Foremost FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning captain, Nduka Ugbade, was partly a member of the famous Nigeria’s soccer ‘Golden Generation’ that bowled over the continent in the 1990s with their immense football talents that saw them winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at Tunisia 1994.
Recalling one of Nigeria’s AFCON glorious moments, Ugbade surmised that Victor Osimhen can be the Super Eagles’ talisman at the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, adding that the Napoli striker can emulate the legend of the late Rashidi Yekini who led the country to glory in 1994 as an African Footballer of the Year.
“Of course, I remember that we went to the AFCON in Tunisia with Rashidi Yekini as the African Footballer of the Year and that really helped the Super Eagles,” the erstwhile El Kanemi Warriors and Castellon defender told NationSports. “I think the Super Eagles have been blessed again going to this AFCON with Victor Osimhen as the African Footballer of the Year.
“Of course, this can be an added pressure on Osimhen. The whole world would want to see his capabilities and Nigerians would want to see him replicate what he did with Napoli for the Super Eagles. He has always been doing well for Nigeria, too, from the qualifiers and I pray he does well at the AFCON too,“ he added..
Ugbade, who was also part of the Super Eagles’ squad that won the bronze medal when Senegal played host to the AFCON in 1992, noted that that winning the continent’s most-prized trophy is not for the faint hearted.
Now guaranteed of $7 million USD as prize money, the delayed AFCON 2023 will kick off on January 13 and through February as 24 of the continent’s best teams gathered in Cote d’Ivoire for the gong and glory.
Ugbade reckoned that the Super Eagles already have their work cut out in January after being grouped with Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau and Equatorial Guinea at the forthcoming tournament but insisted the country has a rich pedigree to be counted among the favourites.
“As a big team on the continent, no one is going to expect that Nigeria will get out of the competition easily in the first round or in the second round and I believe if we can scale the hurdles and reach the semi-finals, anything is possible and we can win it,” Ugbade continued. “Nigeria has the capacity to do anything whatsoever but the issue is, can this be recognised as something that we know that we are capable of doing?
“Is there the willingness and the passion to accomplish it at all costs? This will start from the administration, you know, to the type of motivation that is given, and the type of preparation that the team would have.
“At the end of the day, you can’t blame the administration for not supporting you. Then you will have to hold yourself responsible if you do not deliver. So this is the key.
We are capable of achieving anything whatsoever, but everything needed to accomplish this achievement must be done for Nigeria to be African champions in Cote d’Ivoire,” Ugbade added, as he speaks on other sundry issues.
From China 1985 with Golden Eaglets to Tunisia 1994 with Super Eagles
The two moments, captaining the FIFA U-16 World Cup-winning team at China in 1985 and being part of the team that won the AFCON for Nigeria for the second time in history, were great moments that I will cherish forever. Talking about my footballing career, then I would again love to relive such moments. Because they were the two foremost moments that were great things in my entire football career. Then apart from these two notable achievements, I will also add the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup that we all did with Manu Garba even with yourself as the team media officer. That was also an unforgettable memory that we won the FIFA U17 World Cup with the Kelechi Iheanacho’s set. And at the beginning, we had a lot of great players in the team that included the likes of Wilfred Ndidi and all the rest. Very awesome moments in my footballing career that I cherish so much till this very moment that I’m talking to you.
Super Eagles’ close miss at Senegal 1992 AFCON
The issue was that we had a very, very strong and formidable team. You know, with the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Stephen Keshi and the rest in the team. But I cannot actually pinpoint that this was what was responsible for our not winning the trophy at Senegal 1992.
But there were some major political factors. There was the Abedi Pele’s Ghana and then some of the Ivorian players too. I think the people would want them to at least achieve something. That took the issue of Nigeria against Ghana off the thing. So that at the end of the day, we were out of the final competition after we lost 2-1 to Ghana in the semi-finals. We were supposed to be, yes, in the finals but for what happened against Ghana. There’s nothing one can do about it now other than to relive some of the good moments of the past years.
Difficulties of winning the AFCON
Of course, it’s an extremely difficult competition to win and I think you know it. You can’t go to the African Cup of Nations with a bunch of 11 friends or 23 colleagues that are friends. You must go remembering that you have some solid weapons and that you have practiced very, very well. And you must have a very formidable team. A team that is technically sound and can navigate their way through tough moments. Victory counts right from the qualifying group stages when you have four teams and you must first and foremost qualify for the second stage, which is the knockout leading to the final.
Super Eagles at AFCON 2023
This Cup of Nations in January will also be difficult but the Super Eagles can still win it. For a start, the Super Eagles are in the same group with the hosts, Cote d’Ivoire. And you know, this is a very, very strong team. We have the Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea as well. Winning our first match against Equatorial Guinea will be very important and then we can build on that for the next two games against Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau. But if we say the AFCON is difficult to win, we are not talking only about the qualifying group stage. You have to be ready to play with the likes of Morocco. You have to be ready to play with the likes of Cameroon. You have to be ready to meet up the likes of Zambia. You have to be ready to meet up the likes of Algeria and the rest. These countries are very strong. They’re very strong.
Between 1994 and 2023 Super Eagles
Frankly, I don’t like comparing teams from different generations because they are teams out of different circumstances. For instance, you can’t be comparing the 1994 set with the current team for different reasons. In terms of physique, the 1994 team had players with big body mass (laughter) while this set is younger and fresh; but let us leave this comparison.
I think we have a good team going to the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire. As a nation, Nigeria is one country that every other person is expecting to do well at the AFCON and in any football competition for that matter. This is good for the mental psyche of the players. There is also something I would like to say and I know this is also important. Over the years, Nigerian teams tend to do well and surpass expectations especially when situations are tense and with a lot of criticisms and I can see that most people are not giving the Super Eagles a chance to win in Cote d’Ivoire but I pray this works positively for the team.
Ahead of 2023 AFCON
Football has its psychology, sociology and all those mental things .So this is what my thoughts are – that we must do well at the AFCON so that we start the year on a high. Then we start to build on that with other national teams because once the Super Eagles win in Cote d’Ivoire, it would rub off on all other national football teams or even our sports in general. So the Super Eagles should be clearly motivated as well so that there won’t be any excuse. I’m happy with what the NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, is trying to do. No matter what the situation is, if they say that there’s no money, he tries to grind out something to ensure that the players are happy and I know with the right approach and motivation, the Super Eagles can do well in Cote d’Ivoire.
