The Golden eaglets we’re playing a friendly match against my team, FHA at the St Gregories ground that morning, and my own best friend was the one to stop me from scoring a goal for the Golden eaglets. This was three weeks before the team departed for China.

Sabara called me and cautioned me to stay calm and play very simple football. I acknowledged and the game started.

Ten minutes into the game and I was already on the floor, in front of the opponents goal line, with a knee injury that was inflicted by my best friend, three weeks before our first game in against Italy in Dalian China.

After this injury, the coaches had a long discussion that evening with the doctor that was assigned to the team. From all indications, it was very positive, so I was not even allowed to touch the ball during training the next day. In fact I could not walk properly.

Some few days later, Sabara then had a meeting with his coaches and forcefully decided he was going to take me to the World Cup. In fact, I could not believe it myself.

When we got to china, the progress of the injury was clear for everybody to see, and with the help of the Chinese medical support, I started jogging. From the quarter final I started playing against all odds.

In the eleventh minute of the final against Germany, the moment arrived when I paid back that trust given to me by the coach that shaped up my confidence in world football.

When I hugged him after the game in jubilations, his words I will carry with me all through my career. Sebastian Imasuen Brodericks, may your soul rest in perfect peace ✌️

naptu2:


1985 was unbelievable! You will not believe the crowd at the airport!

Remember that there were no commercial motorcycles in Lagos at that time, yet almost a hundred motorcycles rode in front of the team bus. Nduka Ugbade sat in the front seat with the trophy.

If I remember correctly, there were two receptions for the players; one at the National Stadium and the other at State House Marina.

Some other African countries declared public holidays. It was just unbelievable. What makes it special for me was that I actually saw the team train live, before they left for China.

1987 was also special for me. The matches were played in the middle of the night, but we all stayed awake. The President stepped out of Dodan Barracks and shook people that were celebrating on the streets after we beat Italy. There was a private joke for me. My dad was on the Presidential delegation that went to Canada after we qualified for the final. I never stopped teasing him that he jinxed the team, which was why we lost the final.

But I've been wrong once before (only once). In 1989 I was convinced that the under 20 would win the world cup. We came second.

naptu2:
We've finally broken the jinx (and created the second exception). Usually whenever we win the cup we end up coming second in the next edition of the tournament.

I remember that I stayed up to watch the final against Germany in 1985. I also saw the victory parade. I followed them through Obalende Road, Keffi Street and Awolowo Road. Lots of motorcycles appeared from nowhere (remember that there were no motorcycle taxis/okada at that time). The players were in a huge green and white bus. Ugbade was holding the trophy on the front seat of the bus. There were lots of policemen around them (someone joked that they didn't want anybody to steal the trophy).

We got to the final of Canada '87 and Babangida sent a presidential delegation to cheer the team. It was led by Admiral Aikhomu and Old Man was on the delegation. We lost to Russia. We teased Old Man endlessly at home. We said that he brought bad luck to the team (a journalist would make a similar point in the late 1980s. He said that these federal government delegations put too much pressure on the team and that's why we often lost whenever we sent a federal government delegation to cheer the team).

We won the tournament again in 1993. Those games in 1993 were very sweet. NTA could not hook up with their commentators for the first game, so they had to hook up with Ghanaian tv. The Ghanaian commentator was very funny. He couldn't believe that Nigerians were singing, "All we are saying, give us more goals" when the Golden Eaglets were leading Canada 7-0. The ships at Lagos Harbour put on their usual New Year's Day fireworks display when the referee blew the final whistle in the final match.

1995 was the first exception. Our team was filled with younger brothers of Super Eagles players and we ended up getting knocked out in the quarter finals.

I heard a stunning announcement on the radio c2006. Uncle Tella was made the coach of the Golden Eaglets. I remember that Deji Omotoyinbo didn't think that it was a good idea. Coach Tella had been teaching at the National Institute of Sports for a while, so Deji thought that he was a classroom coach. I knew better. I first knew Coach Tella around 1980/1981 when he prepared fantastic secondary school football teams that won multiple Principals Cup competitions, so I knew what he could do. He was also a friend of Old Man and it was always a treat for me whenever he came to the house ( Coach Tella was like Santa Klaus - a jolly old man). So I wasn't surprised when he won the World Cup.

We hosted the tournament in 2009 and got to the final, but as usual we lost to Switzerland.

I was out of Lagos during much of UAE 2013, but I was still able to watch most of the games. I remember asking myself (after the final match) if we would get to the final of the next competition and lose again.

Now here we are. Unfortunately I slept through the match. One minute I was waiting for the match to begin and the next I was watching Victor Osimhen pick up his golden boot award.

naptu2:
Reception at State House, Marina.

Major General Muhammadu Buhari (head of state), Major General Tunde Idiagbon (chief of staff, supreme headquarters), Air Commodore Samson Emeka Omeruah (sports minister), Group Captain Anthony Ikazoboh (NFA chairman).

DavSagacity:
The life of the one we love never ends. The ones we love lives on in our hearts and in the hearts of the people they've touched
RIP to the coach

IVORY2009:
May his soul rest in peace, Nigeria as a country does not know how to care for their own, this man must have been down years ago, but no adequate care for him.