In identifying Nigeria’s best team ever, the former international snubbed the dazzling team he powered to continental glory 44 years ago
Nigeria football legend Segun Odegbami has named the Super Eagles squad to the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations as the best team ever to represent the country, Soccernet.ng reports.
Blessed with physically and technically elite players like Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Daniel Amokachi, Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia, and legendary forward Rashidi Yekini, the Super Eagles brushed aside all comers to win the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia.
Led by Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof, the Super Eagles went further to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
The team impressed at their first-ever appearance at the Mundial, winning two of three group games to make it past the group stage before losing narrowly to Italy in the knockout round.
The string of excellent results saw Nigeria reach the fifth position in the FIFA ranking – the highest any African team has ever attained on the global ratings.
Comparing that all-conquering 1994 squad to the team he fired to the 1980 AFCON on home soil in Lagos, Odegbami admits that his Eagles were nowhere as superb as Westerhof’s team.
The 71-year-old also said the Jose Peseiro-led team that reached the final of the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire earlier this month was not as attacking-minded as the 1994 squad.
“When it comes to tactics and skills, we are not quite as good and physically strong as the 1994 squad,” Odegbami told the Vanguard.
“That squad was a collection of exceptional players who played to our strength.
“They played very attacking football that time. Now, we are more defensive because of the style he (Peseiro) introduced, but it got us to the final, so you cannot even fault that too much.
“But in the final, we succumbed to a better, more organised, more motivated, better-inspired team.
“But the 1994 squad was the best team without question, probably the best squad. Statistically, the best squad in our history because they took us to fifth place in FIFA ranking.”
Odegbami, Nigeria’s second-highest goalscorer of all time, scored three crucial goals to finish as the joint topscorer at the 1980 AFCON.
N.B: Do you agree with Segun Odegbami that the 1994 Super Eagles squad is Nigeria’s best ever national team? Leave your answers in the comment section below.
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The record speaks for itself- Odegbami is a legend . Who gave his all to Green Eagles a name that the present team should be renamed. They had a collection of great players. Mostly home based under an excellent coach who had a free hand and played to their strengths. Jose Peserio is Portuguese and like Jose , parks the bus . It’s his style but hey it got the boys to the Final where unfortunately the y lost . Nevertheless the past is history and we look forward to the next qualifiers for the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers. South Africa will be a threat , but eagles have the manpower to overcome them
History, posterity affirms what the legendary said. I am out sure we will attend such level again.