Sunday Oliseh Picks 1994 Super Eagles Over 1980 Squad
Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, has reopened the long-running debate about Nigeria’s greatest national team, saying the 1994 squad was better than the class of 1980.
The discussion began on social media platform X, where a fan compared the two famous teams. Oliseh, who played as a key midfielder in the 1994 squad, quickly joined the conversation and stood firmly by his team.
He argued that the 1994 Super Eagles would beat the 1980 team if they were to face each other, pointing to the achievements of the ’94 squad both at national and club level.
Oliseh wrote:
“You can easily rate the teams and players by what they achieved at club and national team levels.
With all due respect, no team—collectively or individually—has come close to what the 1994 players achieved for club and country. Sorry!!”
The 1994 team remains one of Nigeria’s most successful sides. They won the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia and became the first Nigerian team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, where they reached the Round of 16 and only narrowly lost to Italy 2-1.
That team featured stars like Emmanuel Amunike, who was named African Footballer of the Year, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Rashidi Yekini, Nigeria’s all-time top scorer.
In comparison, the 1980 Super Eagles, led by greats like Christian Chukwu and Segun Odegbami, won Nigeria’s first-ever AFCON title on home soil in Lagos.
Despite the achievements of the 1980 squad, Oliseh insists that the class of ’94 left a bigger mark in world football. His comments have sparked fresh conversation among Nigerian football fans, many of whom continue to debate which team was truly the best in the country’s history.
