Former Super Eagles’ midfielder, Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh has taken his mind back in time and recalled how players in the Nigerian national cried for placing second at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations.
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Sports247 reports that Oliseh, who was captain of the squad during that year’s competition co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria led the tears from the podium, after Cameroon beat the Eagles via a controversial shootout.
He has now come out to lament how the current set of Eagles were excited and content that they placed third at AFCON 2025, with a 4-2 win over Egypt via penalties, following a 0-0 end to regulation time in the losers’ final.
Oliseh, who years later became head coach of the Eagles, took to his social media channel on X to reveal how many analysts that he covered AFCON 2025 alongside in Morocco were amazed seeing Nigerians celebrate their team’s third place finish on Saturday.
The former Ajax of Netherlands, Juventus of Italy and Borussia Dortmund of Germany ace pointed out, “I watched as African and European pundits mocked us. They couldn’t believe it.
“There was a time when the Super Eagles shed tears at second place because, to us, anything but the trophy was a failure. Celebrating third place builds a culture of mediocrity.”
He concluded with advice on the way forward for the Eagles, stressing that the players, coaches and officials must look inwards to discover the tonic needed in reviving the team.
“We must not be content with bronze and end wild celebrations for anything less than gold. It’s a fundamental weakness and a cautionary tale.
“We need to get back to being respected. We must remember that victory is temporary, but character is permanent. Our football is at a crossroads, and it’s time to look in the mirror,” Oliseh submitted.
