I would like to say a big thank you on behalf of my colleagues. It's the first time that we are getting together in the past 25 years.

And I must confess that, exactly 9 days from today, 25 years ago, the 10th of April 1994, we shocked the world in style when we won the African Nations Cup.

As at that time, we didn't know what we were doing. As you see us all here, we are just one big family. We hardly agreed on anything then.

But as you see these guys here, the moment we put on the jersey. . .

I remember Uche Okechukwu saying, "Jay Jay leave am, as e kick you e go come here".

I remember times whereby (this brings tears to my eyes), whereby Stephen Keshi's wife will cook African food for us all and she will bring it and carry it with her car and we'll all start sharing it in the hotel. Am I lying guys

That tells you the love that we had for one another.

But as we look back, I'm a coach now and I thank God for everything he's done for us. If you look at the way that football is being played, full backs are asked to attack. We don't have two number 9s anymore. We have a number 9½. This started in 2008.

As at 1994, Daniel Amokachi was not a number 9, he was not a number 10, he was already playing 9½. So he was ahead of his time.

As at 1994 we had an overlapping left back. Sometimes we used to beg him, "Ben, abeg stay, I don tire", but he will still go and we will beat Ivory Coast.

With all due respect.

As at the time, all the midfielders used to just carry the ball. One small boy from Delta, all he did was, fight for the ball, give it to the players to play.

And at the time, God blessed us with the best striker this continent has ever seen. I am talking of Baba Rashidi.

I will share something that I had between me and him, that he used to tell me. "Şo ri, Sunny, ma da won lowun. Şá ti ná si fún mi"

For those that don't understand Yoruba, what Rashidi used to say to me was, "Sunday, don't listen to them. Just send the ball in (to me)".

And this man had the most clinical finishing I have ever seen in my f**king career and I've been blessed to play with players like Inzaghi, Zidane and all of them, but none could come close.

And then we had one crazy number 10. In as much as I and him have a good relationship today, if I tell you how many times we almost fought on the pitch. "Jay Jay pass now!"

But I must confess to you guys, if I had a problem and I was crowded by players, give it to Jay Jay, he will find a solution.

We were very complimentary, from Dodo Mayana to Baba Rashidi, but we could not have achieved anything we did without players like Edema Fuludu, without players like Nduka Ugbade.

Because, for those of you who are less than 30 years old, you will not understand this, when we trained at the National Stadium, we had 30,000 watching trainings. Our trainings were like matches.

And for that reason, anybody who was going to wear the jersey on Saturday, you know that if you don't give 150%, not only will the Lagos fans kick you so hard, but there's somebody waiting on the bench to take that jersey and good luck to you if you lose it.

And let's not forget, we had one man who brought us all together, Clemens Westerhof.

For 3 years I was going in and out of London to get my coaching license and I was in classes with people like Ryan Giggs and all of them. Even Ole Solskjaer, we graduated together and they were always talking about England National team, England National team. Then one day, I was sitting with Gianfranco Zola and I told him, I said, "Excuse me, the last time England won something, I was not born yet".

I am going to tell you what this guys did (he's pointing at the other Eagles).

⚫ 1993: qualified for the African Cup of Nations.

⚫ 1993: qualified for Nigeria's first ever World Cup

⚫ 1994 (April 10th) : won the African Nations Cup

⚫ 1995: won the Afro-Asian Cup

⚫ 6 of the players from this group were in the Atlanta team that won the Olympics.

Jay Jay Okocha, Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amunike, the Bull Daniel Amokachi, we had also the crazy Sunday Oliseh.


Why am I saying this now is that ever since people think that we have problems amongst ourselves. It is far from true. The thing is that we know that without one another, we'll not be having food on the table today. We'll be starving. We helped each other and we carry on with that friendship.

Daniel used to turn to me on the pitch and say, "I'll come help you defend". Even when I had 3 or 4 opponents, he will come and join me. Am I lying?

Because then he was a 9½. He was coming to join us in midfield.

And then we had Samson Siasia also coming to join us in the midfield. What was he doing? Samson was a number 9, but then we had the god of Nigerian attackers as number 9. The man adapted, started playing 10 and even number 7. Not to talk of Finito.

So the team goes on.

When NFF invited me to come and I saw the invitation, the first thing I wanted to say to my wife was, "Eh, I go stay house", but then I saw my colleagues who were coming and I saw that at one point in life we have to move forward.

Nigeria has given us everything we have. We have given everything we have to Nigeria. If we are not recognised, Nigeria will not produce another set. If we are not thanked, Nigeria will not produce another set, because what will it take to name one street in every state the Super Eagles of 94 Street?

It doesn't matter if the street is fine or not, just the recognition.

We thank you very much. We are grateful. We thank you for this event.

Oga Amaju, we thank you for doing it. We thank you all. Oga Seyi Akinwunmi, we thank you very much. Oga Dipo, we thank you. And we thank you the most Nigerians. God bless you

naptu2:
Nigeria 3-0 Gabon (Tunisia '94)

Sunday Oliseh's amazing pass and Yekini's spectacular goal put Nigeria ahead.


Mutiu Adepoju's good turn and shot extended the lead.


And a trademark rocket freekick by Yekini sealed the victory.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXxsP2GNc3k

naptu2:
The craziest and most nerve-racking matches were


Nigeria vs Algeria in the semi-final of Maroc '88 (the one with the unending penalties).


The Miracle of Damman (the quarter-final of Saudi '89).

Nigeria vs Ivory Coast (the semi-final of Tunisia '94).

Nigeria vs Brazil at Atlanta '96.



I lost my voice and I could have sworn that my heart stopped beating during this game.

This was a game between the two most star studded teams in the competition. They were probably the two best teams in Africa at that time.

The 1994 Super Eagles team needs no introduction, so I'll tell you about the Ivorians.

They had the African legend, Abdoulaye Traore as their captain. They also had one of the best goalkeepers in Alaine Gouamene (who we renamed Allan Quartermaine).

They had Joel Tiehi and the Atletico Madrid star, Serge Alaine Maguy. They also had a young Ahmed Ouattara on the bench.


But I had never heard of Michel Basole before and he was the person that almost killed me on that day. He scored both of Ivory Coast's goals.

Thank heavenly God for Ben Iroha. Iroha injured both Michel Basole and Abdoulaye Traore (they both had to be substituted) and he only got a yellow card.

Not only did Iroha take out both of the Ivorian's danger men, but he also combined beautifully with Yekini to score the first goal (yes, a defender scored our equaliser). Then Yekini scored the equaliser for us.

The rest of the game became a crazy battle between Yekini and Gouamene. Alaine Gouamene showed why he was one of the best goalkeepers in Africa at that time. There was nothing that Yekini did not do, but Gouamene was always in his way.

This led to that famous shot of Westerhof asking God, "Why?"


It was 2-2 at the end of extra time, so the game went to penalties. Westerhof said that he decided that Yekini must take the last penalty because he had the most missed chances.

Of course Yekini scored and took Nigeria to the final.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY4q43juBbY

naptu2:
Nigeria 3-0 Bulgaria (USA '94).

The Nigerian media didn't really believe that the Eagles would win this match. All we heard about before the game was Stoichkov, Kostadinov, Stoichkov, Kostadinov.


Goals by Yekini, Amokachi and Amunike gave Nigeria a 3-0 victory.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbD7hu3nBE8

naptu2:

naptu2:
Tags: Johnie Gbosaa

hsafarms:
Igbo has more illiterates than any other tribes in Nigeria....




That's why they had more players in the national team than Yoruba and Hausa...






Igbo illiteracy amaka

hsafarms:
Igbo has more illiterates than any other tribes in Nigeria....




That's why they had more players in the national team than Yoruba and Hausa...






Igbo illiteracy amaka

YesNo:
That was 25 furrrrrrrrking years ago and thats what we are holding on to as one of the biggest football nations in Africa.

I get am before no be property

DEHVEHLOP:
Good to hear that the teams had more Yoruba players than any other tribe...

Mutiu Adepoju, Rashidi Yekini And so on

hsafarms:
Igbo has more illiterates than any other tribes in Nigeria....




That's why they had more players in the national team than Yoruba and Hausa...






Igbo illiteracy amaka

johnie:
Wonderful speech by Oliseh.

They couldn't have picked a better person to give it.

That team remains the best Nigeria has ever produced.

I agree that a street should be named after the squad in every street, no matter if the street is fine or not.

Kudos to NFF for this honour.

Sad that Keshi, Uche Okafor, Rashidi Yekini, Thompson Oliha, and Wilfred Agbonavbare are no longer with us.


the team achieved the highest FIFA ranking position ever achieved by an African football team. (fifth) incidentally in April 1994 - exactly 25 years ago.

Clemens Westerhof and the Babangida regime deserve credible mentions for their role in developing the team.

Westerhof was given enough time to work on the team despite the early challenges the team faced.

Westerhof took charge of the team immediately after losing the Italia '90 World Cup ticket to Cameroon, taking the team to the finals of the Algiers '90 Nations Cup and four years later winning the Tunisia '94 Natiins Cup and getting the team into the second round of USA'94 World Cup.

The support for Westerhof and the team by the government, in my opinion, was unprecedented.

I don't recall Babangida being at the stadium to watch any match but Admiral Augustus Aikhomu was always there.

Air Commodore Emeka Omerua (the comedienne Chigurl's father) was sports minister then.

I've always wondered why airforce officers were put in charge of the sports ministry in those days - Omeruah, Bayo Alfa, Anthony Ikhazobor.

Thinking back now, I just realised that all of this was in the midst of the June 12 saga. Hmm...