Former Super Eagles striker Jonathan Akpoborie has voiced strong support for Bruno Labbadia’s appointment as the new head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, Soccernet.ng reports.
Labbadia, a seasoned coach with stints at Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg, Hamburg, and Bayer Leverkusen, was selected ahead of other high-profile contenders such as Herve Renard, Fabio Cannavaro, Aitor Karanka, and Gustavo Poyet.
Labbadia’s football career mirrors Akpoborie’s in several ways, particularly their shared history in the Bundesliga, where Labbadia was known for his excellent goal-scoring ability.
Akpoborie, who remains Nigeria’s all-time top scorer in Bundesliga history with 60 goals, recalls Labbadia as an expert striker during their encounters in Germany. This familiarity has fueled Akpoborie’s confidence in Labbadia’s capability as a coach.
While acknowledging that Labbadia might not be an ‘A-list coach,’ Akpoborie insists that his appointment is a significant step up from previous coaching choices for the Super Eagles.
“Bruno was a prolific striker; we were adversaries in the Bundesliga,” Akpoborie told Brila.net.
“He played for many big clubs in Germany and is a very good player and a well-known coach there.
“Appointing him as the Super Eagles coach is an upgrade compared to the names that have handled the team in the past.
“We were just hoping now, because football, you never can tell. But all those things apart, they’ve picked somebody capable of actually handling our national team for a very long time.
“This is somebody that can handle our national team, and I’m hoping that the chemistry between him and the players will come together, and we’ll see good football from Nigeria.”
Akpoborie expressed hope that Labbadia’s experience and understanding of the game will translate into a successful tenure with Nigeria’s national team.
The former VfB Stuttgart star also emphasised the importance of support from the Nigeria Football Federation and the broader football community, warning that without it, Labbadia’s efforts could be undermined.
“The system wants to support the coach because, without the system supporting the coach, there is a problem,” Akpoborie noted.
Labbadia’s immediate task is to prepare the Super Eagles for upcoming qualification campaigns for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup.
His first challenge will be a Nations Cup qualifier against Benin in Uyo on September 7, followed by a match against Rwanda three days later.
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### MY ADVICE FOR BRUNO LABADDIA ###
@@ HE SHOULD QUICKLY CONSULT BERTI VOGT. AND GERNOT ROHR TO KNOW HOW HE CAN QUICKLY SETTLE, COPE, ADAPT TO AFRICAN STYLE OF PLAY, PATTERN, CULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND MOSTLY THE TRICKY, MANIPULATION, LIES, DUBIOUS, SENTIMENT OF NFF.
IF NOT HE WILL FAIL WOEFULLY PAST ANY OTHER COACHES IN NIGERIA.
@** Work hand to hand with your Technical crews
@** Let the invitation of players base on merit
@** Don’t allow anybody FORCE/IMPOSE any players on you. Instead SCOUT for players & test them in Friendly matches
@** Invite local players that is ready to give foreign professional players a stiff competition(not the one to add to the number/surplus to requirements).
@** Always maintain your stand
@** Don’t allow anybody to be pushing you up and down.
@** Don’t be carried away with the club performance of players ONLY but base on PRESENT FORM & POTENTIAL
@** Do not tolerate INDISCIPLINE in to your team.
#** Do not invite players in order to pacify/please somebody (like local Coach Equavoen)
@** Encourage your players to be STRONG & MORE PHYSICAL when it comes to Africa football
@** Try to take advantage of newly introduced format: FIVE-SUBSTITUTION in a match(approved by CAF & FIFA) as an opportunity to test-run other players and MORE TECHNICAL in it.
@** Emphasize more on WING PLAY pattern for Super eagle.
@** Don’t be DECEIVED with the word EXPERIENCE, Instead make a RISK and search for a player like AMUNEKE(1994), AGHAHOWA & UDEZE(2000), YOBO & AIYEGBENI(2001), ENYEAMA(2002), IZOHO(2017), M.OKOYE(2019), NWABALI(2024), All these players mentioned make a breakthrough into Super eagle team as result of RISK their coach made.