Mutiu Adepoju Tells Super Eagles What To Do To Win 2023 AFCON

Former Nigeria international, Mutiu Adepoju has told the Super Eagles how to win the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast, stressing that the players’ talent alone is not enough to win the tournament.

Mutiu Adepoju was part of the most successful Nigeria national team of all time and dominated African football in the 90s.

The players of that era won the AFCON in 1994, reached the World Cup round of 16, and had good records that made FIFA rank Nigeria 5th best national team in the world.

Most of the players of that era were based in Nigeria and were not as flamboyant and well-paid as the footballers of this era.

The current era of the Super Eagles have become so inconsistent that they failed to qualify for AFCON in 2015 and 2017, after winning the tournament in 2013.

They won bronze in the 2019 edition of the tournament, finished in the round of 16 in the 2021 edition of the tournament, and failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Super Eagles are currently in Ivory Coast, attempting to win the AFCON for the fourth time in the history of the country.

Ahead of their first game in the tournament, which is against Equatoria Guinea on January 14, Mutiu Adepoju told the Punch that the Eagles need to play as a unit to stand a chance in the competition.

He said: “I don’t think any of them knew what happened and even knew most of the players (in 1994). I don’t know what they must have seen or learned before now. But what I can say is that it is not enough to have good players playing very well in their clubs. That is to say, talent is not enough.

“First you need talent as a player because if you don’t have it, things will be difficult but there are a lot of other things that will complement it. One of the things is for the players and officials to have the same vision and think in the same direction.

“They must work towards achieving a common goal by helping one another with dedication and determination. It’s just about bringing everything it takes to succeed together.

“There must be no bad blood, everyone must know their strengths and limitations and be ready to help one another in the team.”