Segun Odegbami names best ever Super Eagles squad

Nigerian football icon Segun Odegbami has hailed the Super Eagles' 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning team as the greatest squad to ever don the green and white. 

This team, featuring a stellar cast including Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Daniel Amokachi, Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia, and the legendary Rashidi Yekini, dominated the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia with a blend of physical prowess and technical finesse.

The 1994 squad, under the guidance of Dutch coach Clemens Westerhof, not only clinched the AFCON title but also made a significant mark at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. 

In their debut World Cup appearance, the Super Eagles soared, winning two of their three group matches and advancing to the knockout stage, where they were narrowly defeated by Italy. This remarkable run propelled Nigeria to the fifth position in the FIFA rankings, a feat no other African team has matched since.

Comparing this illustrious team to the one he led to victory at the 1980 AFCON in Lagos, Odegbami conceded that his era's Eagles paled in comparison to the 1994 powerhouse. 

Furthermore, he observed that the current squad, managed by Jose Peseiro and finalists at the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, lacked the attacking verve of the '94 team.

"When it comes to tactics and skills, we are not quite as good and physically strong as the 1994 squad," Odegbami told Vanguard. 

Despite appreciating Peseiro's achievements, Odegbami stressed that the 1994 squad's blend of exceptional talent and strategic brilliance remains unparalleled, cementing their status as Nigeria's best-ever football team.