Former Super Eagles captain and 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Segun Odegbami, has urged the Nigerian national team, Super Eagles, to translate their individual talent into collective dominance by embracing confidence and belief.
In a video address posted on the Super Eagles’ official X handle on Friday, Odegbami stressed that self-belief is the crucial difference-maker in competitive international football.
“It is about confidence, it is about belief that you can do it. You know, the difference between football in countries is not much. From match to match, when you look at them, what makes you win is so small,” he said.
“From match to match, it could just be one moment of magic, it could just be one moment you are lucky, it could just be somebody’s mistake, and occasionally it is because you play well, you are coherent and so on and so forth.
“So there are so many factors that come into winning, but the most important one is confidence and self-belief,” he stressed.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s rich footballing history, Odegbami argued that the Super Eagles possess a depth of talent that should intimidate any opponent in Africa.
He also highlighted the recent successes of individual stars while paying homage to legends who paved the way.
Odegbami said, “With the quality that we have, with our history and the numbers that we have, no country in Africa should be struggling with us, from competition to competition.
“And you see, last year it was Victor Osimhen, now it is Ademola Lookman. We have the stuff; we’ve had them all the time. I look at those that never became Africa’s Player of the Year, so many, Mikel Obi and all that generation of players, even JJ never became, just to tell you the depth of talent that we have.”
As the Super Eagles prepare for upcoming challenges, especially the ongoing AFCON, Odegbami assured the team that playing with conviction often leads to deserved victories, not just lucky ones.
“So as we prepare, my advice to the Super Eagles is that they should play confidently, they should play without fear, they should play like champions.
“You know, when you play like that, you more often than not win, and you win deservedly because it is not by luck, it is not by chance, it is because you are good.”
The 1980 legend concluded with a rallying cry for the team to not just win, but to do so with the flair and authority expected of the three-time African champions.
“Go out there and play and perform and entertain and, you know, just go out there and dominate and win. We have the players to do it,” he said.
Odegbami’s message to the team comes ahead of the Super Eagles’ AFCON quarter‑final clash with Algeria in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Saturday.
