Nigerian football icon Segun Odegbami has hailed the 1994 Super Eagles squad as the finest team ever to represent the country.
This legendary team, guided by Dutch coach Clemens Westerhof, boasted a formidable lineup of physically and technically gifted players including Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Daniel Amokachi, Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia, and the iconic Rashidi Yekini. Their dominance culminated in a resounding victory at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.
Not stopping there, the Super Eagles continued to make waves by securing qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Their debut on the global stage was nothing short of impressive, as they clinched victories in two out of three group matches, propelling them to the knockout stage where they narrowly succumbed to Italy.
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The remarkable achievements of the 1994 squad propelled Nigeria to unprecedented heights in the FIFA rankings, reaching an impressive fifth position – a record-breaking feat for any African team on the global stage.
In comparing his 1980 AFCON-winning squad with the illustrious 1994 team, Odegbami humbly acknowledges that his Eagles of yesteryears paled in comparison to the sheer brilliance and talent exhibited by Westerhof’s squad.
“When it comes to tactics and skills, we are not quite as good and physically strong as the 1994 squad,” Odegbami told the Vanguard.
“That squad was a collection of exceptional players who played to our strength.
“They played very attacking football that time. Now, we are more defensive because of the style he (Peseiro) introduced, but it got us to the final, so you cannot even fault that too much.
“But in the final, we succumbed to a better, more organised, more motivated, better-inspired team.
“But the 1994 squad was the best team without question, probably the best squad. Statistically, the best squad in our history because they took us to fifth place in FIFA ranking.”
