Former Super Eagles and Lobi Stars left back Juwon Oshaniwa has revealed how the late Stephen Keshi changed his career for the better, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 35-year-old burst onto the scene in 2012, following Taye Taiwo's decline, and made his debut that year in an international friendly against Liberia.
However, he wasn't the coach's first choice, as Elderson Echiejile was making waves at the time. As the year went on, Oshaniwa became a regular under Keshi, playing in the World Cup and AFCON qualifiers.
When Keshi released his final 23-man AFCON 2013 squad, Oshaniwa, alongside Godfrey Oboabona, Chigozie Agbim and Sunday Mba, were among the home-based players who were included.
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How Stephen Keshi changed Juwon Oshaniwa's career
The former Hearts full-back revealed that Keshi had instilled a lot of confidence in the home-based players, so they could be prepared for action whenever they were needed.
Oshaniwa didn't play a minute of the AFCON 2013 until Elderson Echiejile pulled up with an injury in the 66th minute of the final against Burkina Faso.
He was immediately called upon to replace the then Braga left-back, and he knew that was his moment to battle for a potential defining moment in his career.
“When I broke into the national team, not just the home-based team, but the senior team, some of the things that we were going to need were already deposited in me,” the AFCON 2013 winner said in an interview with Eagles Tracker.
“Some of the confidence that the gaffer himself already gave me made it difficult for me not to repay his good work.
“It's difficult to bring on a player who hasn't played at that level into a final. The confidence he gave all the domestic players that he brought on board assured him that whenever he called upon us, we'd always deliver.
“In that time, I had no warm-up; immediately, Elderson Echiejile went to ground. He told me to get up. What was in my mind then was it is now or never.
“It was time for me to put my name in the Nigerian record book, and then in Africa as a whole. Being a debutant, I had to take the chance,” Oshaniwa concluded.
Keshi's decision bore fruit as home-based Sunday Mba scored the winning goal of the tournament, while Oboabona formed a solid partnership with Kenneth Omeruo at the heart of the Super Eagles' defence.
After the competition, Oshaniwa sealed a move abroad to Israeli side FC Ashdod before representing Nigeria again at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
