Former FIFA and CAF instructor, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, has emphasised the need for Nigeria to identify and develop another creative player like Austine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha for the Super Eagles, Completesports.com reports.
Onigbinde, 86, spoke during an exclusive interview with Completesports.com following the Super Eagles’ 2-1 loss to Rwanda in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Monday.
The Eagles have struggled to find a creative player in the mould of Okocha, who retired from international football in 2006.
Also Read: 8 Things Learnt From Super Eagles Vs Rwanda AFCON 2025 Qualifier
Okocha represented the Nigerian national team 73 times between 1993 and 2006, scoring 14 goals. He won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations title and the football gold medal at Atlanta 1996 Olympics.. Okocha who was a member of Nigeria’s 1994, 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup squads was renowned for his confidence, trickery, technique, creativity, flair, and close ball control. However, no current Super Eagles player has matched his unique qualities.
Onigbinde, a former Nigeria coach who led the Super Eagles to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan with Jay-Jay Okocha in his squad, insisted that Nigeria has many talented and technically gifted players who could fill the creative midfield role if properly identified and developed.
“I have always maintained that Nigeria’s major problem is not technical but administrative,” Onigbinde, an AFCON 1984 Silver Medal-winning Nigeria coach stated.
“As you know, we have technically gifted players, both male and female, but we are neither identifying nor developing them.
Also Read: Exclusive: Iroha Slams Super Eagles’ Poor Display Against Rwanda, Backs Eguavoen For Top Job
“Regarding the lack of creativity in the Super Eagles, when you fail to identify a creative talent, how can you address the issue within the team?
“Jay Jay Okocha is a Nigerian who distinguished himself as one of the finest midfielders in the Super Eagles’ history. Many great players came before him. Are we now saying that God is angry with Nigeria and doesn’t want us to have such talent anymore?
“The truth is, there are thousands of potential Okochas out there who can solve the Super Eagles’ creative midfield problem if coaches expand their search. We can’t continue lamenting over this issue because we have not done enough to identify, develop, and expose these talents through competition for the world to see.”
By Augustine Akhilomen
13 Comments
Iheanacho was a very effective support player at the attacking department but the change to no9 at club level for sone years now has started catching up with him. Kelechi needs to go back to his natural position where he is the best no8. For another solid creative player who can play 10 for SE I would say it’s Ethan Nwaneri but sadly we are going to miss him to England. After Ethan I am yet to see any creative 10 not even in our junior national team because everyone wants to be a striker.
shitman x micheals
sharap der! ewu mbirir biriri. idiot! correct pipos is talking an a triblast goat like yuh wii stii be talking nonsense!
Yes o I’m a proud tribalistic person and I’m loving it. How una dey for Banku Republic???
This Yebaoh guy need to be removed from this platform,he is not a Nigerian,I don’t know what he is doing here
We really do not need a Jay-Jay-like player. We won the 2013 AFCON without him, and most of our silverware was not because of him. An Iwobi-type player with a good level of confidence can win us AFCON titles in a solid team like the one we have today. On the global stage, however, a lot is missing, and I don’t think we will come close in the next five World Cups.
abdul ba?
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Fool! Iwobi can win you AFCON
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk pls I can’t stop laughing, I’m even laughing in swahilish lmaaaaoooo!
what a completely stupid man, you people are just too backward, a lack of exposure is denying you the truth and killing you!
Nigeria will NEVER advance with idiots like you allowed to post on the www!
Like one forumite always says – with “friends” like this hopeless Abdul, Nigeria does not need enemies ooo, these moronic “frenemies” alone will bring the country down to her knees! Ewooo! Imagine this fool is still advocating Iwobi for this team? chei!
Da Truth, u Dey mind them i ve been screaming and complaining about Iheanacho and Iwobi for years especially Iheanacho, while iwobi can still be a bench player in SE, Iheanacho should never be invited again.We ve couple of young upcoming skillful midfielders in Italy, and other European leagues or we can convert very skillful but lazy Aina.
I disagree with chief.
Players like Jay Jay come once in a lifetime. Maybe even longer. If we have to wait for another Jay Jay, then we might as well stop football for the next 100 years!
What we need is a good tactician. There are many teams around the world today who don’t have a Jay Jay, but they create well from the middle and the wings. We can copy their template for success. This is where NFF technical department needs to get to work. That is if we actually have a technical department. Hahahaha!
Pompei your head dey there. I wonder which team replaces a player skill for skill. Nigeria sport enthusiasts can sometimes be strange in thinking just like their primitive ruling party leaders.
All these Ex Internationals keep making all kinds of excuses they will all be exposed soon. So now unless we find another Okocha we should not fire Eguavoen. Or they think it is easy to have a Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman in the same era see us having a blessing and they are wasting those talents with Clueless coach.
Oga all you ex internationals should just park your outdated opinions. Quit ball you read the game with 90’s lenses the game has changed afterall Okocha was retired when we won AFCON In 2013 and reached finals this year. And some mumu fans will be Agreeing with this kindergarten trash coming from fully Grown men or should I say crooks
Let be careful with the way we insult elders.
Development of creative players should start from the football academies. The coaches should allow young players to express themselves, especially when they are approaching the attacking zone. Creativity is a natural gift from God.Jay Jay was courageous to impose his pattern of play on every club he played for.Some of our academy coaches are more interested in control and pass in every area of the pitch.We need natural progressive dribblers in a team.
NOTE:
Most creative midfielders do not defend effectively. Their primary duty is to score and create chances for his teammates to score.
We dont need another Okocha. We only need sound coaches.
Before Okocha we had Henry Nwosu, Etim Esin, Friday Ekpo. None of them played like Okocha.
After Okocha we have had Mikel and Iwobi and neither of them has played like Okocha. Everything seemed to be going fairly well in terms of how we get balls to our strikers until someone felt Iwobi should win balls deep in his half as a DM/CM and still have the strength, presence of mind, vision and composure to position himself in the opposition 3rd to create the final opening or apply the final finish on attacking moves.
Generally in world football, the no 10 role has evolved beyond what it used to be. Apart from a few teams I can count on the fingers of my hands, the last breeds of no 10s remaining in world football are gradually dying out, unless something changes soonest.
We just need to groom our players to be more intelligent on and off the ball and get a coach that can maximize what the individual have to offer into a collective optimal output