“Nigeria is blessed with superstars” – Arsenal legend on why coaching Super Eagles is every manager’s dream

Former Arsenal and Nigeria forward Nwankwo Kanu believes that coaching the Super Eagles is a golden opportunity for any manager, given the abundance of talent in the national team, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite facing long-standing administrative issues, Nigeria have experienced historic success in African and international football, having lifted the Africa Cup of Nations three times and advanced to the World Cup knockout stages on three occasions.

Even Kanu was the captain of Nigeria’s famed “Dream Team” that triumphed over Argentina and Brazil to win Africa’s first Olympic football gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Having enjoyed a career filled with honours across Europe, Kanu is now concerned about Nigeria’s ongoing search for a permanent head coach.

Following the recent departure of Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro, who guided Nigeria to a second-place finish at AFCON, Nigeria briefly appointed Finidi George, who also left after a short tenure.

The Nigeria Football Federation has since struggled to secure a European manager, with Herve Renard and Bruno Labbadia reportedly declining the position.

In a recent interview with Brila.net, Kanu expressed his dissatisfaction with the current coaching situation, emphasising the wealth of talent within the Super Eagles squad.

“Whoever coaches Nigeria is blessed. We are blessed with players; with superstars,” he affirmed.

Kanu insisted that any manager—whether foreign or local—has all the resources needed to succeed with Nigeria’s national team.

“The main thing is to put them together,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter who is in charge; foreign or local coach, they are blessed to manage any Nigerian team.”

Highlighting Nigeria’s enviable player pool, Kanu added,

“When you have a team with 40 good players, what more could a coach ask for? You have 11 players on the pitch, another 11 on the bench who want to play, you are blessed with that.”

Kanu’s comments arrive as Augustine Eguavoen, a former Super Eagles international, temporarily oversees the team.

Eguavoen’s positive recent results have intensified calls for him to be appointed as the full-time head coach, especially with Nigeria nearing qualification for the 2025 AFCON.