Algeria vs Nigeria: Play Like Champions - Segun Odegbami to Super Eagles

Nigerian football legend Segun Odegbami has charged the Super Eagles to embrace their status as a continental powerhouse and approach their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final against Algeria with confidence, belief and authority.

The 1980 AFCON winner delivered the message in a video shared across the Super Eagles’ official social media platforms, stressing that self-belief remains the most decisive factor at the highest level of international football.

“It is about confidence, it is about belief that you can do it. The difference between football in countries is not much. What makes you win is so small,” Odegbami said.

The former national team captain explained that while football matches can sometimes be decided by luck or moments of brilliance, a winning mentality consistently separates champions from the rest.

“There are so many factors that come into winning, but the most important one is confidence and self-belief,” he added.

Drawing from Nigeria’s rich football history, Odegbami insisted that the current Super Eagles squad possesses enough quality and depth to intimidate any opponent in Africa.

He pointed to the abundance of elite talent Nigeria has produced over the years as evidence of the nation’s footballing strength.

“With the quality that we have, with our history and the numbers that we have, no country in Africa should be struggling with us. I look at those that never became Africa’s Player of the Year, so many, Mikel Obi and all that generation of players, even JJ Okocha never became, just to tell you the depth of talent that we have,” he declared.

Odegbami also highlighted the form of current stars such as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, urging the team to translate individual brilliance into collective dominance on the pitch.

As the Super Eagles continue their AFCON 2025 campaign, the former winger called for a fearless approach, insisting that confident teams win matches on merit rather than fortune.

“My advice to the Super Eagles is that they should play confidently, they should play without fear, they should play like champions,” he said. “When you play like that, you more often than not win, and you win deservedly because it is not by luck.”

He concluded with a clear challenge to the three-time African champions: not just to win, but to do so with authority.

“Go out there and play and perform and entertain, just go out there and dominate and win. We have the players to do it,” Odegbami concluded.