Legendary Nigerian defender Christian Chukwu has rated the 1994 Super Eagles team better than the 1980 AFCON winning squad and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold side the “Dream Team”.
Chukwu captained the then Green Eagles to the 1980 AFCON title on home soil which was the country’s first.
Under Dutch coach Clemens Westerhof, the Super Eagles were crowned African champions.
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Aside winning the AFCON, the team qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
And at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the U-23 Eagles became the first African team to win football gold in the history of the games.
But speaking on “No Holds Barred” a radio programme on Brila FM anchored by former Eagles left-back Ifeanyi Udeze, Chukwu picked the 1994 squad as the best ever side the country have produced.
“The 1980 team won the Africa Cup of Nations but the 1994 team won the Cup of Nations and also qualified for the World Cup,” Chukwu told Udeze who played under him at the 2004 AFCON in Tunisia.
“But it doesn’t mean the 1980 and Olympic squad are not good but like I said they (1994 team) not only won the Nations Cup but because they were the first side to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup.”
4 Comments
Okay. That’s his opinion and we dont care
Exactly
If they had not choked so dramatically and comically in that second round game against Italy, they likely would have made it to the final against Brazil, who also had great players. Anything could have happened then. But for that to occur, they needed to hold their nerve and beat Italy, who they dominated for most parts of the game. A last minute lapse in concentration, and the stage was set for them to be bundled out of the world cup.
Collision of two legends….
https://twitter.com/AfricaClassic/status/1158302239376760832/photo/1