With myriads of questions being asked as to why Nigerian players have failed to make a move to top clubs in Europe, former Super Eagles coach and ex-international Sunday Oliseh has revealed what he opines has hindered Nigerian players.
The former Ajax midfield enforcer attributed lack of top suitors for Nigerian players to the absence of international success with the National Team. “The only thing holding Ndidi back from playing for a top club like Real Madrid today, is because Nigeria has not done well in a major tournament recently”, he said.
Oliseh added, “if a top club is going to buy a player, they need to defend that player’s investment to the Board of Directors and to the fans. How do you defend such a top quality player coming from Nigeria, if Nigeria is beaten by Madagascar? That is where we have to buckle up and we have to support our players because we have very talented players”
The former Juventus and Borrusia Dortmund player said Nigerians must stop celebrating qualification for tournaments, as the bar should be shifted higher. He added that third place finishes at AFCON is no more good enough as the country must go for gold always.
The 45-year old coach was Sporting Director at KAS Eupen in Belgium, after which he coached Nigeria briefly before going on to manage Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands.
