Sunday Oliseh Sparks Debate, Names Best Super Eagles Squad Ever, Gives Criteria
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria have won the Africa Cup of Nations three times in 1980, 1994 and 2013
- There is a special place in Nigeria's history for the first squad to win in 1980, led by the late Christian Chukwu
- Sunday Oliseh has waded into the debate on social media on which team is the greatest in Nigeria’s history
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Sunday Oliseh has sparked a debate on social media after naming the greatest ever Nigerian squad, among the three classes that won the Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria has triumphed on the continent three times, in 1980, 1994, and 2013, coming close on multiple occasions, including four second-place finishes and eight third-place finishes.
Source: Getty Images
The 1980 squad is highly revered for obvious reasons: they won Nigeria’s first AFCON title at the fourth attempt and featured legends like the late Christian Chukwu and Segun Odegbami.
However, the class of 1994 went above and beyond, winning the AFCON in Tunisia, reaching the round of 16 at the World Cup in the USA, before clinching the Atlanta 96 Olympic gold medal.
The late Stephen Keshi, who was part of the class of 1994, coached Nigeria to win its third title in 2013 at the tournament hosted in South Africa.
Oliseh names Nigeria’s greatest team
FIFA's X page shared the goal Finidi George scored in Nigeria's 3-0 win over Greece at the 1994 World Cup, which Oliseh commented on, showering praises on his teammates.
“Look at that finish by "Finito". Ol Boy, We really had a team full of Top world class players. I enjoyed every minute being a part of this. I can see Amunike, Finidi, Chidi Nwanu, Baba Yekini and my humble self ecstatic as the world watched,” he wrote.
A fan quoted him claiming he believes the 1980 squad will brush aside the 1994 set, pitching some names against each other, including Keshi vs Chukwu, and Oliseh vs Muda Lawal.
Oliseh responded and claimed his set remains the greatest Nigerian squad ever. He emphasised that their achievements at both the club and international levels speak for themselves..
“Well you can easily rate the teams and players by what they achieved both at club side and National team levels. With all due respect, no team collectively or individually till date has come close to what the 1994 team players achieved for club and country. sorry!!” he wrote.
Nwankwo Kanu (not part of AFCON 1994 winning squad), Emmanuel Amuneke, Victor Ikpeba and Rashidi Yekini are some of the members of the team who won the CAF Player of the Year award.
They were also the first set of Nigerian footballers to prominently play in Europe, with six of them receiving Ballon d'Or nominations between 1995 and 1998.
Source: Getty Images
Finidi George, Daniel Amokachi, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba and Sunday Oliseh all received nominations for the prestigious award.
Ex-international blames Oliseh for 94 WC
Legit.ng previously reported that a former Nigerian international accused Oliseh of costing Nigeria victory during the 1994 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Italy.
Emeka Ezeugo claimed Oliseh lost his marker, Roberto Baggio, before the forward scored the winning goal seconds later and cost Nigeria a chance at history.
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Source: Legit.ng
