In choosing Nigeria’s greatest ever team, the former international has outdone the great team he led to continental glory 44 years ago.
Nigerian football legend Segun Odegbami has named the 1994 African Cup of Nations Super Eagles team as the best team to ever represent Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reported.
The Super Eagles are blessed with physically and technically excellent players such as Austin Okocha, Sunday Olise, Daniel Amokachi, Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia and legendary striker Rashidi Yekini. They defeated all their rivals to win the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia.
Under the guidance of Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhoff, the Super Eagles qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in America.
The team made a good impression in their first appearance at the Mundial, winning two out of three group games and advancing through the group stage, but unfortunately lost to Italy in the final tournament.
A series of impressive results has helped Nigeria reach 5th place in the FIFA rankings. This is the highest position achieved by an African team in the world rankings.
Odegbami compared his outstanding 1994 team to the one that competed in the 1980 AFCON on home soil in Lagos, admitting that his Eagles were not as good as Westerhof’s team. Masu.
The 71-year-old also said Jose Peseiro’s team, which reached the AFCON 2023 final in Ivory Coast earlier this month, was not as attack-minded as the 1994 side.
“In terms of tactics and skills, we are not as good and physically strong as the 1994 team,” Odegbami told Vanguard.
“This team was made up of outstanding players who played to our strengths.
“At that time they played very attacking football. Now they are more defensive because of the style he (Peseiro) introduced, but he took us all the way to the final. I can’t blame it too much because it led me to it.
“But we lost in the final to a better, more organized, more motivated, more inspired team.”
“But the 1994 team was definitely the best team, probably the best team. Statistically it was the best team in our history as it led us to 5th place in the FIFA rankings. We’re a team.”
Nigeria’s second-highest scorer in history, Odegbami scored three important goals and became AFCON’s joint top scorer in 1980.
Note: Do you agree with Segun Odegbami that the 1994 Super Eagles team was the best national team in Nigeria’s history? Comment section below Please leave your answer. < /em>p>
