Following the recently released FIFA ranking and the CAF Best XI, there are clear signs that the issues phasing Nigerian football are not as humongous as first imagined. This is evident as three Super Eagles players were named in the Best XI of the tournament, showing that Nigeria still has players good enough to take her football back to its glory days.
Recall that some time ago, the nation of Nigeria was thrown into sadness, with a dark cloud hanging over her footballing future. Questions arose about where the team was headed after failing to qualify for the World Cup playoffs, despite being clear favourites. Though the NFF took a huge share of the blame, having played a major role in demotivating the team through non-payment or late payment of match bonuses dating as far back as 2019 and throughout the initial World Cup qualification stages.
The same payment concerns also surfaced during the Nations Cup, with recent videos from the team bus suggesting that players were yet to be fully paid.
The commitment of the players was also questioned, as the team and coaching staff refused to take part in match preparations ahead of the playoffs and the semi-final against host nation Morocco. One could argue that these issues affected their overall output in those games. However, the players went on to prove to Nigerians that the problems facing Nigerian football are not as severe as feared and that with better leadership, things could work out fine, as they delivered outstanding performances in the competition.
These brilliant performances saw Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey named in the defence of CAF’s Best XI after helping the Super Eagles keep clean sheets against Mozambique, Algeria and Morocco, where he almost single-handedly ensured they(Morocco) failed to score for the first time in the tournament.
After a stellar outing that produced three goals and two assists, Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman was named in midfield alongside Pape Gueye, who scored the only goal in extra time of the final, and his teammate Idrissa Gueye.
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Victor Osimhen, with four goals and one assist, was named in attack alongside Brahim Diaz and Sadio Mane. Meanwhile, Morocco’s shot-stopper, Yassine Bounou, was named in goal after conceding just one goal in regular time throughout the competition.
Considering how other teams performed in the tournament, the Best XI would have been dominated by players from the Senegalese and Moroccan national teams if not for the impressive performances of the Super Eagles players.
Many may still feel disappointed that the Super Eagles of Nigeria could not go all the way to the final of the Nations Cup and that they will not feature in next year’s World Cup. However, finishing third, producing three players in the team of the tournament, and being ranked 26th in the world should offer some comfort at this time.
Below is the list of the Best XI setup:
In attack, the Player of the Tournament, Sadio Mane, occupied the left wing, the tournament’s highest goal scorer, Brahim Diaz, played on the right, while Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen led the line as the focal striker.
In midfield, Pape Gueye and Ademola Lookman featured in advanced roles, with Idrissa Gueye sitting deeper as the holding midfielder.
The defence consisted of Mazraoui and Hakimi at left and right back respectively, while Calvin Bassey and Diakhate cover the centre-back positions, with Bounou in goal.
