The World Cup is here, and for the second straight edition of the tournament, the summer will go on without Nigerian involvement. The Super Eagles endured a disastrous qualifying campaign, winning just one of their opening six games and facing an uphill battle to qualify.
They did recover somewhat, and a run of three wins in four — including a thrilling 4-0 victory against Benin on the final day when they needed to win by three clear goals — secured a spot in the playoffs. However, that too would end in misery after losing the playoff final on penalties to underdogs DR Congo.
Africa’s Contingent at the World Cup
A ten-strong African contingent will now jet out to North America, with the bookies making Morocco the pick of them. One top crypto sports betting outlet currently makes the Atlas Lions a 50/1 shot to become the first winner from the continent of Africa, four years on from becoming its first-ever semifinalists. For Nigeria, however, a long summer lies ahead of simply watching on, as opposed to being involved.
Nigeria’s Glory Days
It wasn’t always this way. The Super Eagles featured in six of the seven tournaments held between 1994 and 2018, reaching the Round of 16 in three of them. Throughout that run, Nigeria had a slew of strikers in their attacking arsenal, capable of scoring goals against any defence.
Never was this more apparent than in the 2010 showpiece in South Africa, when then-manager Lars Lagerbäck named no fewer than seven strikers in his 23-man squad. While their goalscoring form would abandon them in their hour of need that summer, let’s see if you can remember who they were.
Nwankwo Kanu
When it comes to the greatest Nigerian strikers of all time, Nwankwo Kanu has to be near the top of the list. He shot to prominence with Arsenal in the early 2000s, announcing himself with a blistering 15-minute hat trick against rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He would go on to claim two Premier League titles with the Gunners, but by the time the 2010 World Cup rolled around, he was in the twilight of his career.
Kanu was still in the Premier League with Portsmouth, and Super Eagles boss Lagerbäck made him captain for the tournament. Even still, he sat on the bench for the first two games before playing an hour in the third against South Korea.
Yakubu
Feed the Yak, and he will score. That’s what English fans used to sing about cult-hero Yakubu during his days with Portsmouth, Everton, and Middlesbrough. He had just netted five Premier League goals for the Toffees in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup, and he was supposed to be the man to fire Nigeria to glory. Instead, it’s his disastrous miss in the third group stage game against South Korea — a miss that saw the Super Eagles exit the tournament — that he is best remembered for.
Obafemi Martins
Another genuine superstar. Obafemi Martins scored goals for fun alongside Brazilian Adriano at Inter Milan, before moving on to Newcastle United, where he would net 35 goals in three seasons. In 2009/10, he was playing for German outfit Wolfsburg and was still deadly.
Despite his unquestionable prowess at the club level, he wasn’t able to make an impression on the 2010 World Cup. He came off the bench in the games against Argentina and South Korea, but he was never able to find the net, and the Super Eagles duly bowed out.
Peter Odemwingie
Peter Odemwingie was somewhat of an unknown commodity back in 2010. He had spent the last three and a half years in Russia, never truly setting the world alight with Lokomotiv Moscow. He went to the World Cup anyway, despite his lack of form. He, too, would come off the bench for each of the opening two games but never found the net.
At the culmination of the tournament, Odemwingie joined West Bromwich Albion and immediately shot to prominence after scoring 15 goals in his debut campaign. He is perhaps best remembered for driving to Loftus Road, home of Queen’s Park Rangers, in an effort to force through a move on transfer deadline day in 2013, even though the club hadn’t even made an offer to sign him.
John Utaka
Jon Utaka was another in miserable form heading into the World Cup. He had just suffered relegation from the Premier League with Portsmouth alongside Kanu, but Lagerbäck called him to the international squad anyway. He wouldn’t see a single minute of game time at the tournament.
Brown Ideye
21-year-old striker Brown Ideye had never played for Nigeria before, but Lagerback called him up to the World Cup squad as well, despite him netting just two league goals for Sochaux in the season leading up to the tournament. He wouldn’t see a single minute of action either, but he would find form immediately following the tournament. In 2010/11, he hit 17 goals for his French side and secured a big-money move to Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Kyiv, where the goals would continue to flow.
Kalu Uche
Almeria striker Kalu Uche was perhaps the most in-form out of this entire crop after netting nine goals in La Liga in the buildup to the World Cup. Truth be told, he is the only one who managed to leave South Africa with his head held high after netting twice on football’s grandest stage, firstly against Greece and then against South Korea. The goals would dry up from there, however, and he only ever found the back of the net twice more in a Nigeria shirt before falling out of favour.
