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Former Super Eagles captain and 1980 Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) winner, Segun Odegbami, has urged the Nigerian national team to play like champions and with confidence.
In a video message shared on the Super Eagles’ official X(formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, Odegbami said the margin between teams at elite competitions is often narrow, with outcomes frequently decided by brief moments rather than clear superiority.
He stressed that confidence and self-belief usually determine who prevails.
“From match to match, it could just be one moment of magic, it could just be one moment you are lucky, it could just be somebody’s mistake, and occasionally it is because you play well, you are coherent and so on and so forth.
“So there are so many factors that come into winning, but the most important one is confidence and self-belief.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s football pedigree, Odegbami said the Super Eagles possess a depth of talent and history that should command respect across the continent.
He noted that Nigeria has consistently produced outstanding players, citing recent African Player of the Year winners such as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, while also recalling past stars whose quality was never in doubt despite missing individual honours.
According to him, Nigeria’s football legacy and abundance of talent means that the team should not approach any African opponent with hesitation.
Odegbami advised the players to perform with conviction and without fear, noting that teams that play with belief tend to win on merit rather than by chance. He added that confidence often translates into dominance, coherence and deserved victories.
“So as we prepare, my advice to the Super Eagles is that they should play confidently, they should play without fear, they should play like champions.
“You know, when you play like that, you more often than not win, and you win deservedly because it is not by luck, it is not by chance, it is because you are good.”
Odegbami’s message comes ahead of Nigeria’s AFCON quarter-final clash with Algeria in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Saturday.
