Former Arsenal defender Johan Djourou, has urged the current Super Eagles squad to push themselves to their limits if they hope to make a meaningful impact on the international stage.
Speaking to Footy Africa, Djourou reflected on Nigeria’s absence from the last two World Cups, contrasting the current team with past stars like Austin Okocha, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, and Joseph Yobo, who he says exhibited greater hunger and determination.
“I think it’s a tough [question] because they haven’t, for example, they haven’t qualified for the last two World Cups, if I’m not mistaken and before, they were always there. Like when the likes of [Austin Jay Jay] Okocha, Yakubu [Aiyegbeni] were playing, The likes of [Joseph] Yobo and those kind of players. So, I mean the creativity is there.
“Maybe I would say the experience is there as well, but, I mean when you say Victor Osimhen and [Alex] Iwobi, all the players, Lookman that they have, they have great, great players. Maybe not as impactful as they were before.
“Like the game has changed as well. You know, those guys before, I would say were very hungry. And now, the football mentality has changed, you know, so I would say that you have great talents, but I don’t know if they’re pushing themselves to the limit that exactly what they were doing back in the days.”
Djourou emphasized that while talent is abundant in the current squad, the key to success lies in replicating the intensity and drive that defined previous generations of the Super Eagles.
