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Sunday Oliseh

Former Super Eagles captain and head coach Sunday Oliseh has sharply criticized the current national team squad, attributing Nigeria’s recent international struggles to a lack of elite-level talent compared to previous generations.

Speaking in an interview on Play Zone, Oliseh expressed embarrassment over public reluctance to address what he termed the core problem facing Nigerian football.

“The reason why we’re failing makes me embarrassed because people don’t want to talk about it,” Oliseh said. “The reason we’re failing is that the players are not good enough. We don’t have good players.”

The 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winner compared the current team with earlier eras when Nigerian stars regularly featured for top European clubs, highlighting his time alongside Finidi George at Ajax and Taribo West at Inter Milan competing consistently in the UEFA Champions League.

Oliseh argued that striker Victor Osimhen remains Nigeria’s only top-tier player, noting that Galatasaray does not compete in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

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Despite Oliseh’s comments, several Nigerian international teammates continue to feature in top European leagues. Winger Ademola Lookman joined Atlético Madrid from Atalanta last season, while Samuel Chukwueze returned to AC Milan for the 2026/27 campaign following a loan spell at Fulham.

Oliseh’s remarks follow a challenging competitive period for the national team. The Super Eagles missed qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, placed third at the 2025 AFCON, and suffered a 3-0 defeat against Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. Nigeria currently sit second in Group L with three points, three behind group leaders Guinea-Bissau.