Ex-Super Eagles defender identifies key ingredient lacking in modern Nigerian players

Former Super Eagles defender Ben Iroha has identified passion as one major difference between Nigeria’s celebrated 1994 generation and the current crop of players, insisting that the talent available to the country has not disappeared, Soccernet.ng reports.

Iroha was part of the Super Eagles team that made history at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, having already helped Nigeria win the Africa Cup of Nations earlier that year.

The defender was one of the key members of a generation that established the Super Eagles as one of Africa’s leading football teams, with Nigeria reaching the World Cup knockout stages on their debut before winning Olympic gold two years later.

Three decades on, however, Iroha believes there is a notable difference between the mentality of his generation and that of today's Nigerian footballers.

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Ben Iroha: ‘The passion is different’ for Super Eagles

Speaking to Premium Times, the former Watford left-back insisted that the quality of Nigerian players remains high but pointed to their relationship with the national team as the major difference.

“The talent and the gift are still here, but the passion is different,” he said.

“I think we played with more passion. I played more for my country than I played for my club.

“When I was playing for Nigeria, I played more for the country than I did for my club.”

For Iroha, the difference was particularly evident in what it meant to represent Nigeria.

“The passion for wearing that green-and-white jersey was different,” the 56-year-old added

“So, it is a little bit different now. Nobody should be blamed for it. It is just a different generation. My generation played with everything.”

Iroha's comments come at a difficult period for Nigerian football, with the Super Eagles missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup after failing to secure qualification from their group.

The disappointment was very painful for the one-time African Champion, who revealed that Nigerians in Dallas had already been preparing to welcome the national team after he expected Nigeria to qualify.

“It was very bad. We thought Nigeria would make it, and we were ready to host the whole Nigerian national team in Dallas,” he said.

“I had already organised that. One of the games was supposed to be played in Dallas, and it was going to be massive.

“Nigerians were already saying, ‘Ben, bring the Super Eagles.’ How am I going to bring them? We didn’t qualify.”

Iroha calls for Nigeria to confront its football problems

While reflecting on the current state of the Super Eagles, Iroha stopped short of placing the blame solely on the players.

His comments instead suggest that the issue extends beyond individual ability, with the former defender calling for Nigeria to understand the problems affecting its football before attempting to rebuild.

“It was very, very bad. We need to go back, understand what is wrong, face it and get back on the field,” the one-time MLS Champion said.

His comparison with the 1994 generation is less about questioning the ability of today's players and more about highlighting the emotional connection his generation had with the national team.

Iroha's experience offers a useful reference point. He was part of the Nigeria side that won the 1994 AFCON before featuring at two World Cups, while many of his teammates later formed the core of the Olympic team that won gold at Atlanta 1996.

For a generation that achieved major milestones in Nigerian football, representing the country carried a significance that Iroha believes has changed over time.