86 appearances for the national team and scored 12 goals. He scored one of the three goals that downed Algeria in the African Cup of Nations final in Lagos. He also made history as the unequaled footballer in Africa to have featured at five successive African Cup of Nations finals spanning 1976 to 1984, an unbeatable record to date.
He also played for Nigeria at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Muda called it quits with the national team in 1985 but continued with club football.
Muda Lawal, as he was fondly called was also enlisted into the IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan in 1975, where he played his club football. He created a major impact in the club when he assisted it to clinch the African Cup Winners Cup (now CAF Confederation Cup) in 1976. Thus, Shooting Stars became the first Nigerian club to win a continental title. Muda also served as assistant coach/player with the Shooting Stars
A few months after his disengagement from actively playing football, Muda died in Ibadan in 1991. His demise was followed by outpouring of grief for the legend.
A recipient of the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), the first stadium in Abeokuta, Ogun State called Asero Stadium was renamed Muda Lawal Stadium, in memory of the great footballer.
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