Shiva N'Zigou

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

International career 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.

International goals Scores and results list Gabon's goal tally first.

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 23 January 2000 Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana 1–0 1–3 2000 Africa Cup of Nations 2. 15 November 2003 Stade Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon 1–0 4–1 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 3. 2 September 2006 Stade Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon 3–0 4–0 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification 4. 4–0 5. 21 August 2007 Stade Dominique Duvauchelle, Paris, France 1–0 2–2 Friendly

Personal life N'Zigou lost his mother in 2001 and his father in 2004. The deaths of his parents affected his mental health.

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. and admitted to having had homosexual relationships with two friends of his, including one that was a long-term relationship. 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."