JJ Okocha Reflects on Super Eagles’ 1994 World Cup Debut: “We Could Have Gone All the Way”
- Austin Jay-Jay Okocha opened up about the mentality of Nigeria's famous 1994 World Cup squad on a podcast
- Okocha said the team lacked the belief needed to go further at the tournament because it was Nigeria's first World Cup
- The former captain also weighed in on how the 1996 AFCON withdrawal and 1998 ban affected the golden generation
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Former Super Eagles captain Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has said the Nigerian squad that competed at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States failed to reach their potential largely because they did not appreciate their own quality at the time.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, Okocha, who was a member of that squad, said the absence of self-belief was a critical factor.
Source: Getty Images
“94, I think we had maybe the best Nigerian teams ever, but we were just happy to be at the World Cup, because it was the first time. We didn't even know how good we were, only after,” he said.
“Because with small experience and small belief, we could have gone all the way.”
When asked directly whether the team could have achieved more, Okocha's answer was immediate: “100%.”
1996 Olympics proved Okocha’s
Okocha argued that the Atlanta 1996 Olympics served as proof of what that generation was capable of once they had gained confidence. About half of the 1994 World Cup squad featured at the Olympics, and Nigeria went on to win gold, beating Argentina and Brazil along the way.
He said the victory over Brazil would likely not have been possible before the World Cup experience, because the players would not have believed the game was winnable. Having gone through 1994, they carried a different mentality into the Olympics, and it made the difference.
Political influence cost Super Eagles
Okocha also reflected on what he saw as missed opportunities at the Africa Cup of Nations. According to The Independent UK, then head of state General Sani Abacha withdrew the Super Eagles from the 1996 AFCON in South Africa, and CAF subsequently banned Nigeria from the 1998 edition held in Burkina Faso.
Okocha believes both tournaments were well within that team's reach and that the political circumstances robbed them of trophies they would otherwise have won comfortably. Nigeria did not win the AFCON again until 2013.
How Okocha almost signed for Bayern Munich
Legit.ng previously reported that JJ Okocha explained how he almost signed for Bayern Munich at the start of his career in Europe in the early 90s.
The Super Eagles legend confirmed that a German regulation on the registration of young players and Bayern's unwillingness botched the deal.
Source: Legit.ng
