Chelsea of England’s former top striker and Ivory Coast legend, Didier Drogba has come out with a bold declaration that the Super Eagles of Nigeria are still a very good team that should be respected all the time.
Sports247 reports that many Nigerians are sulking over the Eagles’ inability to get an automatic qualification ticket to next year’s FIFA World Cup, but Drogba argued that even the best teams across the globe do not win matches all the time.
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The former two-time African Footballer of The Year further pointed out that seeing the Eagles emerge second at the last Cup of Nations in his country was further confirmation of Nigeria’s consistency and their top quality, despite not winning the competition.
Drogba, who also noted the high levels of players like Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman in the Super Eagles, went on to scold the ever-insatiable array of Nigerian football fans who always write off the national team once they lose a match.
The former fearsome hitman pointed out, “It doesn’t mean that your team is not good. They play well, get to the final, and you are supporting them.
“But, once they lose, all of a sudden you say they are so bad, and you wave them away. From right to left, the attack comes, and it’s always like that in Africa … it’s always like that.
“For me, though, if you finish second in Africa, it’s like Chelsea finishing second in the Premier League. But, you’ve won it before and they want you to win it again. That’s the level of expectation around here.”
Drogba admitted that a strong desire for victory can never be taken away from the heart of football fans and then charged Nigeria’s administrators to look closer at external issues that usually affect the players, then work out how to ensure they perform better in their future matches.
“I think your team is still good. You’ve got Osimhen and Lookman, the last two Ballon d’Or nominees and Africa’s best. So, you have a team that can perform, but that does not mean the opposition will just look on and allow you to win. So, you have to think of your name and check what is happening behind the scenes.
“Your name is one thing, but the most important factor is what’s happening behind you. Since they haven’t won the Cup of Nations and you think they are not doing well, that means there may be problems somewhere,” he inferred.
Although Drogba stopped short of specifically stating issues that might have affected the Eagles in recent months, he hinted that off field factors could be responsible for their woes and reiterated: “Without those problems, I think they are a very strong team.”
Sports247 gathered that Drogba’s verdict may be useful pretty early, as top shots of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are already planning towards ensuring the team wins the upcoming CAF qualification play-offs in Morocco, where the Eagles will tango Gabon on November 13 and seek to win the final of the 16th.
The winner of that fixture will get Africa’s sole ticket to the Intercontinental Playoffs billed for March 2026 in Mexico, where six countries will tussle for two slots into the FIFA World Cup proper.
