Former Super Eagles midfielder, Sunday Oliseh, has described the late Nigerian football icon Stephen Keshi as a true leader who led the senior national team by example.
Speaking via his Global Football Insights, Oliseh, who was part of the Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, praised Keshi’s leadership, professionalism and larger-than-life influence both on and off the pitch.
The former Ajax star noted that Keshi was widely recognized during his playing days, particularly by younger teammates who grew up watching him play on television.
“He led by example. If they said everyone had to wear a green shirt, he would wear a green shirt. He was disciplined, and that was the kind of person he was; he was a winner,” Oliseh remarked on the Global Football Insights.
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“He was a man who made it clear to everyone that he had a family to support and wanted to earn money, and if you were not participating, I would lose money. That was how Keshi operated.
“We never questioned his quality as a player because you could see how he performed. This man was the first superstar of Nigerian football.
“At one point, even when Nigeria participated in the Nations Cup, Keshi would fly in from Belgium to the AFCON, play, and then return to his club after the match.
“That was how significant his personality was, and Nigeria was supporting it; otherwise, you wouldn’t have your best player participating.
“We all saw that as kids watching television so we knew that this was a superstar and his teammates accepted it,” he said.
2 Comments
“….This man was the first superstar of Nigerian football….”
Really, Sunday Oliseh…..??! Really…..?!
Whatever happened to Thunder Balogun, Segun Odegbami, Emmanuel Okala and Christian Chukwu before him?
The mention of the name of any of the above would fill the National Stadium in Lagos 5 hrs before kickoff.
Thumbs up Doctor Dare. U nailed.